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| To Wii or Not to Wii - THAT is the question. |
Where the Hell are Wii?
Nintendo's problems ramping up supplies of the popular Wii game console are translating into much angst for parents and other individuals hoping to deliver a Wii to their child, family member or friend (or themselves) this holiday season. Stock on most of the online stores, such as Amazon.com has been sporadic at best, though Amazon marketplace sellers do have them... for a fairly hefty premium over list price. And it's not likely this will get any better before Christmas.
There are still sources, plus some useful Wii finder tools, that may help you to make good on Santa's promise to put a Wii under the tree of your own good little boy or girl (yes, it turns out even Santa is having trouble finding Wiis this year). Here are a few places there have been recent (and current) Wii sightings online. Click through to view current stock.
Walmart.com:
Although Wii stock in WalMart brick and mortar stores is hit or miss, WalMart.com has had (and currently has, as of this writing) stock in Wii bundles. They are charging no premium above list price (in fact, they are slightly discounted), but the console is only available in packages or "bundles," which do inflate the price. The "Customer's Choice" package (starting at $399) includes a console, controllers and a selection of games.
Here's a direct link to the Wii Customer Choice bundle at Wal*Mart:
GameStop.com:
GameStop stores are getting dribs and drabs of Wii consoles on a seemingly random basis. I myself checked a local New York City store this week on a Wednesday at 11:15 AM - "Sorry, No Wiis" then called them an hour later, "Sorry, sold out!" Apparently they had received three units (their weekly allotment) and they didn't even have time to put them on the shelves. But GameStop is offering a pre-order of a couple of popular bundles, priced lower than Wal-Mart's "Customer Choice" bundle for future delivery (check site for estimated delivery dates as these have been updated multiple times over the past few weeks). Here's the link for these bundles:
Sears.com
The Wii console is available regularly on Sears.com for $249.99 (list price). This is where I got mine (woo hoo!). Will it be back? It doesn't hurt to click and check it out to see if they get more.
Amazon.com:
Amazon neatly sold off 1000 Wii consoles on Thanksgiving day as part of their Customer Vote promotion. But apparently they had some of their own Thanksgiving leftovers as there were Wii sightings on Amazon on Black Friday morning and afternoon, and again the following Friday. When they are in stock on Amazon, you will see the $249.99 price, free Super Saver shipping option and you will see "sold by Amazon.com" on the screen. If you are lucky enough to see this, then put it in your cart and check out as soon as you can! These usually go in and out of stock within minutes, so reloading the page every once in a while is not a bad idea. Here's the link:
When Amazon's direct stock is not available, Amazon "marketplace sellers" do still have the unit available, starting at about $499. You can purchase these from the same page on Amazon.com - just click on "See all buying options."
eBay
Like virtually everything else in existence, you can always find Wii consoles on eBay. Prices vary but are based on market demand, and this demand is likely to increase as the holidays approach (unless Nintendo somehow catches up with demand). Your best bet is to buy one from a reputable seller (high feedback), with a "buy it now" price, so you can be sure to lock in the purchase. If you prefer to bid on a Wii auction item and take your chances on winning the bid, you may be disappointed by a last minute sniper.
Here's a direct link to the "Wii" category on eBay (with the items ending soonest at the top):
Tools to Help you Find a Wii
If none of the above pans out for you, there are a few web-based tools that poll various sources for Wiis to check stock, and they publish this stock in near real-time on their web sites and in RSS feeds that you could add to your "My Yahoo" or "iGoogle" home pages. One even delivers notifications via e-mail. These may be helpful to check to see if some online source does come up with a previously hidden cache of Wii stock:
Good luck and let the games begin!
