Scalpers Set Their Sights On The Shin Megami Tensei V Premium Edition

Just waiting for all the inevitable comments about scalpers being the scum of the earth etc etc...

Does the blue lady have a beard?

@johnvboy Not wrong tbf

Can’t wait for physical stores to reopen completely and have like 50% of their stock only available to in-store customers.

@NinChocolate the protagonist is actually a dude.

https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Protagonist_(Shin_Megami_Tensei_V)

How do you stop scalping whilst there is no law against it? By asking producers to make twice as much as needed and go broke? Modern capitalism really needs some sense of fair play somehow. Scalpers are pretty much breaking a non existant RRP law (which there really ought to be. - in fact, I'm pretty sure there was one before the Conservatives got rid of it years ago...))

@NinChocolate blue haired lady is a high school boy but what you think is a beard is part of the suit that extends up to the neck after fusing with a demon

Iv been constantly refreshing looking fo uk pre order Metroid and Zelda game and watch was up the day after announcements

@johnvboy found the scalper

@Kid_Sickarus,

I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you pesky meddling kids.

I had kept my eye on the Nintendo UK store since the announcement, waiting for the edition to go live. Still managed to miss it, already gone by the time I'd realised it was available. Very disappointed as I'm not sure limited editions have ever come back into stock there

The article should read ‘scalpers set their sights on literally anything that’ll be in demand’ ……old news and the way of the world now.

I'm glad I didn't want the premium editions for either game (I just got the regular ones which are widely available) but I'm really sorry to those who did and missed out. As a former collector of amiibo and Funko Pops, I feel your pain. I didn't quit collecting due solely to scalpers (I don't need any more, same reason I stopped collecting plushies), but they do make collecting less fun.

EDIT: Also, please don't buy from scalpers. No matter how much you want something, it keeps them going and just isn't worth it.

wow Even at the original price its mehhhhhhh anyone that pays the silly prices is welcome to it

The market is as the market does.

I know you guys are 100% against it, but could you guys maybe stop reporting on this sort of stuff so often? It's not the sort of story that anyone is happy to see, and we all know it's most likely happening, so you're really just advertising the scalpers products, whether or not you're against it. Sorry for being a nuisance, just my 5 cents worth...

@GrailUK The way to stop it is to not buy from scalpers. If they can’t sell things at inflated prices they have to keep lowering those prices until it’s not worth it to them. At that point they return the items to break even or give up scalping altogether. That will never happen because people can’t help themselves. They will always pay those high prices so really it’s their own fault. Quit feeding the beast.

I don't think there is much to be done about buying something for the sole purpose of reselling it as that is basically how trade works, but using bots to mass-order limited quantities of end consumer products from actual retailers should be adressed by legal means.

This has nothing to do with faciliting free trade and enterprise but creating defacto monopolies on a product to drive up the price. It's so blatantly obvious, that tolerating it makes you wonder what the point of all this talk of free markets is all about.

I almost wish some billionare had bought up all the vaccine in the planet and would have held the world hostage with it. At least then we would have had a common and reasonable cause to debate the merits of the Darwinian market, and would - hopefully - come to the conclusion that ultimately freedom of all is contigent on the limits placed on the individual - be it person or company.

I only really see this problem with Nintendo products, I've never had any issue securing copies of limited/collector's editions of games on any other system.

Are they manufactured in smaller amounts to ensure they get snapped up to guarantee sales by creating an artificial scarcity - They don't care if it's a reseller or a collector that buys as they get paid either way.

@BobbyAtomic I don't lol. Lay off!!

That's okay at least the standard edition isn't affected that's all I care about.

@GrailUK one per address. One per person. Only via pick-up at store.

But I can see online shops not mind scalping practices though.

@Friendly I think it needs more regulation than that. Folk will work a way around it and abuse some loophole or other. It's a short term problem and there really ought to be something prohibiting selling something higher than retail price right off the bat. It's exploiting the system and lacks morals, but of course, it's not illegal so folk think it's fine. And you are right, some outlets just see the sales and don't care where they go. Again, there is probably some work distributers could do regarding that. It's all so slack. Wish I had the answer, but I'm not that smart lol.

