CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:fb="http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("http://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://kotaku.com:80/5437760/","20100103100114","http://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1262512874"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report - grey market - Kotaku</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> <meta name="robots" content="noarchive,all"/> <meta name="title" content="The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report - grey market - Kotaku"/> <meta name="description" content=" While game publishers look to retail sales figures to gauge the success of the holiday season, let's take a look at how our favorite games and consoles performed in the shady back-alleys of eBay's 2009 holiday grey market."/> <link rel="image_src" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/greymarketsales.jpg"/> <meta name="medium" content="blog"/> <meta name="keywords" content="The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report - grey market - Kotaku, Video Games, video game news, video game blog, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, PSP, DS, PS2, PS3, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, japan, reviews, feature, culture, news, media, rumor"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114cs_/http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/minify.php?base=/assets/base.v8/css/&fsid=143359&type=css&sb=base.v8&files=lytebox.css,modal.css,tagpage.css&rev=091223a"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114cs_/http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/minify.php?files=/assets/g4.kotaku.com/css/style.css&rev=091223a"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114cs_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/css/print.css" type="text/css" media="print"/> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">var pageType = 'post';</script> <script id="script_at_js" type="text/javascript" src="/web/20100103100114js_/http://kotaku.com/at.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/minify.php?base=/assets/base.v8/js/&type=js&dir=jquery,framework,widget,misc&rev=091223a"></script> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Kotaku - all posts, full content with ads" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/index.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Kotaku - all posts, excerpts without ads" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/excerpts.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Kotaku - top stories only (fewer posts)" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/top/index.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Kotaku - full comment" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/xml/comments"/> <link rel="canonical" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report"/> <script type="text/javascript">jQuery(document).ready( function(){ checkHashForErrors(); } );</script> <script type="text/javascript">window.google_analytics_uacct = "UA-142218-8";</script> </head> <body class=""> <script src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://static.ak.connect.facebook.com/js/api_lib/v0.4/FeatureLoader.js.php" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/minify.php?base=/assets/base.v8/js/&files=GM_fbc-j.js&rev=091223a"></script> <div id="errorbar" style="display:none;"></div> <div id="header" class="centered">    <div id="topMenu"> <ul id="contentSwitch"> <li><div class="selected"><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/" id="hometab"><span>Kotaku</span></a></div></li> <li><div class=""><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://io9.com/" id="io9tab"><span>io9</span></a></div></li> <li><div class=""><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://gizmodo.com/" id="gizmodotab"><span>gizmodo</span></a></div></li> </ul> <ul id="userLinks"> <li id="top_presence_control"> <span class="cn_logout_panel presence_control" style="display:none;"> <a href="#" class="presence_control cn_profile_link">Profile</a> <a href="#" class="presence_control cn_logout_link normal">logout</a> <img class="presence_control cn_logout_indicator" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/bar-loader.gif" width="16" height="16" border="0" style="display: none;"/> </span> <span class="cn_login_panel presence_control" style="display:none;"> <a href="#" class="login presence_control cn_togglelogindialog normal">login</a> </span> </li> <li class="search" id="top_search_control"> <form class="searchControl cn_form" method="post" action="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/search" id="search_form" name="search_form"> <span class="left"></span> <input type="search" class="searchControl cn_q" results="5" value="" id="term" name="q" placeholder="Search" autosave="gawker_srch"/> <input type="hidden" name="searchall" value="0" class="searchControl cn_searchall"/> <input type="hidden" name="searchbyrelevance" value="0" class="searchControl cn_searchbyrelevance"/> <span class="right"></span> </form> <script type="text/javascript"> GawkerClientside.pushWidget('searchform', jQuery('#top_search_control').SearchFormWidget().data('SearchFormWidget')); </script> </li> </ul> </div> <div id="splashPosts"> <div class="topStory"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438114/0-day-attack-on-earth-micro+review-wheres-will-smith-when-you-need-him?