2008 Woodie Awards
PlayStation 3 pays off
Students unload PS3s for $600 profit
Lucas Beechinor, Staff Writer
Issue date: 12/5/06
Last Updated: 12/29/07
The PlayStation 3 has finally launched and fans everywhere are eagerly shelling out $500 (and even $600 for a nicer version) just to get their hands on a shiny new system and no doubt spend hundreds more on games and accessories this holiday season.
Four economics majors from Whitworth were able to each purchase their own PS3s on launch day, Nov. 17, after spending two frigid days in the rain and cold in a tent outside Best Buy on Newport Highway. Juniors Sam Peach, Lewis Turner and Mark Anderson and senior Danny Belko walked away with four of only 400,000 PS3s initially released in the United States that day. These four, however, never spent a dime on any game or accessory after their purchase. Instead, each one registered his unit on eBay in an attempt to resell the system for a higher price and turn a profit, which seems to have become a trend with the release of every new gaming system since the launch of the Xbox 360 last fall.
"We were totally in it for the money," said Turner, who went straight home and registered his PS3 on eBay as soon as he could. "None of us bought one to play it."
The long wait was certainly worth the $1275 he was able to sell it for, Turner claimed, who turned nearly a $600 profit.
Turner recounted the long camp-out with his fellow students who took turns to take a short break or go to the bathroom. For food, they took turns running to Panda Express or ordering pizza. At night, Turner said the line of waiting customers turned into a party. Some brought a little alcohol, or just listened to music and stood around and talked about how anxious they were to get a PS3, or how anxious they were to resell it.
The group also encountered some strange people in line who were also waiting to get a PS3. One man two spots ahead of them in line randomly yelled at people walking by or at other things that caught his attention.
"There were some interesting people out there," Anderson said.
Turner said that most of the people, however, were not so bad.
Four economics majors from Whitworth were able to each purchase their own PS3s on launch day, Nov. 17, after spending two frigid days in the rain and cold in a tent outside Best Buy on Newport Highway. Juniors Sam Peach, Lewis Turner and Mark Anderson and senior Danny Belko walked away with four of only 400,000 PS3s initially released in the United States that day. These four, however, never spent a dime on any game or accessory after their purchase. Instead, each one registered his unit on eBay in an attempt to resell the system for a higher price and turn a profit, which seems to have become a trend with the release of every new gaming system since the launch of the Xbox 360 last fall.
"We were totally in it for the money," said Turner, who went straight home and registered his PS3 on eBay as soon as he could. "None of us bought one to play it."
The long wait was certainly worth the $1275 he was able to sell it for, Turner claimed, who turned nearly a $600 profit.
Turner recounted the long camp-out with his fellow students who took turns to take a short break or go to the bathroom. For food, they took turns running to Panda Express or ordering pizza. At night, Turner said the line of waiting customers turned into a party. Some brought a little alcohol, or just listened to music and stood around and talked about how anxious they were to get a PS3, or how anxious they were to resell it.
The group also encountered some strange people in line who were also waiting to get a PS3. One man two spots ahead of them in line randomly yelled at people walking by or at other things that caught his attention.
"There were some interesting people out there," Anderson said.
Turner said that most of the people, however, were not so bad.
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