@GrailUK it’s very difficult without regulation indeed. You also don’t want to give any monopoly to big websites and retailers only.

In my country the special edition of Metroid is released throughout the whole week in very small quantities over a lot of different websites. There’s constantly a website where it’s available. Maybe that works short term? Dunno, I’m also not that smart

Tbh. I am less annoyed about scalpers, than about the people buying from scalpers.
At the end of day, they are the reason why scalpers exist.

@GrailUK @Friendly
I am not sure there is a way to prevent that kind of thing from happening by regulations either. One of the problems being that they would have to have such regulations world wide, otherwise scalpers could sell through other countries.

While I understand it from a business perspective, it just takes all the joy away from making that choice to spend a little more for a special edition of a game you love. It especially sucks when it’s a case like this where some have literally been waiting years for the release.

@DomGC
Can't wait to hear people talk about wanting Persona 5 more than Shin Megami Tensei V.

I read somewhere that this actually violates eBay's terms of service, so just report them

I missed out myself, and it annoyed me that it went up in the middle of a work day with the only notice coming from Twitter (which I do not use)... but I just shrugged it off and then ordered a standard edition.

I'll consider it $60 saved and be happy with simply playing the game.

@GrailUK The problem is that the entire capitalist world is built on buying stock at one price and selling it on for more

The Limited Edition is still available in Australia. With the right connections it is still available to get at retail price.

NintendoLife did not mention this at all (lack of research?) but I will. So if you want the Limited Edition, you can still get it.

@Kirgo the internet. A blessing and a curse.

@Dringo Very true. But how do you instill a sense of goodwill and fair play to that. Not sure you can (which doesn't really paint a happy picture of our society lol)

They should do what Nintendo did and make them a limited time sale and not a limited quantity sale, that way everyone has an equal opportunity to buy it while production lasts and not while supply lasts.

Of course it wasn't enough.
They're scalpers.
They live by making things worse for others.

@Ralek85 Are you talking about the Covid vaccine?
There are laws about scalping necessary items, for which video game collectables do not count.

Scalpers can suck my Mara

@Mr-Fuggles777 Probably because collector's editions are generally useless and doubly so on other platforms where games hit bargain bins and sales very quickly, so value of physical versions, let alone collectable ones, is perceived to be low by general populace. On the other hand, Nintendo products had attention of collectors for a while now and popularity of Switch ensures that there won't be a shortage of people willing to pay extra for CEs and special editions.

@Preposterous so why doesn't Nintendo make more of these collections to ensure there is enough for everyone if they are so desirable?
If they were readily available people wouldn't be able to flip them for a profit and the gamers wouldn't have to go without.

@Mr-Fuggles777 It probably isn't even up to Nintendo in regards to Japan and North America about producing more of these premium editions. It's all Atlus/SEGA since they handle publishing duties in those regions

@Mr-Fuggles777 Because they don't care and it affects negatively only a small portion of their audience. Plus, usually it's not on Nintendo to decide just how many of these CEs are made.

@TheFrenchiestFry fair enough, then Sega should have made enough of the Limited edition - especially knowing how in demand this game is.

@Preposterous then it's always going to happen and the only winners are the company and reseller.

@GrailUK Pass a law where it’s not permitted to sell anything on eBay unless you have the item in hand, and you must have photographic proof that the item is ready to ship.

That should put a dent in these gouger’s plans.

Just Remember one thing: DON'T FEED THE SCALPERS!

@quartet1986 lol, It just delays everything a bit...

Does this sort of thing happen in Japan? Or are we just low lifes in the west lol? Didn't Japan have a 'not for resale' law or something, How did that work?

Scalpers aren't going away. They're just working within the framework provided by a capitalistic society that tells them to value profit generation above anything else.

