BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?

Subject: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Zhenya
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 03:25 PM

I'm trying to help my young niece buy the Nintendo Wii game. (She needs the basic console to get started.)

I knew it was really popular, but I'm having trouble locating it for sale in any store or even online. The closest I've come is being informed by Toys R Us that they may get a few in on Sunday, and I could line up at 6 A.M. for their 9 A.M. opening to try and get one. And J&R (Jr.com) has an online contest. If you win that, you don't win the Wii, but you win a change to buy the Wii!

I live in NYC, but at the moment I'm visiting her in the Atlanta area. So I'm either looking for stores in these areas that we could visit in person, or any online site from which we could order the Wii.

If anyone has recently succeeded in buying a Wii, or has any helpful ideas about this, we'd really appreciate hearing about it. Thanks!

Zhenya

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Becca72
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 03:42 PM

I don't have any helpful hints to offer, just wanted to say "good luck" this time of year. From what I'm hearing this is one of the most popular items for Christmas this year and you and your niece have your work cut out for you in locating one. If it's not a Christmas gift my best suggestion is to wait until after the holiday to buy one. There will be loads on the shelves then, I'm sure.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 03:53 PM

They should cost 250, but on ebay you can get one for 400 within minutes.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 03:54 PM

We have been unable to buy one in the stores here for 13 months.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: ranger1
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 04:40 PM

Try Gamestop, it's a national video game chain store. Most good-sized cities with a mall have one. If not Gamestop, then Electronics Boutique. They're both owned by the same company.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Jeanie
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 05:15 AM

I don't know if this is any help to anyone, but there was an item about the shortage on UK television a week or so back. Apparently, they are in plentiful supply in Germany and you can order them online from German websites.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 07:17 AM

I was just about to post the same info Jeanie. No problems at all in Germany and probably lower price even with shipping.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 07:27 AM

amazon germany
The amazon uk website quotes the price as £275. So nearly 30% cheaper from Germany.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: ranger1
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 08:03 AM

No good for zhenya, I'm afraid. I think she's on the US side of the pond.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: GUEST,Chrisk
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 08:48 AM

can anyone suggest an actual site in Germany to buy from? Amazon Germany says it won't ship to my UK address

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 11:14 AM

I was also going to suggest Game Stop, though they get fed these games a few at a time like other retailers. The surprise contenders are usually stores like Sam's Club, but they bundle the player with games and you have to take all or nothing. Hopefully you'll like their games. Maybe if they are unopened you can trade them in later at Game Stop, but I don't know if anyone can convert games easily.

The Wii console hardware bundle at Fry's goes for $359, but the online site says it is sold out. They'll get them in the store periodically if you have one nearby, and you can ask when they'll go on sale. If there is an ad for it they have to hold them for the ad, so be there early in line and you might get lucky. They usually get 50 at a time or more. But there aren't many Fry's around the country. You're lucky, though, there are a couple in Georgia, though I don't know if they're near you.

http://shop1.outpost.com/ac/storelocator/index.jsp Alpharetta and Duluth.

You can get on their email list and they send periodic announcements about their specials. This is one store's emails I always open.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Zhenya
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 10:29 PM

Thanks for all these helpful comments and leads. Yesterday, another relative tried calling Nintendo directly to ask where to get the Wii. One online site they suggested was EBGames.com. They had a POSSIBLE Pre-order Wii for January. You can order, and you may or may not get it. However, they won't charge your charge card until they are sure they are sending it. It was also a whole bundle, with various accessories and 4 games thrown in, and came to almost $600, I believe.

My niece decided she wanted to try to get this, by using her recent birthday money and putting in some money she's saved in the last year from her allowance and other gifts. So my brother put in the order. Today the order page is showing that only one game is backordered, and everything else is showing "Usually ships in 24 hours." However, it doesn't show anything has actually shipped. At this point, it isn't clear if it will in fact ship right away, not ship until January (or later), or not ship at all. I'll certainly post soon again if it does ship in the next few days.

Meanwhile, last night we were at a mall in Alpharetta, Georgia, (about a half hour from my brother's home), and did stop into a Gamestop store. Like the other stores we've tried, they had a display Wii for people to try, but none in stock. They won't keep a waiting list, you just have to get lucky and find out about it at the right time when a few happen to come in.

At any rate, we didn't know about Fry's, so that's a good lead too, if it turns out that the online order doesn't work out. I just printed out the address for that store from the above link.

So the saga continues...

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 10:40 PM

Fry's won't let you purchase it until it is in the store either, like Game Stop, but you can ask when they'll have some in (they'll know when it is going to be advertised). They'll get a lot more in at one time that Game Stop will. Also, Fry's may offer a bundle but it is a stack of things they'll hand you to buy at once. Last year I picked up two games for the kids after the first of the year (their father gave them each the money to buy the game when it became available) and the offer included games that my children didn't want. I asked to trade them out and at first the clerk was reluctant. I told him I'd just bring them back to trade in for the games they really want, and in the spirit of the bundled offer I was still going to buy three extra games, so he let me go ahead and do it. Just so you know. My point was that since they do have to pay for those bundled games they should at the least be able to buy games they want!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Rapparee
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 12:57 PM

I can wii without the help of Nintendo.

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Zhenya
Date: 14 Dec 07 - 01:08 AM

Update:

I'm back in NYC, and called my brother earlier tonight. My very excited niece announced that her Nintendo Wii package, with all the trimmings, arrived yesterday. She's not allowed to set it up and play with it until the weekend (although I'd bet she'd like to call in sick to 4th grade), but it's there in the house!

To recap, this was ordered online from

EB Games

When they ordered on 11/23, the site said it wouldn't be sent until 1/2/08 or later. However, it actually took only 19 days to show up.

They bought a whole package, with accessories and games which my niece wanted anyway. I don't know if you can just buy the basics separately without having to take all the extra things. My brother said that when he saw the breakdown of the order, the prices for the individual items were the same as in the store.

So, if you're still looking for a Wii yourself, this approach to getting it may work for you.
Zhenya

Subject: RE: BS: Where to buy Nintendo Wii?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Dec 07 - 03:28 AM

Well done!!! Limpit has been dropping small, subtle, whale-type hints about a Wii... but I keep telling her no way, we don't have the space.

I suggest you get yourself some Ibulieve gel or other muscle rub too, because it's entirely possible to give yourself tennis elbow, housemaids knee or any one of a hundred joint and muscle problems through excessive use - which we all know will happen over the first few months!

There's a Tyneside version available in the UK... it's called the Wye eye.

LTS