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-01.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2009/12/126x100_custom_1262299222173_0-day-attack-on-earth-screens-square-enix-online-multiplayer-shooter.jpg" alt="0 Day: Attack on Earth Micro-Review: Where's Will Smith When You Need Him?" title="0 Day: Attack on Earth Micro-Review: Where's Will Smith When You Need Him?" width="126" height="100"/></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438114/0-day-attack-on-earth-micro+review-wheres-will-smith-when-you-need-him?skyline=true&s=x">0 Day: Attack on Earth Micro-Review: Where's Will Smith When You Need Him?</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/review/"><span class="hash">#</span>review</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/0dayattackonearth/"><span class="hash">#</span>0dayattackonearth</a> </span> </h1> </div> <div class="topStory"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438346/the-ten-most-influential-women-in-games-of-the-past-decade/gallery/?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-02.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2010/01/126x100_custom_1262355261311_lucybradshaw.jpg" alt="The Ten Most Influential Women In Games Of The Past Decade" title="The Ten Most Influential Women In Games Of The Past Decade" width="126" height="100"/></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438346/the-ten-most-influential-women-in-games-of-the-past-decade/gallery/?skyline=true&s=x">The Ten Most Influential Women In Games Of The Past Decade</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/topten/"><span class="hash">#</span>topten</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/womeningames/"><span class="hash">#</span>womeningames</a> </span> </h1> </div> <div class="topStory"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438130/happy-holidays-from-kotaku?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-03.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2009/12/126x100_custom_1262302426197_autokotaku.jpg" alt="Happy Holidays From Kotaku" title="Happy Holidays From Kotaku" width="126" height="100"/><div class="videoThumb"></div></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438130/happy-holidays-from-kotaku?skyline=true&s=x">Happy Holidays From Kotaku</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/clips/"><span class="hash">#</span>clips</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/autotune/"><span class="hash">#</span>autotune</a> </span> </h1> </div> <div class="topStory"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438271/a-picture-worth-more-than-words?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-04.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2010/01/126x100_stickjockey12.jpg" alt="A Picture Worth More Than Words" title="A Picture Worth More Than Words" width="126" height="100"/></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438271/a-picture-worth-more-than-words?skyline=true&s=x">A Picture Worth More Than Words</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/stickjockey/"><span class="hash">#</span>stickjockey</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/sports/"><span class="hash">#</span>sports</a> </span> </h1> </div> <div class="topStory"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-05.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2009/12/126x100_greymarketsales.jpg" alt="The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report" title="The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report" width="126" height="100"/></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report?skyline=true&s=x">The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/feature/"><span class="hash">#</span>feature</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/greymarket/"><span class="hash">#</span>greymarket</a> </span> </h1> </div> <div class="topStory hide"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438044/kotakus-most-popular-posts-of-2009?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-06.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2009/12/126x100_kotaku_2009.jpg" alt="Kotaku's Most Popular Posts Of 2009" title="Kotaku's Most Popular Posts Of 2009" width="126" height="100"/></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5438044/kotakus-most-popular-posts-of-2009?skyline=true&s=x">Kotaku's Most Popular Posts Of 2009</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/wrapup/"><span class="hash">#</span>wrapup</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/2009inreview/"><span class="hash">#</span>2009inreview</a> </span> </h1> </div> <div class="topStory hide"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437277/the-statistically-best-games-of-the-decade-or-why-stats-sometimes-lie?skyline=true&s=i" style="border-bottom:0"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo-07.