At this point, gaming companies should be changing their methods to address this. Why not do like LRG does and make special edition stuff an open pre-order for a period of time? That way, everyone who wants one could obtain it without having to camp out on websites and continually refresh news feeds and forums in order to snag a limited edition product in time.

And yeah, I was on this like a hawk because I knew a special edition would disappear quickly, so I somehow managed to obtain two preorders for this version of the game. Will definitely be holding onto one for myself. The other I'll hang onto in case a friend who wants the LE doesn't end up being able to purchase it.

Scalping isn't new, but how is it getting more common?

Man, I don't know what it is exactly but BOTH Metroid Dread and SMT V CEs are still available here in Australia. It's always 1 Per Customer, always restricted to the country (like it's usually only able to be sent to local address' and suck) and in the case of SMT V (not sure about Metroid) it's completely Exclusive to EN Games who I know for a fact don't ship internationally.

I was of the thought "Sounds like a US problem" but I saw a comment or two saying it happened in the UK as well 🤔 I dunno... I'm glad I'm in a country that generally doesn't need to deal with this BS 😂

@quartet1986,

So you are suggesting people can scalp as long as they have the item in hand, not sure E-bay will ever do anything about this, as they make a percentage from every item sold, and as for laws being passed, it possible however highly unlikely with retail items.

A better idea would be to make bot software illegal, that way everybody has a fair chance of getting items.

@the_weakest_link it's important to keep writing these articles because if we stop people may start to stop seeing it as a problem and it will be normalized. You can't fix a problem by ignoring it. Although you can help fix this one by talking about it and teaching new people to ignore the scalpers.

All they have to do is not sell LEs online. Then people can just go to the store in person and get what they want without having to fight bots. It works for consumers because they have a fighting chance, and it works for retailers because it gets people in the stores.

@GrailUK Blame the people willing to pay inflated costs, they’re part of the problem. The beauty of capitalism, is that there is nobody out there that can tell you to limit how much money you want to make. That also is the same flaw of capitalism, as certain things become inaccessible for various reasons. Scalping shouldn’t be against the law, except for necessary items such as food and water, clothing. Unfortunately, housing is extremely expensive due to the mindset of the land owners. I think that’s a greater problem than a scalper hoarding a collection of rare games.

@Timptation While I agree with your solution, that becomes a problem for people where the item isn’t offered in their region. Thanks to online stores, I’ve been able to get a fair share of Japanese imports, for example. This is more an issue of people with high amounts of income and low amounts of patience buying something at the inflated cost because money doesn’t matter to them. Scalpers wouldn’t exist if there weren’t people out there willing to pay those excessive prices.

There just has to be a way around this scalper problem...

@Friendly To quote your link: “There is currently no text to display on this page.”

@BloodNinja Indeed. I do appreciate there are bigger problems in the world than scalping video games, but while we are on a gaming website hee hee/

@Radbot42 You also can’t fix problems by simply talking about them. Sure, someone with a reasonable situation may ignore scalpers, but what about those with large, disposable incomes that literally don’t care how much they spend? Heck, some people will buy the $3000 PS5 so they can gloat about it to make themselves sound like they got something fancy.

@GrailUK Oh, absolutely. And I see the inconvenience it causes because the price point is generally pretty affordable before scalp price hikes, so it’s incredibly inconvenient to people that are more thrifty with their spending.

@BloodNinja certainly I don’t want to do away with online sales altogether, just the limited editions. People who need to import will still need to import either way, and services exist which can help them make their “in person” purchases, if they need to. Not the ideal solution, and importers need to pay higher prices, but regional service is sort of another problem altogether. Supply and demand is the problem, and scalpers are forcing supply issues, while demand will never change. Either companies need to stop making “limited” editions, or we need to fix the scalping problem.

@Timptation That won't work, unfortunately. People will hurt other people to get whatever collectable they want. A stampede to get to the item, people waiting outside to mug people for them, etc.

