Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

NES Classic Edition scalpers benefit from eBay policy that ensures profit

By

ebay encourages nes classic scalpers by guaranteeing profit ho 02 2 800x533 c
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Are you having trouble tracking down an NES Classic Edition for the gamer on your holiday shopping list? You’re not alone, and aftermarket prices are currently skyrocketing thanks in part to a new eBay policy that ensures scalpers a massive profit on their hoarded units.

Nintendo Life reports that eBay is now guaranteeing sellers that new-in-box NES Classic Edition units will sell for hundreds of dollars at auction, ensuring that scalpers will be able to exploit Christmas shoppers throughout the upcoming holiday season.

Recommended Videos

Released at retail earlier this month, the NES Classic Edition features a collection of 30 built-in Nintendo Entertainment System games from the ’80s and ’90s, including The Legend of Zelda, Kirby’s Adventure, and Super Mario Bros. 3. While Nintendo frequently reissues its legacy titles digitally via its Virtual Console service, the standalone NES Classic Edition sidesteps the need to buy a Nintendo console in order to enjoy classic games, offering a simple plug-and-play solution for retrogaming enthusiasts.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Supply issues became apparent after the device’s launch, however, as many online retailers sold out of their entire allotments of NES Classic Edition units immediately after putting them up for sale. Amazon customers who waited in order to comply with a specific time frame to purchase the NES Classic Edition earlier this month refreshed the site only to find a “sold out” notice within minutes after it went up for sale, and brick-and-mortar retailers likely won’t restock in time for Christmas.

In the meantime, opportunists who snagged an NES Classic Edition at launch can currently enjoy a tidy profit by putting the unit up for sale on eBay. According to Nintendo Life’s report, eBay guaranteed that one specific seller with an NES Classic Edition in stock would receive at least $226 for the item at auction, representing a 383-percent jump over the unit’s suggested retail price of $60.

While reselling high-demand items for profit via eBay isn’t a new phenomenon, the company’s recently instituted price guarantee policy will effectively allow scalpers to hold the NES Classic Edition for ransom throughout the rest of the year. Sellers who auction off an NES Classic Edition over the next few weeks aren’t simply likely to turn a profit — eBay guarantees inflated aftermarket prices by offering sellers a cash-equivalent coupon if their auction doesn’t meet a specified minimum bid.

Given that eBay currently guarantees a final price of at least $226 for a new-in-box NES Classic Edition, the hunt for one of this holiday season’s hottest items just got a lot more expensive.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Revenge of the Savage Planet spins Google Stadia trauma into comedy gold
Two astronauts frolic as bugs fly overhead in Revenge of the Savage Planet.

The gaming news cycle is so hectic these days that it’s easy to completely forget about a ridiculous industry saga. I was reminded of that while demoing Revenge of the Savage Planet, the latest game from Racoon Logic. When I sat down to try a demo of it ahead of The Game Awards last week, I was greeted by a satirical introduction as a corporate orientation video cheerfully explained that I was an employee on a dangerous mission. As it played, the developer showing me the demo made a crack about Google. I didn’t really understand why, so I laughed and moved on.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that a long-forgotten thought came back to me. In 2019, Google acquired Typhoon Studios. They were folded into what was supposed to be Google’s first-party game studio, Stadia Games and Entertainment. Two years later, the entire project was shut down and Typhoon Games was spat back out. It formed Racoon Logic later that year, putting the team back to where it started as an indie team.

Read more
Project Century: everything we know so far
Project Century trailer.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (aka RGG) is working overtime on upcoming video games. Not only is it releasing Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii in 2025, but it also revealed that it is working on Virtua Fighter 6. If that wasn't enough, we also learned about a new IP from the studio currently being called Project Century. This game looks to be a return to the classic Yakuza games in terms of gameplay, but in a completely unique setting and featuring a new protagonist. Let's rewind the clock and see what we can uncover about this mysterious new game.

For a comprehensive look at all the upcoming PlayStation 5 games, upcoming Xbox Series X games, upcoming PC games, and upcoming Switch games, see our specific lists to find what you're looking for.
Release speculation

Read more
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet: everything we know so far
The main image for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

When you look at the best PlayStation 5 games, or even a list of the best video games of all time, odds are you will see at least one game from developer Naughty Dog. Our list of upcoming video games was already stacked prior to The Game Awards 2024, but the last announcement of the night added one more to the list that might beat out other heavy hitters like Ghost of Yotei and Wolverine. As this is coming from Naughty Dog, this is already one of our most anticipated upcoming PS5 game, but others might need more convincing. We took out a bounty on all the information there is on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and this is what we came up with.

If you don't have a PS5, there are plenty of upcoming Xbox Series X, upcoming PC, and upcoming Switch games, too.
Release window speculation

Read more