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/images/9/2009/12/126x100_ballpark.jpg" alt="The Statistically Best Games of the Decade (Or Why Stats Sometimes Lie)" title="The Statistically Best Games of the Decade (Or Why Stats Sometimes Lie)" width="126" height="100"/></a> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437277/the-statistically-best-games-of-the-decade-or-why-stats-sometimes-lie?skyline=true&s=x">The Statistically Best Games of the Decade (Or Why Stats Sometimes Lie)</a> <span class="tags"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/gamesofthedecade/"><span class="hash">#</span>gamesofthedecade</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/twitter/"><span class="hash">#</span>twitter</a> </span> </h1> </div> </div> <div id="ad-300x250" class="ad_space"> <div class="dfpad" id="gadc_3449314-placeholder"><noscript><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=1;sz=300x250;ord=17560443" target="_blank"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=1;sz=300x250;ord=17560443" width="300" height="250" border="0" alt=""/></a></noscript></div> </div> <div style="display:none;"><div class="dfpad" id="gadc_3449314-delayed"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=1;sz=300x250;ord=17560443"></script></div><script type="text/javascript">var ns_div=jQuery("#gadc_3449314-placeholder");var moveable_div=jQuery("#gadc_3449314-delayed");try{ns_div.parent().get(0).appendChild(moveable_div.parent().get(0).removeChild(moveable_div.get(0)));}catch(e){console.log(moveable_div)}</script></div></div><div id="menubar-bg" class="centered"> <div class="loggedin centered" id="menubar">  <h1 id="logo"><a title="Click here to go back to the front page" href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/">Kotaku <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/logo.png"/></a></h1> <div id="popTags"> <ul> <li id="popFaq"><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/commentfaq/" style="text-decoration: underline;">FAQ</a>. Include # before tag: <br/></li> <li><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/speakout/"><span class="hash">#</span>speakout</a>, </li> <li><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/walkthroughs/"><span class="hash">#</span>walkthroughs</a>, </li> <li><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/screens/"><span class="hash">#</span>screens</a>, </li> <li><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/tips/"><span class="hash">#</span>tips</a>, </li> <li>etc.</li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> </div> <div id="container"> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="content_container"> <div id="sidebar"> <div id="skyscraper"> <div class="dfpad" id="gadc_6676049-placeholder"><noscript><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=2;sz=160x600;ord=17560443" target="_blank"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=2;sz=160x600;ord=17560443" width="160" height="600" border="0" alt=""/></a></noscript></div> </div> <div id="skySpacer" class="spacer" style="margin:0;height:1.5em;"></div> <div id="ad_160x160"> </div> <div id="siteInfo"> <p> Denver, 3:01 AM<br/> Sun Jan 3<br/> 6 posts in the last 24 hours<br/> </p> <p> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com.au/">AU</a> </p> </div> <div id="team"> <h2><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/texts/team.gif" alt="KotakuTeam"/></h2> <p>Tip us: <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:gvcf@xbgnxh.pbz">gvcf@xbgnxh.pbz</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@spit > moc.ukatok@spit</span></noscript></p> <p> Editor-In-Chief:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5262688/brian-crecente-bio">Brian Crecente</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:rqvgbe@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@rotide > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=Kotakueditor&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/crecenteb">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Deputy Editor:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5312465/stephen-totilo-bio">Stephen Totilo</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:fgrcuragbgvyb@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@olitotnehpets > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=StephenKotaku&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/stephentotilo">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Senior Editor:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5312467/michael-mcwhertor-bio">Michael McWhertor</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:zvxr@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@ekim > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=kotakumike&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/kotakumike">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5312250/brian-ashcraft-bio">Brian Ashcraft</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:onfupensg@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@tfarchsab > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=kotakujapan&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/Brian_Ashcraft">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Contributing Editor, East Coast:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5312468/michael-fahey-bio">Michael Fahey</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:snurl@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@yehaf > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=fahey4kotaku&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/Bunnyspatial">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Contributing Editor, Oceania:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5310506/luke-plunkett-bio">Luke Plunkett</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:cyhaxrgg@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@tteknulp > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=KotakuLuke&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/LukePlunkett">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Contributing Editor, Weekends:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5312466/owen-good-bio">Owen Good</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:bjra@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@newo > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=kotakuowen&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/owengood">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Correspondent, San Francisco:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5312285/aj-glasser-bio">AJ Glasser</a><br/> <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:nznaqn@xbgnxh.pbz">Rznvy</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@adnama > liamE</span></noscript> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/aim:goim?screenname=amandaatkotaku&message=type+your+tip+here">AIM</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/joygirl007">Twitter</a> </p> <p> Columnist:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5314570/leigh-alexander-bio">Leigh Alexander</a> </p> <p> Columnist:<br/> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5318590/tim-rogers-bio">Tim Rogers</a> </p> </div> <div id="weekly-subscribe"> <h3>SUBSCRIBE TO Kotaku <a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/index.xml" title="Click here for RSS" style="border:0"><img class="rss" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img//small_feed_icon.png" alt="RSS" width="16" height="16"/></a></h3> <span><a style="cursor:text;border-bottom:0;text-decoration:none">New:</a> Breaking news and daily top stories via email</span> <form method="post" action="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?AddNewUserDirect"> <input name="FEEDID" type="hidden" value="380082"/> <input name="PUBLISHER" type="hidden" value="10054266"/> <input type="text" name="EMAIL" id="EMAIL" value="your@email" onclick="javascript:if(this.value=='your@email') this.value='';"/><input type="submit" class="bttn" value="subscribe"/> </form> <span>4149 Subscribers</span> </div> <div id="menuspacer"></div> </div> <div id="main"> <div id="print-label" style="display: none;"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawker.com/gawker/assets/base/img/site/kotaku.com/thumb.png" align="middle"/> Kotaku </div> <ul id="content"> <li> <div class="post post-permalink"> <div id="rightbar"> <div class="postMeta"> <div class="byline" id="mail2container"> <div class="tools"> <a class="tool-icon" rel="nofollow" title="Click here to Digg this post" alt="Click here to Digg this post" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkotaku.com%2F5437760%2Fthe-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/ui/icon.digg.gif"/></a>  <fb:share-button class="tool-icon" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Facebook" href="http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report" type="icon"></fb:share-button> <a class="tool-icon mail2control cn_toggle" rel="nofollow" title="Send to friend" href="#"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/ui/icon.mail2.gif"/></a> <a class="tool-icon" rel="nofollow" title="Share on Twitter" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://twitter.com/home?status=The+2009+eBay+Holiday+Video+Game+Grey+Market+Report http://kotaku.com/5437760/ %23feature %23greymarket"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/ui/icon.twitter.png"/></a> </div> By <cite><a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/people/Bunnyspatial/posts/" title="Click here to read posts written by MIKE FAHEY">Mike Fahey</a></cite> <form method="post" action="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/" class="mail2control cn_form" id="mail2form" style="display: none;"> <input type="hidden" name="hash" value="5271d7ad69861b82fbe4c1a02fc4e10d"/> <input type="hidden" name="uri" value="http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report"/> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report"/> <input type="hidden" name="op" value="mail2"/> <input type="hidden" name="mail2sitename" value="Kotaku"/> <input type="hidden" name="email2token" value="03edba9e1cf04f8abddc40a2c947bddf"> <p>Send a link to this post '<b>The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report</b>' via email:</p></a> <p> <label for="from"><b>Your Name:</b></label><br/> <input id="from" type="text" name="from" class="validate valid_nonempty text"/> </p> <div class="validationmessage from_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter your name.</div> <p> <label for="fromemail"><b>Your Email Address:</b></label><br/> <input id="fromemail" type="text" name="fromemail" class="validate valid_nonempty valid_email text"/> </p> <div class="validationmessage fromemail_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter your email address.</div> <div class="validationmessage fromemail_validmsg msg_valid_email" style="display: none;">Please enter a valid email address.</div> <p> <label for="to"><b>Recipient's Email Address:</b></label><br/> <input id="to" type="text" name="to" class="validate valid_nonempty valid_email text"/> </p> <div class="validationmessage to_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter your recipient's email address.