EDIT: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/pokemon_trading_card_scalpers_are_causing_some_ugly_scenes_right_now

I’m not so well known as to gain much traction, but I’ve started replying to publishers on their social media accounts with a possible solution.

They should follow in Limited Run Games (and a few others) and implement open preorders for a limited time. That’s how preorders used to work. I don’t know why they’ve all forgotten this.

The open preorder system allows for:
1. Everybody who wants one has an opportunity to get one.
2. Scalpers not being able to get them all.
3. The scalping situation to be disrupted as the supply is able to meet the demand, their typical customer base is now diminished to only new fans far into the future.

Obviously there would need to be work done with the retail partners, or for the publisher to run their own online shop (which some already do) but this also annoys the retailers. But really, knowing how many they should be making rather than playing a guessing game and failing every time should be a no-brainer.

Is making less money and pissing off your most dedicated fanbase just to drum up hype the better solution?

I’ve posed this to Atlus, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. I haven’t gotten or expect a response. Even though I’ve worked in the industry, I’m not a known individual with clout to get the ball rolling, but I have seen the inner workings and know this is a solution every publisher can implement.

Is this 2010? did you just discover the internet...

People been scalping Nintendo stuff for decades.

Remember, when you actually buy from a scalper, you're part of the problem. Please restrain yourself. You don't need that collector's edition that badly

@KingMike It was a hypothetical. I was just pointing towards an elephant in the room (one of many). Of course videogame CEs are not necessary goods.
Conversely, this does not mean that non-necessary goods like these should be open to abusing the allocation mechanism, we all (implicitly) agree on. It's the principle of the thing and has really nothing at all to do with games, other than these being consumer goods as well 🤷‍♂️

Point being, just because you CAN leverage certain ressources, be it technology or good old mammon, to construct a monopol or oligopol shouldn't mean you are allowed to do just that - vaccine or not.

@BloodNinja yeah, you should fix the ) at the end of the link manually. Not sure why, but I can’t fix the link myself.

@Kid_Sickarus That also explains how he got here before anyone else lol

@Allspice it’s worked better than this for decades.

I had a fair chance on the Metroid Dread special edition, but ended up just getting the normal one, as I pondered that I really don't need it. Though when I made the decision, more customers best me to it.

Luckily I got the amiibo, so far I only have the Twillight Princess one, but this one intrigued me.

SMT V I at least ordered the physical copy as I fear a limited run.

This reminds me, that I might rebut Tokyo Mirage Session #FE Encore as I liked the normal version already...

Why can't Nintendo, or even Atlus, sell DIGITAL Special Editions, where the goods are accessed by means of exclusive apps or menu items via DLC? You know what? I hope the Nintendo Switch Successor System ends up becoming a Digital-Only thing, so we can only buy eShop Cards and so forth! That way, we can ALL get the extras we want, with a premium!

But in all actuality, Nobody's targeting Sonic Colors Ultimate Launch Edition! If SEGA chose to remake Sonic Generations, extending it with the 3DS Levels added, and adding characters like Classic Amy and Classic Knuckles, Tikal, Marine and Big, and including new Rival battles like Omega and Jet the Hawk, they could've used the idea for that Extended Edition Fanfiction, to make a fully-fledged game out of it, one that would have Scalpers targeting it. The Post-Story could involve Modern Metal Sonic and Classic Metal Sonic capturing everyone from both periods of time, and we could have playable characters like Classic Tails and Classic Knuckles for the Classic Stages, including Angel Island Zone and Flying Battery, and Shadow and Blaze for Space Colony ARK and Egg Fleet/Final Fortress, respectively. As well as new Boss Fights for Classic and Modern Metal Sonic, involving Classic Super Sonic (fighting Mecha Sonic) and Modern Super Sonic (fighting Metal Overlord), individually. And when it looks like everyone's fading from existence, Tikal grants the Sonics the power of the Super Emeralds, as they fight a combined Metal Time Eater, with phases lifted from past games: Sonic Colors, then Sonic Adventure 2 (with Metal Knuckles and the Tails Doll), and even going back to Green Hill Zone for the Final Phase!

