Pre-order Problems in 2020

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  theory on 22/09/2020 - 18:01

  I think the real problem is people wanting everything day one.

  Consumer culture is the societal issue we need to consider fixing, not the pre-order conditions.

  Spoke to a couple friends in IT today. They say all companies can use scalable tech like AWS or Azure for days like this but they choose not to.

  • 

    scuderiarmani on 22/09/2020 - 18:05

    In the end they are making money anyway…. so they won't do shit, no motivation.

    But are they harming themselves long term?

    • 

      theory on 22/09/2020 - 18:35

      I don't think so. Amazon definitely shook things up when they launched here. Competition is the biggest threat to companies like EB/JB etc.

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  [Deactivated] on 22/09/2020 - 18:47

  Pre-order - because there are suckers out there who want to pay more to be a beta tester.

  Back in my day, we wait for the product to be reviewed by those who need the item urgently so we can make an informed purchase.

  Nowadays, you throw money out for a product that sometimes aren't even revealed and complain that it doesn't meet your expectations.

  • 

    bobbieb on 22/09/2020 - 19:24

    True… but if the PSP showed anything, getting in early can also have its advantages.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 22/09/2020 - 19:32

      What's the advantage?

      • 

        bobbieb on 22/09/2020 - 20:00

        +1

        I'm having trouble find a link to a website that would be acceptable to post here.

        I'll just say that launch consoles often ship with software containing bugs that some people may find… ahem… useful.

        In the case of the PSP, certain things were possible from day-one, that would at best otherwise take a very long time.

        • 

          [Deactivated] on 22/09/2020 - 20:02

          @bobbieb: Game cheats or real world money advantage (ie. Free games/expansions/DLC?)

          But that's still on point with what I'm saying except you're hoping for a usable fk up. Lol.

  • 

    plmko on 22/09/2020 - 20:22

    Nah if you think that then you're doing it wrong.

    Surely you would understand being on OzB for 8 years. I'm a little disappointed with you.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 22/09/2020 - 20:24

      :(

  • 

    p1 ama on 22/09/2020 - 21:31

    This makes no sense.

    Back in my day, we wait for the product to be reviewed by those who need the item urgently so we can make an informed purchase.

    Implies that there are those who need it urgently and buy early and those who don't.

    Nowadays, you throw money out for a product that sometimes aren't even revealed and complain that it doesn't meet your expectations.

    Implies that there are those who need it urgently and buy early and those who don't.

    So what exactly is the difference between "back in my day" and "nowadays"?

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  BuyoTheCat on 22/09/2020 - 20:22

  I am too poor to preorder anything

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  MilkDrinker on 22/09/2020 - 21:14

  Aren’t there more scalpers cause of COVID?

  Many things including shipping will ease back once it’s over. Could be more than a year to see that though. Companies on the brink/low profit at the start of this year or unable to find finance will probably shutdown though.

  I think the US is doing plenty good in terms of supply as it’s the worlds business center. Politically and health wise is a different story of course. Also probably not a great idea to reserve a place in retirement homes.

  If the US doesn’t get it assume the company itself has decided to delay it due to covid also aka iPhone, cyberpunk, cars etc

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  p1 ama on 22/09/2020 - 21:30

  Scalping is not even that bad. Go onto eBay, look up RTX 3080 and look at Sold items. I can probably see like < 10 genuine sold listings for 3080's since release.

  Given the hundreds (if not thousands) that have been sold, you're talking less than 1% that have been "scalped". In other words, even if there were no scalpers, it wouldn't fundamentally change the probability of you getting one.

  No doubt there's an uptick in tech demand these days. But yes, with the entire world indoors, what do you expect? People are going to buy new toys to play with. No point trying to do any sort of psychological or moral analysis on it.

  • 

    MilkDrinker on 22/09/2020 - 22:30

    Gonna have to disagree with you. While I agree that eBay listings may be like that, the fact that most every site selling them crashed and the fact NvidiaANZ themselves admitted it and cancelled a few hundred known resellers orders shows more people are gonna try scalping. It’s easy money for them.

    Also you gotta remember the cards haven’t arrived for many of these scalpers due to the post covid delays. Can’t sell what hasn’t shown up in the mail for most. Local stores probably didn’t have many to sell physically on the day and hence the preorders online.

    While I admit scalpers aren’t the majority and are small, I think due to covid destroying jobs scalpers are getting a decent boost to their employment numbers and in a smaller item marketplace like graphics cards it’s more noticeable.