</div> <div class="validationmessage to_validmsg msg_valid_email" style="display: none;">Please enter a valid email address.</div> <p> <label for="message"><b>Your Message:</b></label><br/> <textarea id="message" name="message" class="validate valid_nonempty"></textarea> </p> <div class="validationmessage message_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter your message.</div> <div class="mail2control cn_message"></div> <p> <input type="submit" value="Send Message" class="bttn"/> <span class="mail2control cn_indicator" style="display: none"><img style="border: none;" width="16" height="16" alt="sending request" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif"/></span> </p> </form> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> mail2w = jQuery('#mail2container').SimpleFormWidget(settings.widgets.simpleform.byselector['#mail2container'].options).data('SimpleFormWidget'); //pclip_widget = jQuery('#post_tools').PostClipWidget().data('PostClipWidget'); </script> <div> <span class="date"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/icons/clock.png" class="metaIcon" width="15" height="15"/> Jan 1, 2010 12:00 PM </span> <span class="views"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/icons/flame.png" title="Views" class="metaIcon" width="10" height="15"/> 17,256 </span> <span class="comments commentcontrol_external"> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/icons/comment3.png" title="Comments" class="metaIcon commentcontrol cn_commentcount_icon_high" width="15" height="15" style="display: none;"/> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/icons/comment.png" title="Comments" class="metaIcon commentcontrol cn_commentcount_icon_low" width="15" height="15"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report#comments" title="Read comments on the post" class="commentcontrol cn_individual_postmeta_commentcount"></a> </span> </div> <div id="editorControlsWidget" class="editorControlsWidget" style="display:none;clear: both;"> <span class="for_editors editor_control cn_for_editors" style="display: none;"> <a class="edit_link editor_control cn_edit_link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://publish.kotaku.com/ged/5437760" target="_new" title="edit this post">Edit »</a> <a class="draft_link editor_control cn_draft_link postId_5437760" href="#" title="Make this post DRAFT">Set to Draft »</a> </span> <a class="editor_control cn_starinvite_link postId_5437760 limitstar_7 limitnormal_7 epoch_1258524000 timeframe_604800" href="#" title="Invite someone to comment on this post" style="display:none;">Invite »</a> <a class="slurp_toggle editor_control cn_slurp_toggle" href="#" title="Copy this whole post to another site" style="display:none;">Syndicate »</a> <div class="slurp_dialog editor_control cn_slurp_dialog" style="display: none;"> <form class="slurp_form editor_control cn_slurp_form" method="GET"> <p>Syndicate this post</p> <div id="formelements"> Site: <select style="margin-left: 11px;" class="site_select editor_control cn_slurp_select" name="siteId"> <option value="-1">select site</option> <option label="advertising" value="43">advertising</option> <option label="consumerist" value="31">consumerist</option> <option label="deadspin" value="11">deadspin</option> <option label="defamer" value="1">defamer</option> <option label="fleshbot" value="2">fleshbot</option> <option label="gay fleshbot" value="12119">gay fleshbot</option> <option label="gawker" value="7">gawker</option> <option label="gizmodo" value="4">gizmodo</option> <option label="idolator" value="33">idolator</option> <option label="io9" value="8">io9</option> <option label="jalopnik" value="12">jalopnik</option> <option label="jezebel" value="39">jezebel</option> <option label="kotaku" value="9">kotaku</option> <option label="lifehacker" value="17">lifehacker</option> <option label="valleywag" value="34">valleywag</option> <option label="artists" value="37">artists</option> <option label="gawkershop" value="42">gawkershop</option> <option label="sploid" value="30">sploid</option> <option label="gawkertv" value="13242">gawkertv</option> </select><br/> Mode: <select name="syndicate" class="editor_control cn_slurp_syndicate"> <option value="republish">republish</option> <option value="promote">promote</option>dd <option value="export">export</option> </select><br/><br/> <input type="button" value="Submit" class="slurp_bttn slurp_button editor_control cn_slurp_button" style="float: left;"/> <div class="slurp_indicator editor_control cn_slurp_indicator right" style="display: none; float: left; margin: 3px 0 0 4px;"><img width="16" height="16" alt="sending request" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif" style="border: none; margin: 0px; padding-right: 3px;"/></div> <a href="#" style="float: right; margin-top: 4px;" class="slurp_cancel editor_control cn_slurp_cancel">cancel</a> <input type="hidden" name="op" value="addsitetag"/> <input type="hidden" name="postId" value="5437760"/> <div class="slurp_message editor_control cn_slurp_message small"></div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> <table> <thead><tr><td>more about <h2 style="display: inline;"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/greymarket/" class="hashlink"><span class="hash">#</span>greymarket</a></h2></td></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img//x.gif" alt="" title="" width="1" height="1"/> <h3 