Was this really a surprise? Pretty much all the Atlus special editions for SMT and Persona cost 3 times the original price. Look at P4G's special edition.

@YoshiAngemon Nocturne HD and P5 Strikers had digital special editions

There is no defense for this nonsense. Scalpers are scumbuckets.

ebay sellers can be reported for this but will probably find somewhere else to sell the items anyway: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/reporting-price-gouging-ebay

They the Retailers can stop Scalping. If they can track your Online Purchases they can track whoms buying what. We all have one Registered verified address on our CC/PayPal and other forms of payments and they can cross references since it's all electronics. And they should not allow P.O. Box address-even then their form of Payment will give them away as that will show the Correct Address. That's what scalpers would use as second buying address. If they are ordering multiple copies to the same address-it's quite a Fact what's going on. Now if it was only two but more then that then the buyer needs to verify their Online Purchases are for the same address and if so will be giving a 72 hour before all PreOrders are cancelled and their CC/PayPal are blocked until the PreOrder release date. That will put a Grinding Halt to Scalpers. If they can track our Mobile phone they surely can track your orders and find the Scalpers. And Atlus can make this a Open PreOrder until one week before the release date-that's not hard as that will guarantee those are the Actual buyers not a BotNet. Same goes for the Metroid Dread Game/Amiibo Open PreOrder until a week before release date will KILL of Scalpers. But in the end their lack of doing so just shows they are for the $$$$$ with NO ETHIC or Morals and nothing else since only the Scalpers will profit.

@Slothzilla unfortunately those companies aren't something Nintendo can control or do about it. That's the Elephant in the room those companies can do something about it but you have to ask would they????? And even worse if they were expecting profits above MSRP from the scalpers they obviously are delusional here.

@Timptation Fixing scalping requires solving human desire, good luck with that!

@SwitchForce Sounds a little too rigid of a solution to simply be able to have access to a video game.

@BloodNinja nah everything we do is Online and that's not hard to track purchases or activities we do on the internet when you use your Registered account or make purchases Online. People are just so sheep to the slaughter they would make such comments. Nothing is rigid you sign TOS/EULA when you buy their products so what makes you think you can't change that to stop Scalping? All they do is state clearly this is a sole purchase for sole user anything beyond this will violate the TOS and will be cancelled. Was that hard enough to understand for anyone?? This isn't about access if that was true all these PreOrders would be open preorder up til the release date. But no one has explain why they won't do that when it's in their Best interest and bottom line as any orders they get goes to them.

@SwitchForce I haven’t signed a single TOS in my life, and why are you talking about that when we are discussing preorders/scalping?

@BloodNinja yes you did take NL. You had to agree to using this forum site-othewise you couldn't register to use this. Looks like talking to a wall here but will educate anything you do online site requires registration and if your buying anything online you already signed their TOS. So once you go online to make account to buy anything you checked the box for TOS.

@SwitchForce Where is my signature?

@BloodNinja Yeppers clearly a Scalper is alive here and trying to weasel out. And someone that can't connect right from left foot here.

@SwitchForce Ok, you’re slightly insane. To the block list you go.

@BloodNinja We have a SCalper here folks glad to block this person anyone should block them as well. Let's ferret them out and show their true colors as not real Game Fan buyers but Scalpers.

@BloodNinja fixing scalping requires fixing supply, or demand. I suggested fixing supply, by making it difficult to scalp, no by fixing demand.

@Timptation Both are products of human desire. Supply arises from demand, and supply can also create demand. The source of supply is desire for money and to be able to make a good living.

@BloodNinja Don't even know where to begin with that... I'll leave it to more interested parties. I'm out.

