There's a couple of ways to make money in this world. There are easy ways, hard ways and more than questionable ways -– and if there's a way to make money off of something, people will find a way to do it. It's no secret that Wii U preorders have long sold out at major retailers, but at least a few savvy buyers are now beginning to take advantage of it. According to Ars Technica, you can find a Wii U on eBay for about double what it's worth–and people have proven they will pay that much.
If you go on eBay right now you'll find around 60 Wii U's ranging from $400 bids with $600 Buy It Now prices all the way to $1499.99 (with $44.99 shipping). The latter doesn't even offer a bid price and the seller claims they are a "Top Trusted Seller" buy won't accept returns and is apparently oblivious to the lower priced consoles, as they have at least three listings up.
Now, if you want to buy a Wii U and are willing to pay the ludicrous prices on eBay (seriously, some of these people stand to make over $1000 profit) at least protect yourself the best you can by ensuring that the seller has high ratings and can show you an actual picture of the receipt. If possible though, try to find someone local so you can go pick it up yourself and be sure the receipt is legitimate.
If you've decided you don't want to spend that much money, you'll likely have to play the waiting game. You can hope that retailers get more preorder stock soon, or you can just wait until the buzz has died down. Barring that, you can do what someone I know did back in 2006 for the original Wii–wait in line for six or more hours. Whatever you decide to do, be safe about it and be prepared to wait.
Would you buy a "price-gouged" Wii U (or any other console you wanted)? Let us know in the comments.