style="margin-left: 135px;"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5129092/the-wii-holiday-grey-market-3-when-supply-meets-demand" class="super-permalink" title="Click here to read The Wii Holiday Grey Market 3: When Supply Meets Demand">The Wii Holiday Grey Market 3: When Supply Meets Demand</a></h3> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img//x.gif" alt="" title="" width="1" height="1"/> <h3 style="margin-left: 135px;"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/341510/nintendo-torpedoes-the-wii-grey-market" class="super-permalink" title="Click here to read Nintendo Torpedoes The Wii Grey Market">Nintendo Torpedoes The Wii Grey Market</a></h3> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="readmore"><span>read more:</span> <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/feature/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #feature"><span class="hash">#</span>feature</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/greymarket/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #greymarket"><span class="hash">#</span>greymarket</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/ebay/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #ebay"><span class="hash">#</span>ebay</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/statistics/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #statistics"><span class="hash">#</span>statistics</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/wii/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #wii"><span class="hash">#</span>wii</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/xbox360/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #xbox360"><span class="hash">#</span>xbox360</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/ds/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #ds"><span class="hash">#</span>ds</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/dsi/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #dsi"><span class="hash">#</span>dsi</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/psp/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #psp"><span class="hash">#</span>psp</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/pspgo/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #pspgo"><span class="hash">#</span>pspgo</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/ps3/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #ps3"><span class="hash">#</span>ps3</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/sales/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #sales"><span class="hash">#</span>sales</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/searchterms/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #searchterms"><span class="hash">#</span>searchterms</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/charts/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #charts"><span class="hash">#</span>charts</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/original/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #original"><span class="hash">#</span>original</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/top/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #top"><span class="hash">#</span>top</a>, <a class="tag" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/uncharted2amongthievesfortunehunteredition/" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #uncharted2amongthievesfortunehunteredition"><span class="hash">#</span>uncharted2amongthievesfortunehunteredition</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <div class="post-wrapper"> <h1><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report" class="top">The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report</a></h1> <div class="entry"> <div style="float: right"> <div style="margin: 10px 0 0 -10px;clear:both"> <script type="text/javascript">digg_skin = 'compact';digg_bgcolor = '#FFFFF9';digg_url = 'http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/the-2009-ebay-holiday-video-game-grey-market-report';</script><script src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </div> </div> <div style="clear: right;"></div>  <p><a rel="lytebox" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/greymarketsales.jpg"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/500x_greymarketsales.jpg" class="left image500" width="500"/></a> While game publishers look to retail sales figures to gauge the success of the holiday season, let's take a look at how our favorite games and consoles performed in the shady back-alleys of eBay's 2009 holiday <a class="autolink" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #greymarket" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/greymarket/">grey market</a>.</p> <p>It's that time of year again. Time to take a data dive into the heart of eBay U.S. to gauge how well the video game grey market fared during the holiday season. Rather than charting the sales numbers of a specific console, as I've done for the past three years with the Nintendo Wii, this year I'm presenting a broader overview of the eBay grey market, charting the sales for all major gaming platforms during the 30-day period beginning November 26th and ending on Christmas Day. I've compiled data on console sales, game listings, and some of the top-items passing through the popular auction website. If you want to know which platforms thrived, which handheld completely tanked, and the most successful video game-related item on eBay, then read on.