XBox360 Scalpers Robbed [Archive]

momusak

12-19-2005, 08:50 AM

I witnessed someone getting robbed of their 360's that they tried to scalp after waiting in line at BestBuy. This is scary as we pulled up to McDonalds I heard someone say that a guy had a gun. 360's were being moved from a car to another car.

News Story (http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7298929p-7210664c.html)

bean19

12-19-2005, 09:03 AM

Oh, I did the write-up for nothing. Great story though. . . I recommend clicking the link as the details are quite good.

Varsity

12-19-2005, 09:03 AM

Another day, another piece of American slang learnt.

Atorak

12-19-2005, 09:04 AM

People are willing to commit a Class A felony to get their own XBox 360?! Microsoft has clearly won the next-generation! You can't PAY for this kind of advertising!

*dodges a flaming shoe*

bapenguin

12-19-2005, 09:12 AM

Can't they track this? I mean...the serial number is on the receipt. So...wait for them to show up on EBay....and track the serial #.

momusak

12-19-2005, 09:22 AM

More than likely the culprits will be brought to justice as all the Pawn shops and everyone will know about this robbery. They might be able to sell to someone off the street but that is quite a stretch. Don't know how much of a witness I could be as I was sleep deprived and my wife was not paying attention. We only saw xbox's being moved from one car to another.

WastelandDan

12-19-2005, 09:23 AM

I have zero sympathy for the people who were robbed. Nobody was hurt and now they've learned not to do something so inherently stupid and dispicable.

Hijinx

12-19-2005, 09:32 AM

Serves 'em right.

ezra

12-19-2005, 09:52 AM

He had a gun? (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/11/23)

momusak

12-19-2005, 10:09 AM

Yeah, you have a right to judge someone and see fit that they have someone else take something from them. No one deserves to get robbed and not at gun point.

If they could have sold them, more power to them but no one was buying and they were out 2000 dollars. Now they are out 1600 because someone thought they deserved them more then the other people.

SMES

12-19-2005, 10:10 AM

Can't they track this? I mean...the serial number is on the receipt. So...wait for them to show up on EBay....and track the serial #.

Think again. The serial number isn't on the receipt unless you buy Best Buy's extended service plan. They sell all non-service plan hardware WITHOUT tracking the serial number. If your 360 is stolen, or you switch your 360 with your friend's because yours is broken, if you both bought from best buy there's no way to prove whose is whose.

Also, this is yet another reason to not live in Alaska. Or Detroit, for that matter. One of the guys in line with me at Best Buy on launch day had family in detroit who were in line, and the place turned into a big violent free for all about 10 min before the store opened.

MrMeatshake

12-19-2005, 10:19 AM

People are willing to commit a Class A felony to get their own XBox 360?! Microsoft has clearly won the next-generation! You can't PAY for this kind of advertising!

*dodges a flaming shoe*

wait, even scarier! from the story:

The teen hid the fifth unit under his feet and managed to keep it, Honeman said.

kids are willing to GET SHOT to keep thier 360s! now THAT is advertising!!

drakkarim

12-19-2005, 10:33 AM

greed superceding greed, gotta love it.

Atorak

12-19-2005, 10:58 AM

kids are willing to GET SHOT to keep thier 360s! now THAT is advertising!!

Well said Meatshake, well said indeed! Now only if Sony can work some sort of terrorist angle into their launch week, they might actually trump Microsoft in this regard:

Sony Indirectly Supporting Terrorism? posted by CNN.com
The release of Sony's updated PlayStation console this week has gamers rejoicing and law enforcement offices worried after the numerous reports of terrorist activity taking place at major retailers selling the console. It has been reported that terrorists have found a way to use the processing power of the Sony PlayStation 3 to launch attacks against the United States from within their own soil.

A spokesman for Sony, the No. 1 provider of game consoles, said it never anticipated such a widespread demand for their next-generation system, but that they welcome the new demographic to the market.

"This just goes to show all the fans of Microsoft's XBox 360 how much more powerful the Sony PS3 is. No one saw XBox 360s at the center of terrorist activity last November, and they won't this holiday season either" said Jim Smidst, a long-time fanboi of Sony's PlayStation console and owner of www.xbox-is-teh-suck.com (http://www.xbox-is-teh-suck.com).

:)

Suicidal ShiZuru

12-19-2005, 11:27 AM

Editor's Note - Original post removed due to racist content.

LOL! Not going to say anymore...

I wish the "robbers" just shot the 360s and ran off, would be hilarious. I hate people who try to resell things like this so I could care less if the stupid kids did get shot.

Royal Fool

12-19-2005, 11:28 AM

Terrorists will be able to use the awesome power of the PS3 to launch massive network attacks against the U.S.

Praetor-Vong

12-19-2005, 11:31 AM

I hope that was some pathetic attempt at idiotic humor...T3G

phantomhitman

12-19-2005, 12:07 PM

waiting in the alaskan cold overnight for 5 360s......yeah...I might have to die over that.....and then you would have to pry them out of my cold dead hands.

momusak

12-19-2005, 12:13 PM

It wasn't so bad waiting, only 30 degrees F.

notcivx

12-19-2005, 12:25 PM

F3nyx

12-19-2005, 12:26 PM

Wow, it's amazing how bitter people get about people reselling the 360s. It's just an investment... other people have no more right to buy a 360 than they do.