@GrailUK Oh it’s tough. But legislating against this is going to be hard. Tickets are one thing, as that’s a set supply. And that took years and years. I think we will need other solutions

Companies have the control to do it. It is do they have the will to do it. Others keep trying to mislead but they are the powers that be and can make the change. The fix is simple it's do they have the balls to fix it. Anyone trying to talk about tickets is just deflecting from the real problem or is part of the problem. Tickets have limited seating that is a Fact. Games can be made over and over that is another Missed Fact. Take eShop games they can sell as many or long as they please or take it away at moments notice. And they don't have to lower the prices. I posted a video explaining how they are the Control but people keep drinking their koolaid that it can't happen but it does. The solutions is already in-front of them they are choosing not to use the tools they got. This is the laughable part people have been mind-zombie by companies telling them they have no control when in fact they do - they make and release the game and clearly have it in their interest to make more money. Do you think they are here to help us buying game NO. The more MSRP they sell the better and a Scalper buying at MSRP and then Scalping isn't making more money for them other then MSRP - when Scalper can be 3x more then the MSRP and that doesn't go to the Software maker/Developers by any stretch of the imagination here.

Companies can say ok we have this game online for a set PreOrder timeline and after that if you missed it then you missed it and your only choices are Scalpers. But the timeline can't be a month but up until the Release date-doing this will stop Scalpers dead in their own tracks. As if they buy too many they would be at the loosing end should all those that want got their and what left is those deciding at later time but by then those PreOrder buyers paid only MSRP to get their SE/LE/CE collection and what left is the standard or left of SE/LE/CE items of which the demand will be far below Scalpers inventory to make money. Thus this will lead to a winfall as Scalpers will have to offload at Major loss. That's how this stops. And if there is more after the release date and no buyers well then Scalpers are free to sell at Scalping prices of which I doubt they will want to do anymore.

Well it's Atlus' fault too, their print runs tend to be VERY limited in the first place, let alone actual "limited" or so called "premium" editions.

@GrailUK
I have the answer and it's not even that complicated. We've seen a perfectly successful model in place for years now.

Take pre-orders ahead of time, charging at time of purchase. No refunds. Make quantity match the orders. Limited Run Games has been doing this for years, and it's a perfect system.

But people have to also realize, its not just scalpers. The vast majority sold are to real gamers who just want the product. A few listings on eBay are a pittance in the grand scheme of things. Even if 1,000 - 2,000 get listed, that's a very small percentage overall.

But people like having someone to blame, and most have little love toward scalpers, so the blame them as if all their problems are because of them. But it's not. They're part of the problem. They're a minor contributing factor. And definitely something I don't like to see. But the truth is, these companies just don't make enough to meet demand because it's very costly to overproduce. So all companies typically err on the side of less rather than more. And collectors tend to like it that way, as much as ppl don't admit it. Most like having a rare collectible that wasn't easy to get. It's why amiibo sales plummeted once they started over producing. Most lost interest if it's common.

But ya. Supply and demand is what it is. It can be good or bad, depending on your involvement. Bad for us buying a CE, but good for us when selling a CE down the line that has gone up in value. Can't have your cake and eat it too, as they say.

Was this edition even available in the UK? I see the listing, but nobody seems to have bought it even though it’s sold out

@Ralizah
They're just working within the framework provided by a capitalistic society that tells them to value profit generation above anything else

That's not why they do it. They do it because humans are inherently selfish, always have been and always will be. Human nature is what it is, and it manifests regardless. The only role capitalism plays is that it enables a higher number of people to be rich enough to afford luxury entertainment collectibles well above MSRP in the first place. First World problems, as they say.

You can't fix human nature though. It will rear it's head in any system, regardless of circumstance. And though free markets are conducive to selfish greed, they are also conducive to bettering society as people are incentivized and rewarded financially for solving problems and offering products and services others need or want.

If someone really wants to address the issue (and I think we all do), they have to dig into the supply-demand curve and modify it in some way that prevents the imbalance from occurring in the first place, such as the LRG model which has been incredibly successful. The reason it works is because it ensures supply meets demand precisely, and those who wish to profit cannot cancel their orders if they realize demand has been satisfied already. But, they are free to order extras and hold them in hopes of, down the line, new fans wanting a copy who weren't around when pre-orders went live. And I say that's fair game. Because those extra copies would otherwise not exist, and they assumed all the risk by purchasing extras. It's a near-flawless system and we've already seen it work. So we have empirical data supporting it.

