This just in: QVC is a company that attempts to make money by selling stuff at inflated prices.

*GASP*

where is crazy eddie when you need him.

Wouldn't be surprised if they did this to rip off old ladies who don't do their homework on stuff like this (my mom, for example).

Some family friends of ours overspent on a Wii off eBay years ago, back when the Wii was in short supply and everyone wanted one. They paid about $100 over MSRP for it, and all I could do was shake my head. It's insane.

I really hate these compaines because they end up scamming the older people. My parents who are in their 70's fell for buying through one of these companies last year and it was hard to tell them that they had been taken but I felt it would have been worse to not tell them and let it happen again. Just like "Rent to Own" stay away from these places but they only stay in business because they prey on people who are either in need or are not knowlegeable about the products.

@pecan 3.14159265:

But paying a premium for something that is nearly impossible to come by is understandable, if not the best financial move. Paying a premium for something that is in stock at every mass market retailer in the country, not so much.

@Ronin-Democrat: Perhaps he is just getting out of prison? ;)

It is a total rip-off as we all know. However, the only upside may be that one can pay for it in those 4 "easy payments" of $87.25. So possibly for one that does not have a credit card for whatever reason, and cannot pay outright for these items, this may be the way they can purchase this. Again, it's not worth the inflated price when one can just save the money and then buy it, I'm aware of this. But it does give the above customer the ability to buy it. In time for Christmas too!

@thetango: I didn't know QVC sold brand name items like Wiis. Why would anyone buy a name brand game system off of a home shopping channel? I guess people who find TV-shopping exciting . . .

@madanthony: But it was the shortsightedness, you know? It was only a matter of time before the craze died out and supply could catch up with demand. But they had to have it right then and there.

@thesadtomato: Old Grandmas who watch QVC all day may have no clue how much it should cost, all they know is little Johnny and Susie said they wanted one, so they buy it.

I was in COSTCO on Saturday, they had at least 100 WIIs and they were <$200

You should have seen the 10" netbook they were selling, with a massive 1gb of RAM, for $450.

There really isn't any reason for the Wii to be rare anymore. It's a 3 year old system.

@K-Bo: Include my mom in that list, she loves watching QVC. Why? That is a question for the ages. At least I have her trained to call me before any and all electronic purchases. That way I can prove to her that QVC does not offer good deals.

Although I will say we bought our 65" DLP TV from home shopping about 3 years ago and scored a good deal on it.

I sometimes want to smack those QVC hucksters, that smarmy David Venable in particular. Or Rick Delmeier, the actor from Evil Dead 2. The only QVC host who is worth her salt is Lisa Robinson, who is both extremely entertaining and an eyeful in the bargain. As for the QVC deals -- I wish they would sell a computer WITHOUT all the dreadful add-on stuff, like a printer you don't need and some bloatware written by a high-school senior...

They're cashing in on the shortage of Wii's last Christmas season. Grandmothers who couldn't find a Wii for their grandchildren last year will see this and buy them.

So the op found the same thing online cheaper? GASP!
I can't believe this is even a story.
Different places charge different prices, that's why you shop around.
For example, that "Go Play Circus Star Games" that the op says is only $14.99, is a good price, but there are retailers online selling it for as much as $55.99!
As to it not being HD, nearly everyone claims it is HD, even Amazon.com. They even sell HDMI cables for it.
If you do a little searching you can also find it even higher online, so maybe consumerist should use those prices and do a story about what a great deal QVC is offering?

@K-Bo: No, I get that. I don't get why people shop for this kind of stuff from their televisions. I thought it was all Ginzu knives and Snuggies; I see now that they sell everything.

@pecan 3.14159265: It's mob behavior; remember the Cabbage Patch Kids or Tickle Me Elmo? These things aren't important, or interesting; people are sheeple.

@justagigilo85: It would be interesting to know how many of these they sold.

@blueneon: It seems like way too high a premium for it to be a logical financial reason. It's more likely they wanted to make a few extra dollars and their data showed that people would be willing to overpay for this because they don't know any better.

QVC is simply a tax on the stupid. It's hard for me to have much sympathy for people who actually buy stuff off this channel.

@pecan 3.14159265: Yep, it's only been about 3 years and I'm finally seeing Wii's all over the place. Best Buy had stacks of them the other day and Target seemed to have quite a bit as well.

Even though it's only a matter of time... it's also at least 2 more years you have to wait for supply to catch up with demand. It could actually be worth the $100 dollars to get it it and not have to stress about waiting in lines and hoping you'll get one.

I remember the day I bought my Wii, which was launch day.

My parents came home from church, and the first thing my dad did was burst into my room to interrogate me over how much money I spent on the system. When I told him I'd spent the MSRP, $250 for the system and $50 for the game I bought (Zelda), he said, "Okay," and slowly backed out of the room.

About 10 minutes later I asked my mom why he seemed so over-the-top about it.

"Today's sermon was on fiscal responsibility, and the pastor talked about the new Sony and Nintendo systems launching this weekend, and how people were spending around $1000 on items that cost only a couple hundred, so he thought that's what you had done."

I lol'ed.

I see QVC is doing what it does best..
Their market is lazy, sit-at-home bored overweight housewives that stay up until 3am who don't know how to leave the house and check the local walmart for a better deal.

