Nintendo consoles are sold out at GameStop and in very limited supply at big box retailers around the country. But gamers can pick from thousands of Wii U consoles on Ebay, for an extra 30 to 40 percent mark-up.
“Wii U prices on eBay are indicative of supply shortages,” said Sebastian. “According to our review of completed transactions on Ebay, nearly 2,000 Wii U units have already sold on the marketplace (80% are the Deluxe edition), with an average sales price for the Wii U Deluxe of $488 (40% above the $349 retail price) and $389 for the Wii U Basic (30% above the $299 retail price), indicating there are shortages of the console at retail.”
Sebastian forecasts that Nintendo will sell 3 to 3.5 million Wii U consoles in the December quarter, with at least 1 million each in North America and Japan, and the balance sold in Europe and worldwide.
“Longer-term, we remain cautious on the prospects for Wii U, and expect overall lower unit sales than the original Wii,” said Sebastian.
