  GameTrader
@mindspring.com
| reply to batterup Re: Total BS!
I used to work for a video game retailer 4 or 5 years ago. I can tell you the $280 for a $300 system sounds right. We used to make $5 - $10 for every N64 or Playstation sold. The biggest way we'd make money was through selling large quanities of games. Even the markup on those was only about 25%. I'm sure Amazon gets them in bulk as a wholeseller cheaper than a small retailer, but it wouldn't be much of a difference.
Also, video game console companies are very strict with their pricing. I am not sure of the details, but if a store is caught selling a system more than a few pennies below the given price, dealers will no longer sell to them. I am sure Amazon and Microsoft had some deal in making this happen. |