Will reselling consoles at launch be profitable?

Do you think it'll be worth one or two days to wait in line for a PS3 or an XBone? How much money do you think you can make by reselling it?

Who's ever going to get in the first week likely already pre-ordered it.

I doubt there is much profit to be made.

@sexytoad: I think people will hold out for when the first run dries up and others get desperate to get their hands on one. Assuming that we will experience that again this generation of course. Maybe they will finally wise up and not create artificial demand by limiting production.

It's more profitable to work two days than it is to stand in line hoping to resell a PS4.

dont do this. it takes a console from someone who actually wants it and makes somoene else who wants it pay more than they should. scumbag move.

Guys, it's always, always, always profitable during the first week and everyone knows it, expect triple priced PS4s on Ebay a few days before the launch of the console. It sucks but if you really do want one you should pre-order it. Even if you don't when it comes to the launch just cancel the pre-order. No harm done.

Sony has said systems will be on the shelves all the time, and Xbox One is unlikely to sell out for long either. I don't think there is money to be made on reselling consoles anymore. People lost money last time around reselling XB and PS3 except for a few people who tricked some idiots into thinking supply was more constrained than it really was in truth.

This crossed my mind. It's been the case in the past and I don't see how it wouldn't be this time. People get really, really stupid around Black Friday and pre-Christmas time. Irrationally stupid. So if not the first week, then sometime in the first month because some city will run out at some point.

I preordered mine and I thought "hmm, I could sell my PS4 for a bunch and get both!" But I'd feel bad.

I think it depends if there is a shortage again or if everything sells out. If supply doesn't meet demand than there will be price gougers online selling them to the highest bidder.

I remember back when the whole Wii backorder thing happened people were selling ones online for 3 times the sale price. Same with the PS3 and 360 on launch day.

If it were me, I'd wait about 3-6 months after the consoles come out. You'll miss out on the initial hoopla of launch day and the next few months, but when you do get it it will be readily available everywhere and there will be games out for it. And by then the word will be out about how each system performs and any potential problems them so you have a better chance of getting one without being burned.

Well ps3 already came out soo..... hehe

I really hope not.

Not when you have a job like mine! I'd have to work fifty five hours to afford a PS4 and a single game.

Probably? It is still a dick move.

I made some money reselling a couple of PS2 consoles after launch. I'm not sure about the PS4/Xbox1. I think people will always be able to get them in time. Although I believe interests in these consoles will be greater then the WiiU, there's always the possibility that after Xmas the interests drops off like the WiiU.

Yeah, probably. You dirtbag.

There's rumours around here in the UK that you won't be able to get a PS4 until March unless you pre ordered one. So in that 4 ish month window I'm sure they'll be people breaking and wanting one once they see the pretty. I think HMV are actually taking 'pre orders' for March which is kind of crazy to think about.

Seriously.

Jack Tretton has said they'll be holding back stock to help meet Christmas demand, but I'm sure a lot of those subsequent shipments will be going straight to preorders. Saying that, I'm sure if you're persistent enough, you'll be able to find a console between launch and Christmas at retail price.

Don't be a dick.

There are a large group of people on here that think doing that is worse than murder, so get ready for all that hate. As for your question, there's always a window when hotly anticipated devices come out where you can resell them online to those that have more money than intelligence. How long that window is depends on too many unknown factors for anyone to know at this point.

Probably, since it's so close to Black Friday and the shopping season, there's probably a way to sell a couple for a profit assuming you want to put the time and worry in.

Didn't some other scum bucket ask this same question a few months ago?

I'd imagine the XB1 will be the better bet, given the whole Day 1 console thing.

Buying one console to re-sell is a safe bet, cause even if you can't resell it, you can just use it as your own.

Any more than one and you are taking a lot of risk. No one wants to pay retail price for the console from you when they can get it at retail price from a real store.

Don't be that guy. If you don't want the console, cancel the pre-order.

Don't do this, its a dick move, no different to ticket touting.

Also didn't Jeff read that email on the last podcast about Sony making sure there were always PS4's on the shelves? And it doesn't look like the Xbone will be in demand enough to sell out anyway.

Your best bet might be trying to flog them to countries like Japan where the PS4 (amazingly) doesn't launch til 2014.

But don't do this, its a dick move.

@leebmx: Sony claims that it will always be on shelves, but that's not true (in Australia anyway). If you preorder the PS4 now, you'll be getting it in early 2014 according to retailers.

So there is money in reselling it, but don't do that, because that would make you a dick.

Don't be a dick.

Honestly, I normally think those people are assholes who buy a system at launch and then sell it for like a thousand bucks. They have the right to do it and no one should stop them but they are assholes none the less. I hated selling to those people when I worked at Gamestop around the time of the system launches. UPS and Fed-Ex drivers are some of the worst. Some of them will try and con you into selling them multiple ones.

Is it bad that the moment I saw the title I read it as "Will wrestling consoles at launch be profitable?"

Anyway, I'm not gonna say don't do it but, it's kind of a dick move.

"One or two days in line"

That's not worth it at all. Not only are you not making money working, you're also wasting your time. There will be hundreds of Xbones and PS4s up on Ebay and you'll be stuck low-balling the next guy to get your sale. Not to mention that one console will most likely not sell at all(you know the one) and you'd be stuck with a few useless SKUs.

Much has changed since the last round of consoles.

- Preordering has basically become the method of choice for the people who would have paid the higher prices, the "gotta have it day one" crowd. Retail has clued in to the fact that maybe we don't like sitting in the cold for hours, and are willing to part with fifty bucks a few months early to avoid it.

- Amazon has built up a huge gaming business, so limited local supplies aren't quite so problematic. Even if they sell out of launch day delivery units, they'll have more in a matter of days. Ebay shipping is not going to outpace Amazon's second round of orders, because amazon can ship faster for less money.

It's possible you can resell locally, but it's unlikely that anyone will get the 2-4 times MSRP they got for 360 or Wii. (We all remember the "PS3's arent available in stores" fiasco, right?)

ugh. resellers.