Majorabundle

Back in January, shortly after its Nintendo Direct reveal, we reported - with no attempt to hide our disappointment - the arrival of hundreds of pre-orders for sale for the Majora's Mask 3D New Nintendo 3DS XL bundle. It seemed peculiar that hundreds of dollars were changing hands on transactions that weren't even complete, and we can't help but wonder whether some retailer stock issues affected these listings.

Of course, the system is now out in stores, though you'll do well to find one. Unsurprisingly - and not just due to scalpers - these were sold out shortly after pre-orders opened; it's to be expected, however, that hundreds of the systems have now appeared on eBay in fresh listings, as you can see right here.

There are so many listed that the most recent arrivals - which are way down the list - are struggling to lure bids, but as you can see below the value of early sales is certainly inflated.

Major E Bay

It seems that those with approaching deadlines are comfortably heading towards $400+, which means some that are desperate to own the limited edition will have their wish, albeit at a hefty premium.

As we've highlighted before, there's little Nintendo or retailers can do about this. Only one listing appears to have multiple units, with outlets such as Best Buy implementing a policy (albeit clumsily) of limiting pre-order customers to one each. This is a reality of the current market - there are also software special edition bundle listings trying to sell for over $100 - even if it is one that Nintendo has played its part in exacerbating (especially in the case of amiibo) with particularly low levels of stock.

It seems a pity, nevertheless, that some fans are so keen to own the system that they're paying over the odds, rather than an ideal scenario where enthusiastic fans can buy these editions at retail price. There's no place for idealism, it seems.

We hope that, at the very least, Nintendo will improve its distribution and stock supplies - along with retailers - as 2015 progresses. The more limited edition systems and games that find their way to committed fans at their real price, the better.

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