@Ronin-Democrat:

I tried to friend him on Facebook, but I couldn't find him.

@gparlett: I see and understand the point. However I have caught myself a few times just stuck, listening in abject horror, as people call in and gush to the hucksters. They do an amazing job of making their viewers think that they are friends and they actually need these things. It makes me sad because you realize how little the viewers have beyond this channel...

@riverstyxxx: Yay stereotypes!

@Ronin-Democrat: They sure don't make commercials like they used to, eh? :) Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

@bigd7387: I do not feel that QVC is well known for ripping people off. I think this particular cases is a rip off but I have heard of other people who have bought things from QVC who were quite happy with the price they paid.

True other companies always rip people off however I do not feel that such is the case here. It seems to be just a bad instance for QVC here.

@Ronin-Democrat: He's practically GIVING things away!!!

The SO still remembers the phone number and will recite it for me if I let him.

Circus Star game? I'd pay money NOT to see that.

I have a hard time feeling bad about this. QVC is a business and they are entitled to make money any way they can, and while this may seem dis-tasteful, I don't view it as unethical. QVC is not required to do your consumer homework for you, and there are likely people who know how much these things cost but bought anyway because $140 was worth the convenience to them.

The MSRP is the Manufactures Suggested Retail Price, if QVC can get people to buy it for more, so be it.

@ShiningSquirrel:
"but there are retailers online selling it for as much as $55.99!"

I did a bit of searching online, and was unable to find a reputable retailer selling the game for $56. The highest price I found was $43 at a site that I had never heard of and looked to be a scam. Care to provide a link?
Go Play Circus Star Games
[www.amazon.com] $16.49
[www.toysrus.com] $19.99
[www.bestbuy.com] $19.99
[www.bizrate.com] $29.82
[video-games.pricegrabber.com] $18.99 - $35.81

Wii Console "nearly everyone claims it is HD, even Amazon.com":
[www.amazon.com]
They do not indicate in their description that the console is HD. Yes, they do offer Component Cables, [www.amazon.com] but the specs clearly state 480p

I did find and HDMI Cable for the Wii, but it states "Brand new non-OEM. 24K gold plated plugs. Great for multi console owners, Fully compatible with Xbox360,Wii,PS3,PS2. Supports (480i/480p);(720i/720p)&(1080i/1080p)technology. Actual resolution determined by console and television used."

Hey, what is the big deal here. You are going to GameStop for prices. How about Looking at the MSRP for these items?

I thought wii games would normally retail for 49.99
So you have the Wii 199.99
The Game 49.99
Gun 19.99
Sports Pack 29.99

Ok it still comes to about $300 Only about $50 more than you would expect to pay at $349

I've been in Crazy Eddie's house in Brooklyn, to give him a price estimate on repairing/replacing.. well, I won't tell you, because I like being anonymous on the Internet, and there is a non-zero chance he's reading this website. But my point is, just because his prices are insane, he thinks everyone else's should be, too. Dude needs to lay off the cocaine. Nice house, though, big driveway.

@thesadtomato: My grandma would because she didn't drive, and if she saw something the grandkids had been asking for, it was either wait for my grandpa to drive her, and have him see how much she was spending, or just buy it by phone and be done with it. Basically, a shopaholic will buy anything anywhere if they really want it, often without doing researching, since that's not the fun part, the buying is.

@ModernTenshi04: I'm just going to give you props for getting a wii at launch

@K-Bo: This is why, when my kids want electronics for gifts, I tell my mom exactly what to get and where to find it at the best price. I must admit, though...that Christmas that Wii's were impossible to find, my mom had scored two of them in August and sat and laughed at everyone trying to find one. Go Mom!

The wii is capable of 480i, which makes it "EDTV" or enhanced definition TV... definately not full HD. That's a minimum resolution of 720.

i just bought 2 wii steering wheels from meritline this morning for $0.75 each with free shipping from hongkong. surely if its coming from america it should be cheaper.

Everytime I think QVC, I think Mike Rowe

@Cameraman: So how many people do you think he has coming by his place to do repair estimates?

I personally haven't had anyone do that all year and could probably remember the one person who did come by if needed.

@RPHP: I agree they are not ripping people off. They are just aiming for the niche market of impulse buyers and addicted shoppers.

QVC and HSN put up timers on the channel for how long the deal will last and also a ticker of how many items remain for this "once in a lifetime" opportunity to make their channels into participating game shows.

I remember when pokemon cards were really popular and they were selling them for an incredibly ridiculous price.

@Bargaineering.com:

Article says they sold 2800+. My first thought was the same as justagigilo85's - poor grandmothers are going to think they're getting a good deal when they buy their grandkids a Wii with some crappy accessories they don't even need.

@blueneon:

*****PLEASE NOTE*****
If you meet the above criteria specified by blueneon,

YOU CANNOT AFFORD THAT ITEM

PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF OR CHANGE THE CHANEL!!

@WiglyWorm must cease and decist:

The Wii is capable of 480p which is EDTV.

480i is SDTV.

It seems like you probably knew that and it may have been a typo, but I thought it prudent to correct you so as to not confuse others.