EG wanted to look up some attributes of various bakugan. the official bakugan website wasn’t that helpful, and neither was the wikipedia entry. so we did some googling around, and after surfing various “pictures of my bakugan collection” sites, found some youtube videos that were initially exciting, but turned out to be just advertisements for websites that sell bakugan. we cruised around some sellers’ sites a bit, and i pointed out the wild variations in prices, from the retail of $3-$5 per bakugan, up to $60 for a single limited editon bakugan. we had a more in-depth discussion of the marketing principles of artificial shortages, and how “limited availability” can trick people into buying stuff – possibly even for an inflated price – that they wouldn’t have bought at all under normal circumstances.
PRM really delivered the killing blow when he told EG that, often, after a few months or years of the super-rare limited edition stuff being sold out and in great demand and selling for 10-100x its retail price on eBay, the maker will suddenly re-issue the whole series of previously unavailable stuff in a special “collector’s edition,” and everybody who couldn’t get them before can suddenly buy them, probably at an inflated price, and the seller gets rich. talk about horrified… i wouldn’t be surprised if EG joined the communist party soon.
EG: man… i don’t even want to look at this stuff anymore.
me: kind of upsetting?
EG: yeah. are you SURE it’s legal for them to do this?
me: yep.
EG: i wish i knew who that guy was who was only making a limited supply of bakugan, so i could tell everyone not to give him a birthday present. not even a CHRISTMAS present. he should get NOTHING.
me: so you’re finished with youtube?
EG: yeah. definitely. unless you think somebody’s posted a video of kicking that guy’s butt?
me: uhhh… well, if somebody ever does find him and kick his butt, i’m SURE it’ll be on youtube.
EG: okay. let me know when you see it posted!