If you want an item so bad, then instead of whinging about it, use the same supposed methods as these 'scalpers' to get it in the first place.

i tried preorder the premium edition at gamestop they said its online order only which is bs even the lady agrees with me that edition like this and metroid dread should be pre order in store only which would prevent this type of bs.

@Dingelhopper I work a 9-5 job, sorry I’m not a scalper. I’m just not against people trying to make a living however they can, especially when it’s legal. They’re selling video games, and you guys are acting like they’re selling drugs or trafficking humans for slavery. Literally the most over-dramatic bunch of people I’ve ever talked with across the internet. You’re literally calling someone scum based on an assumption from a comments section. You know nothing of me, what I do in life or anything of the sort.

While I don't have a horse in this specific race (I've never been into Shin Megami Tensei), the recent spike in scalping and/or hoarding across the videogame industry is a real problem. There's legitimate capitalism and then there's hijacking entire shipments of products to turn around and sell them at several times the cost, which is pure, unabashed greed.

Currently the parties who are doing this can get away with it scot-free, but frankly it's a bit surprising that the videogame industry in particular has let it slide for this long, due the efforts they've made over the past decade to systematically eliminate the secondary and brick-and-mortar markets, especially when it comes to software. The push toward digital has never been about consumer convenience nearly so much as it's about controlling and gaining added revenue from purchases after the original point-of-sale. Ditto the subscription models like XBox Live Ultimate and PS Now; what consumers don't physically own (or own at all) they can't resell where the publishers don't at least get a cut.

Now apply this to scalping, and it isn't difficult to envision the industry somehow cracking down on it sooner or later. Some would argue they don't care where the money comes from for their shiny new PS5s or, in this case, the physical collector's edition of a given game. But that's a non-corporate angle view of things. You see, a critical component of sales in any business is ATTACHMENTS (just ask anyone who's worked retail), so that big stack of next-gen consoles sitting in some scalper's garage? Sure they got their retail asking price for them, but all those units are tied up with no extra controllers, accessories, and especially GAMES that sold with them, which hurts both them AND their third-parties as well as the retail outlets (in-store or online). And if and when the scalpers sell those consoles, they don't see a single red cent of the profit from those transactions...just like they don't with used game sales at GameStop or eBay.

As for this or any collector's edition, while no doubt the publishers are happy those units sold, the fact they're controlled by people seeking to profit from them instead of the fans they're targeted to (and most importantly, the ones whose passion ensures they'll KEEP SPENDING MONEY) likewise isn't in their best interests. Because if consumers can't acquire products easily and at a fair price, they begin to lose interest, and on that level this trend is hurting the long-term health of the entire hobby.

So, all that said, what can or might be done with regard to physical products like hardware or collector's editions of highly anticipated games? I definitely see a shift in how online retailers in particular are told to handle transactions (if Nintendo can control the price points of their software so rigidly in stores everywhere, you can bet they can and will hold them to certain expectations regarding things like units sold per transaction, CAPTCHA, and other anti-bot countermeasures, and sooner or later Sony and Microsoft will be forced to follow suit).

As for you and me, the end consumer, the best (and really only) thing we can do is to vote with our wallets. It doesn't matter how badly you want that product; if some scalper is demanding two or three times its retail price, simply walk away and let them eat it. Principle, practicality, fairness, whatever reason floats your boat, but don't give in, EVER.

I remember the days when pre orders were a way to anticipate demand. Anyone could pre-order, and they would make more copies based on the demand..... damn how times have changed...

I’m I was thinking about buying it digital anyway like I did IV, IVA & Nocturne. I don’t care for scalpers and won’t contribute to their success. 👎

Why do people even waste their time scalping when crypto exists?