SMES

12-19-2005, 12:30 PM

It wasn't so bad waiting, only 30 degrees F.

Back in my day we walked 40 miles to and from Sears to buy an Atari Video Arcade II! And it was uphill both ways! And we waited for six weeks in negative 40 degree temperature in line in front of the store for our Ataris! And we we happy to do it! Not just to buy an Atari, though. After they let you in the store you would have to compete in a ranked, multi-tier deathmatch brawl against all the other people who had been waiting in line with you! Only the heartiest men and women would survive. At this point the Sears overlords would choose at random from the survivors and throw the boxed prizes into the deathmatch pit for us to fight over. You young whippersnappers and your X-Station 720 never had it so good!

phantomhitman

12-19-2005, 12:33 PM

Think about the parents who couldn't get their kids XBOX 360s because some dipshits thought it would be hilarious to scalp them.

Think about the parents that didnt want to wait in line to get them period. I didnt want to wait in line, and I still cannot believe I did.

This is a love/hate topic that people have, no grey area in between. I do indeed hate scalpers but them getting robbed is wrong. On the other hand the 360s should go to a place that actually wants them instead of making money off of them. It all still ends up being who wants them more, gamers or scalpers. It is a fair game because there is no limit as to when you can start standing in line. HOWEVER, the jackasses that work at some bb/walmart/costco/target that buy 3-4 because they know when they are coming in and how many should be throw in a pond. That is just wrong no matter how you flip it.

bean19

12-19-2005, 12:39 PM

Think about the parents that didnt want to wait in line to get them period. I didnt want to wait in line, and I still cannot believe I did.

This is a love/hate topic that people have, no grey area in between. I do indeed hate scalpers but them getting robbed is wrong. On the other hand the 360s should go to a place that actually wants them instead of making money off of them. It all still ends up being who wants them more, gamers or scalpers. It is a fair game because there is no limit as to when you can start standing in line. HOWEVER, the jackasses that work at some bb/walmart/costco/target that buy 3-4 because they know when they are coming in and how many should be throw in a pond. That is just wrong no matter how you flip it.

Doesn't happen at Best Buy since they did their little strategy of selling at release and then hoarding until Dec. 18th for a large shipment that came with an ad.

da.Guvna

12-19-2005, 02:13 PM

To be honest, I feel pretty sorry for the scalpers. They waited in line, just like everybody else did, and they only bought one 360 each (as was the limit). They didn't break any rules, so if you've got a problem with it then you should have arrived at the store before them.

I'm getting pretty sick of everyone saying "oh, but think of poor little Timmy on Xmas morning when he doesn't get his 360!". What, so the kids are gonna suffer massively simply because they didn't get a console for Xmas? Come on, how spoilt are these kids?
I hate to go all 'hippie' on everyone, but what about the poor kids in Pakistan who are freezing their nuts off cos their bloody houses fell down?

When I was younger, I wanted a Playstation (the original) more than anything else EVER for Xmas. I saw a big, gift-wrapped box in my parents room and was convinced that I was getting one. Turned out to be roller-blades, and I was pretty gutted for about an hour until I got the **** over it and enjoyed what I'd been given.
A couple of months later I'd saved up enough pocket/Xmas money to buy a PS on my own, and it was all the sweeter for it! I don't think I'd ever saved for ANYTHING before that, so it taught me a valuable lesson.

God, I sound like such an old git....I'm only 22, honest!

Praetor-Vong

12-19-2005, 02:37 PM

Well said da.Guvna

Except for the original Atari, NES, Playstation, and TG-16; I bought myself all the consoles. It was worth it too, because then I would actually investigate which games were good before I got all jazzed over a new system. Now, my rule is 5 'must-have' games before I buy the new console...still waiting on the 360 list.

GrinR

12-19-2005, 02:45 PM

Wouldn't have happened to me.

http://www.stumptuous.com/rex_kwon_do.jpg

Break the wrist, walk away.

rein

12-19-2005, 03:00 PM

well da.Guvna and Praetor-vong... ..you are both special for buying your systems on your own. I guess I was spoiled because my hard working parents bought them for me. You can't convince me that you had more fun with your system than I did just because you saved your money for it. Because a parent buys something for their child does not diminish the value.

My parents would pay for the system but there is no way in hell they would have waited in line for hours to do it. They loved me, but not that much.

The link is down... .if these guys were scalping the system close to where the sytems were being sold then they are idiots. How can you not think someone is going to be pissed that they couldn't get one and now you are flaunting it?

CapnBob

12-19-2005, 03:20 PM

http://www.stumptuous.com/rex_kwon_do.jpg

Holy crap, which terrible 80's movie did that come from?

GrinR

12-19-2005, 03:26 PM

Holy crap, which terrible 80's movie did that come from?

