WTFs with the TurboGrafx 16 Mini?

[stethacantus]

So last winter they announced it was delayed until fall 2020 the earliest due to COVID-19 shutting down production.  Then they suddenly announced it was available last spring,  but only enough to fulfill the preorders.  Then not everyone who preordered it got one,  meanwhile people are selling them on Ebay for up to $500. Then a bunch of times Amazon says it will be in stock at as specific date for it's $99 suggested retail price. But every time I order it, I get an email notifying me that the price has jumped,  usually around $250, and I would be getting it in used condition  from one of their third party sellers as fulfillment because they won't have the system in stock like promised. Or perhaps they somehow sold all their stock prior to the date they said it would be back in stock? Whatever the reason, I didn't want to pay $99, and I sure as hell don't want to pay as dime over retail, so cancelled the order every time this happened.  I had the same bad luck on other sites like Target, Bestbuy and Gamestop, all who cancelled my orders claiming the item was NO LONGER IN STOCK.  I can't find any articles on the availability of the Mini, so does anyone know if they ever manufactured more than the first batch before the pandemic shut the factory down, if there was some sort of limited number of these being made that's not mentioned in the adverts for it, or if new UNUSED stock of the TurboGrafx Mini is being manufactured but in limited numbers for each batch, and I just have to order it faster than anyone else if I want one?

[stethacantus]

Okay. Here we go again! Amazon is saying it will be available on Sept 19thand to pre order it now. Here is the listing. I notice each time this happens the third party sellers drop their prices.

So I have it on pre-order..... AGAIN!  Maybe this time it will work. But I expect to be notified on the 19th that I was switched to a fulfilment seller and the price has jumped to $250 for a used one, and all the third party sellers to delist their new minis and raise the price of their used minis back to $250+

The worst part about this is that there is a 70% chance that by next January, if more Minis are manufactured,  factory sealed ones will be priced at $50 or less. But a 50% chance Konami will decide not to manufacture any more due to the upcoming recession and not wanting to risk spending all that money manufacturing units that their customers can no longer afford. And if that happens, not only is this latest re-order once again bullshit, but those used minis will stay above $250.  There is still a chance Amazon will get a new shipment in, and this may be the final shipment.  BTW, this is not listed on Target, Walmart, Best Buy or Gamestop, so basically only Amazon seems to think they will have it in stock in ten days. I think Amazon had this on backorder since March, and keep renewing the backorder over and over again, then delisting it each time the backorder is overdue, then backordering it again. And the stupid third party sellers who had their minis on backorder for just as long list them every time Amazon does, and delists them every time Amazon does.  I just wish they wouldn't switch my order to an expensive used copy from a third party seller every time they delist  it from their site.


SHIPMENT HORROR STORY
Looking through the reviews, almost all which were the same week in May for the preorders, and found one review from someone who was shipped a copy from a third party seller who didn't even bother to pack the mini in a box or envelope. Instead slapped the shipping label on the mini box itself, devaluing it as a collectors item, and letting porch pirates know it was sitting on their doorstep.

[stethacantus]

Okay, I think I have an answer to this mystery.  Originally the TurboGrafx Mini was supposed to be back in stock on the 19th and I had a delivery date between the 24th and 25th. This time I kept track to see exactly when they announced they were out of stock instead of waiting for an email saying I was getting a third party seller used copy and a price jump of $250 and "Do you want to cancel your order?"  This past week they changed their in stock date, then announced it was back in stock on their website on the 14th. But, they haven't shipped the one I ordered yet, and it is still scheduled to arrive between the 24th and 25th.  So, I called up to find out WTF is happening. And I got an overly honest operator. So basically, Amazon is receiving partial stock a bit at a time of their original order. When they are going to receive a new shipment they list the mini as available.  However, they do not know how many they will get in the shipment, or if the shipment will be postponed for a latter date. When and if Amazon gets new minis in stock, their Prime members get first crack. So basically Amazon is going to wait until the 22nd to see if they run out of stock before they ship my preorder. Anyone with Prime can order one right this second and they go in line in front of my pre-order. If I am lucky Amazon will either get a new shipment or will not get new Prime member orders prior to the 22, and I will get my preorder. The problem is a lot of resellers have joined Amazon prime so they can go in line in front of everyone else, buy as many minis and any other limited supply games as Amazon will allow, then list them on eBay for $500 or more. If stock runs out before the 22, then Amazon will try to fulfil my order via third party sellers, who typically raise the price of even their used minis once it is no longer available on Amazon. If the price goes up, or the seller only has used copies, I will be notified by email.

BTW, this same shit happened to everyone who pre-ordered Super Mario 3D All-Stars. If their pre-order was cancelled then it was because the Prime members jumped in line. BTW, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is currently listed back in stock at Amazon.

[Russoguru]

I ordered one last month on Amazon, but it arrived damaged so I returned it in a HUGE fiasco that had me infuriated.

However, last week I ordered a refurbished one for the low, low price of $70 and change. I have to admit, I was pleased with what I got. The system as far as I can tell looks brand new! The console appears to be new, the controller looks new, and the system plays like a champ!

I have been having lots of fun exploring games I've never even heard of before, including a peculiar yet very fun game called Chew Man Fu.

For you 90's fans and freaks out there who love those 16 bit games I highly, HIGHLY recommend the Turbografx 16 mini. It is an awesome system. Just bear in mind the only input is HDMI, so if you have an old TV and no HDMI adapter, you're SOL.