Want a 360? Forget the High Street, Check eBay

Microsoft's limited initial run means that wanna-be owners are heading elsewhere.

Normally when you want a new piece of electronics, you hit up your local retailer, but the rarity of the Xbox 360 in these early days following the console's worldwide debut in the US on 22 November means you'll have a better chance of finding it on leading auction site eBay. Just be prepared for serious sticker shock.

Around 40,000 Xbox 360s (or nearly 10 per cent of the entire first shipment, by some estimates) have been sold on eBay, company CEO Meg Whitman said at a technology conference last week, according to a report at news site Next Generation.

And with the popular console selling for way over its retail price, this is allowing many opportunists to cash in to the tune of thousands of pounds.

Both the Premium (which retails at £279) and the Core (£209) Xbox 360 bundles are selling as high as 2-3 times their retail price.

The reason for the high asking prices is the panic setting in as many people realize their next-gen Christmas plans have been scuppered by Microsoft's low early shipment numbers.

Microsoft has defended its launch strategy, saying that it will have new consoles coming into stores on a weekly basis.

"If people can't get an Xbox 360 this weekend I'd encourage them to be patient, to keep talking to retailers and keep coming into shops, because we'll have more on shelf soon," Microsoft's Stephen McGill told Official Xbox 360 Magazine.

But those optimistic words haven't stopped retailers such as Amazon from notifying customers that they may be without a 360 until as late as February.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games