Pop culture grade: F

ezra

12-19-2005, 03:31 PM

Pop culture grade: F

You guys are retarded! duuh.

Paranoia

12-19-2005, 03:47 PM

I have yet to feel sorry for the scalpers.

TheKeck

12-19-2005, 04:10 PM

wait, even scarier! from the story:

kids are willing to GET SHOT to keep thier 360s! now THAT is advertising!!

I was going to point out the exact same quote here. Crazy.

TheKeck

12-19-2005, 04:10 PM

Holy crap, which terrible 80's movie did that come from?

Oh man, you've got to be kidding me!! :)

Beelzebud

12-19-2005, 04:35 PM

Think about the parents who couldn't get their kids XBOX 360s because some dipshits thought it would be hilarious to scalp them.

And that gives them a reason to be robbed? You are fucked in the head...

In America it isn't illegal to sell something you own.

Twigz'N'Berries

12-19-2005, 04:37 PM

I have zero sympathy for the people who were robbed. Nobody was hurt and now they've learned not to do something so inherently stupid and dispicable.
"Inherently stupid and dispicable"....wow.

It's more like capitalistic and entrepreneurial. They wanted to make a little money and took the risk of not being able to sell them. They had the funds and waited in line, which anyone else could have done. It's sad that someone committed a crime and robbed them...but, unfortunately you have to build these scenarios into your business model. I hope they bought these on AMEX...AMEX would reimburse them for their loss.

Zulu107

12-19-2005, 04:38 PM

Yes, thats kind of sad. Thats why after I got my XBox360 I took it straight to my car and put it in my trunk. Because someone tried to pull I've got an XBox360 for sale and wouldn't let the guy see it before buying. Peeps are shady no matter what especially around the holidays.

Twigz'N'Berries

12-19-2005, 04:42 PM

Wouldn't have happened to me.

http://www.stumptuous.com/rex_kwon_do.jpg

Break the wrist, walk away.

LMAO!!!
That's from Napoleon Dynamite...JEEZ!!!

Last time i checked, it was completely legal to re-sell your Xbox360 to whomever wanted to buy it, at whatever f-ing price they wanted to buy it at. So, are people a-holes who buy their houses at $200,000 and then resell them for $300,000 when market value goes up? No, (unless they were a-holes to begin with) they want market value for their investment. The 360 falls into that same category for a reseller (scalper)....they buy the machine to get what they can for it.

Achilles

12-19-2005, 05:00 PM

I wouldn’t have helped the scalpers had I been there. No point in risking my life to help someone who will buy something just so they can sell it back to the people they’re depriving at a higher price.

GrinR

12-19-2005, 05:20 PM

Just FYI - the "Official Xbox 360 Hunt Thread" I made here at EA was how I got my hands on my 360. Frankly, it didn't take much effort.

LogainAblar

12-19-2005, 08:12 PM

Sure it's legal to scalp products in low-supply and high-demand, but it's also unscrupulous; and besides, if you're stupid enough to publicly parade a $400 item around, then you've lost any sympathy you might have had from me.

Not that my opinion matters, but don't tell me I should feel sorry for these idiots. Ok, maybe the 14-year old held at gunpoint, but not because his 360 was ganked.

SMES

12-19-2005, 08:33 PM

theCurse

12-19-2005, 09:28 PM

How dare they deprive those poor, white, upper middle-class suburbanite boys of the life-enriching XBox 360. How dare they! They deserved what they got!

pdeupree

12-19-2005, 09:30 PM

There were a few stories about people buying PS2's when they first came out getting robbed in the parking lot of the place they bought them from, so the general idea of this happening isn't that new. The new twist on this is that, knowing this has happened before, some people were dumb enough to tempt fate on this. In an ideal world, it is wrong that they were robbed. In a realistic one, a person has to be smart enough to not put themselves into a position like this.

I'll be honest, though. If these guys waited in line for 9 hours, or whatever amount of time they said, for $200, well, all the more power to them. To be honest, in my opinion, they are not the dipshits here. The people that are the dipshits are the ones paying that much more money for an XBox 360 because they can't wait until next year to have one. They've created a business, just like people that pay real money for MMORPG money in auctions, and there will always be someone more than willing to take advantage of an opportunity. Who's the real problem there? ;)

I love playing video games, but the day I pay more than retail for any game or game system is the day I'm getting a bit too serious about all of this.

LogainAblar

12-19-2005, 09:37 PM

Although my ego would be bruised and I would be mad if I waited in line behind people who tried to sell me theirs right after they walked out of the store, it is completely fine to do so.

If someone wants to treat a 360 as an investment, so be it. That's the way America works, and even though I agree that it's a little insensitive, it's the way the country works! Everyone who is saying that they deserved to be robbed at gunpoint has brain damage. One person's cherished toy is another person's investment.

There's a difference between saying someone deserves to be robbed and saying someone is so invariably stupid that them being robbed is an inevitability.

And yes, announcing to a line of tired, unhappy strangers that you will sell for an extra $200 the product they have come to purchase is, in fact, a stupid thing to do.