The game Tony Hawk: Shred is marked down to $9.99 from $29.99 at Best Buy, with free shipping. Fantastic deal, and Yero went to check it out. Then he noticed something odd: shipping is free, but this item cannot be shipped. Is something that doesn’t exist inherently free, or does not existing at all mean that it can have no cost?

Yero writes:

I saw a posting that Tony Hawk: Shred (the game with the skateboard accessory) is on sale at BestBuy for $9.99. Sounds like a good deal, especially with Free Shipping, according to the icon in red above the price. But then under the 5 star rating (really? I thought this game reviewed poorly), shipping is “Not available.”

A simple data entry error can become very existential.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.