I think that we'll all know the shortage is over when they start selling DS Lites out of the same vending machines they sell iPods out of ;)

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Damn gougers, if it weren't for them I might've gotten my DS Lite by now.

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The price is too top-heavy. I don't think this will be its normal price.

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if i import a ds lite from japan, will i have to get an adapter for the ac charger? is there any downsides other than paying extra money?

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Any idea on the latest sales figures yet?

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No you don't need to buy anything else for it Tyler. Japan uses th same voltage as us, so you're basically paying for prettier packaging. I highly doubt that the US will get the same box design.

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tyler: You need a step-down converter, that's all. They're very cheap and available from most of the usual importers. There are no region locks or problems and the system language can be set to English. (I'm basing this on Lik-Sang's information about the Lite and on my own experience with my imported black japanese DS.)

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...Oh yeah, you naturally need the step-down converter only if you live in Europe, Australia or any other place with 220-240V power :-)

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This doesn't make sense.I picked up my DS lite today from a guy who imported 10 of them, He owns a Comic/Video game store .I got a DS Lite with Pokemon Trozei for $200.00 straight.If i can get one that cheap here then that sign must be a bundle ?.

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You were just lucky. Lik-Sang may or may not ship my Navy Blue DS Lite next Saturday/Monday. Who knows. I'm hoping that they do because I pre-ordered it a day after they went up.

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I'm a little surprised that it's in as great a demand as it is.
Side by side, it really doesn't seem do different from the phat.

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thats stupid. ds is going for 85 used and they're charging 360 for a LOOK? bull crap.

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Wow scumbag city... reminds me what Best Buy people did during the xbox 360 release..

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It's called supply and demand. People are willing to pay that price, so they're going to sell it at that price. It may be gouging, but for Christ's sake it's nothing new.

The only thing that surprises me is that this is on a HANDHELD REDESIGN. It's not even a console launch.

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That's not price gouging. It's frickin called supply and demand. When demand is high and supply is low, you raise the price. This ensures that the people who want the product or need it the most will get it, because other people who only casually want it won't bother. It also prevents someone from hoarding DS lites for himself and reselling online. It's simple economics, and if he can't sell at that price, he'll lower it until it's met the demand of the consumer.

Your definitions of price gouging are messed up. Price gouging is when you take a product and raise it's price just so a certain person or group of people won't be able to buy it. When you raise your price to adjust for supply and demand, it's just simple economics and common sense. That's the best way there is of distributing limited resources.

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Paul, ur arguments are not correct in the least. A retailer doesn't raise the price because they want to weed out the casual gamer as you suggest. A retailer doesn't give a sh*t who buys it as long as someone does. And if that someone is willing to pay double the cost, the retailer sells it at double the cost. You would be out of business Paul if you based your product pricing on what type of people you think should buy it.

In any case where a retailer already paid for an allotment of some product, has it in their possession and then the product goes into limited supply, the dealer does not have to raise prices at all do they? They've already paid for the product. They've done the same amount of work as everyone else to get their hands on it. If they do raise prices, then its price gouging.....

If the retailer for whatever reason has to work a bit harder to get and sell a product, they will reflect this extra work in their pricing...this is an example of supply and demand...

In the case of the DS, I would wager that its an example of both supply and demand AND pure price gouging.

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A store owner has no obligation to sell something at a certain price just because he paid a certain price for it. He does have an obligation to make money. Raising the price isn't done to "weed out" casual or poor gamers, it is simply done to make more money. The "weeding out" is an unintentional and positive side effect.

You end up having a DS lite or a few in stock when no other stores do, because not everyone will pay that price for a DS, and then the people who really want a DS are able to buy one at your store, albeit at a highly inflated price.

It's the same thing with gasoline. When there's a panic, everyone goes out and fills up, afraid the price is going to blow up. Then there's no gas at your local stations, so if you actually need to go somewhere, you're screwed. But luckily enough, one store raide it's price a lot higher than the others, to something like $3.50 a gallon. People didn't go to that store to hoard their gas, so that store still has gas left. Now since my tank is pretty empty, and I need to go 100 miles, I can go to that store, get the gas I need at an inflated price and get to my destination. If that store had not "price gouged" it too would be out of gas due to hoarding, and people who needed to go places wouldn't be screwed by a first come first serve system.

Raising the price above normal is done to make a profit, not out of any altruistic purpose, but it serves an altruistic purpose by turning the buying system into one based on need instead of one based on speed.

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Raising the price above normal is done to make a profit, not out of any altruistic purpose, but it serves an altruistic purpose by turning the buying system into one based on need instead of one based on speed.

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don't know what the F this is about. it's Supply and Demand. everything is done to make a profit, that's obvious.

that need speed crap is just fluff. Jacking up the price does NOT create demand if that's what you guys are suggesting. Retailer gets wind that people are willing to pay MORE than 150, so they increase the price to 200, 250, 300. That simple.

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OK, work on your reading comprehension. I don't know how you could possibly read that and get the impression that anyone was saying jacking up the price increases demand. I was saying jacking up the price is a natural and good reaction to increased demand.

If you have 100 units, and 1000 people in your area are willing to buy a unit at $150, supply and demand is out of whack. There is way too much demand. However, jack up your price to $350, and only 15 people are willing to buy at that price, then you have too much supply for that price. So finally, you try $250. about 100 people are willing to buy the DS at that price in your area. You have 100 DSes. It works out perfectly.

At the same time, the people who want or need a DS the most(those willing to pay a high price) are the ones who get it, instead of the first people who are able to get in line.

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Gouging or not, I'm 99% sure I can pee farther than ANY of you.

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