Scalping will never go away as long as people buy scalped goods and services. It's as simple as that.

That said, I still think it sucks, and scalpers are scum.

@Dirty0814 I'm pretty sure there was something about fixed pricing, but I'm old and can't remember lol. As for taking a chill pill...omg, I do hope you aren't reading anything I type as me being vexxed or anything. If I was any more chilled, I would be asleep! I don't have answers so I'm just trying to contribute to the discussion (usually with questions haha). But you will have to forgive me for not being rude enough to start suggesting folk look in the mirror about it! (And I already know I'm not pretty...that's why I hate mirrors lol)

@piecez I got this response after contacting Nintendo UK

"In regards to your query of the Shin Megami Tensei V - Premium Edition.We inform you after checking our system it has been on sale and unfortunately it is out of stock and we do not have any further information on if and when it will be back in stock."

What is more odd is that the listing has been removed from their site

@GrailUK there was never one and if anyone got rid of it it was probably liberals. Liberals tend to get rid of things that work against the people not conservatives. You liberals need to take a chill pill and look in the mirror. I’ll tell you right now it isn’t pretty.
As for scalpers having a law would be a huge gray area. You would essentially be telling all merchants they cannot sell things for a profit and you cannot not pick which product’s or merchants were or were not allowed to because of discrimination laws. They could limit the quantity on how many things could be purchased but right now that’s a merchants decision

Had literally 30 (unannounced) minutes at 9am Friday morning window to buy this in UK before the resellers hoovered them up. For a shin megami game, a series I have yet to meet a real life person than me who has actually played one. Crazy.
Its increasingly clear that the resellers' excuse that they are harmless is no longer relevant, they are clearly affecting the prices of these things now. Whether the creators care or not is a complicated question.

@Westy90 Nintendo are terrible at promoting pre orders. They always go live with no fanfare.

I really like the model of pre orders for limited editions used by limited run, where the pre order is open for (say) a month, then everyone who wants one, can realistically get one.

Having editions go live, unannounced to be snapped up in 30 mins by scalpers is just BS.

And in regards to scalpers, I would say don't hate the player, hate the game. This is capitalism. Saying scalping should be illegal is silly. They just need to create a system where everyone who wants to purchase, at least has a good chance.

@piecez Actually the model should be preorders open until the release date of the game. That will stop Scalpers dead in their tracks. And if they are that desperate to scalp then let them do it after that-then they can scalp all they want. Or make a system where after 1 year after release you can scalp all you want. Scalping isn't capitalism and how someone could say that or make any delusional story to equate something needs to be put into a crazy house and locked up away permanently.

@KingMike yeah I remember hearing about guys buying up tons of hand soap from different states when antibacterial was the rage in the early pandemic days. Think they made a couple million but were forced to surrender it all or face jail time. Pretty crappy people do this for every limited edition thing, but then again it's the game that should really matter, not stuff you will set on a shelf and never touch again.

@UglyCasanova most governments will aggressively stamp out attempts to scalp essentials, especially in times of crisis.
Entertainment is different though unfortunately, though it has been done before, scalping music tickets has been banned before etc.

The problem with scalping is not the scalpers themselves or capitalism, capitalism is in fact wonderful. The issue is with the people willing to pay outrageous prices instead of waiting or letting that item go. Scalping should never be made illegal and I say this while at the same time being angry that I missed out on this SMT V premium edition. No one buys, scalpers don't exist, the end. SMT is one of my favorite game series of all time but you know what? If I cannot find the premium edition for regular price I am willing to let it go and pick up the steel book version instead. Another solution would be for these websites to keep up with bots and canceling any orders that seem suspicious, aand of course limiting special edition orders to one per card, household etc. These are just my opinions of course and maybe you don't agree. That's fine, just like with scalpers I will not buy into your hate and keep it moving. Lol, seriously have a wonderful day yall.

It exists because the perceived value of the item is higher than what it’s selling for. If Nintendo sold a limited edition for $400, then it’s doubtful scalpers could sell it for much more.