</p> <p><strong>Console Sales</strong></p> <p>The table below presents a general overview of the sales performance of the major consoles and handheld systems during the month leading up to Christmas. I've listed the total sales in U.S. dollars, the number of items sold, the average selling price, and the sell-through percentage, which indicates the success of auctions posted for each specific product. Check out the table, and then we'll break things out by console.</p> <table width="100%" height="100%" cellpadding="3" border="0"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Sales</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Items Sold</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Average Price</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Sell-Through</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>PlayStation 3</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$793,186</td> <td align="left" valign="top">2,548</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$311</td> <td align="left" valign="top">85.56%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong><a class="autolink" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #xbox360" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/xbox360/">Xbox 360</a></strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$972,774</td> <td align="left" valign="top">4,541</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$214</td> <td align="left" valign="top">85.27%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Wii</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$961,128</td> <td align="left" valign="top">5,053</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$190</td> <td align="left" valign="top">82.32%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>DS</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$672,197</td> <td align="left" valign="top">5,217</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$129</td> <td align="left" valign="top">88.46%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>DSi</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$547.833</td> <td align="left" valign="top">3,127</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$170</td> <td align="left" valign="top">90.56%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>PSP 1000-3000</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$700,865</td> <td align="left" valign="top">4,335</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$162</td> <td align="left" valign="top">89.45%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>PSPgo</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">$57,233</td> <td align="left" valign="top">250</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$232</td> <td align="left" valign="top">76.47%</td> </tr> </table> <p><br> <br></p> <p><strong>PlayStation 3</strong></p> <p>The PlayStation 3 in all its varied incarnations sold the fewest number of consoles out of the big three this year, but that shouldn't be taken as a measure of the system's success. Indeed, if you look at the sell-through percentage, the PS3 comes out on top. That means there were less people selling, but plenty willing to buy. Since the launch of the PlayStation Slim earlier this year, Sony has maintained a steady supply of the consoles to retail outlets, and the abundance of available consoles equates less people looking for them on eBay.</p> <p>From a seller's point of view, that high sell-through figure means the PlayStation 3 comes out on top in terms of sales potential.</p> <p>The highest price PlayStation 3 auctions mainly consisted of limited edition consoles, including the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350294747133&category=139971">Final Fantasy XIII bundle</a> recently released in Japan.</p> <p><strong>Xbox 360</strong></p> <p>The Xbox 360 brought in the most money of any console this holiday season, mainly due to its average price being slightly higher than the Nintendo Wii, which pushed more units overall. The Microsoft console's sell-through numbers were only slightly lower than the PlayStation 3. Between that figure and the larger number of consoles put up for sales, it seems like putting a new 360 up for sales is seen as a relatively safe bet among sellers.</p> <p>The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle made up a large portion of the Xbox 360 sales during the period, with 322 of the consoles representing $126,924 worth of sales. The Infinity Ward-flavored bundle went for <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260517763771&category=139971">as high as $900</a>.</p> <p><strong>Wii</strong></p> <p>eBay sellers continue the love affair with the Wii that started with the console's 2006 holiday debut. The Wii was the top seller of the big three in terms of units sold, but the slightly lower sell-through rate indicates that there might have been a few too many up for sale.</p> <p>Also note that the average price for the Wii was $190, which is below the suggested retail price. Either sellers were taking advantage of discounts and sales, or they weren't making very much in the way of profits.</p> <p><strong>DS</strong></p> <p>The Nintendo DS managed to outsell the newer, more advanced DSi this holiday season, pushing more than 2,000 units beyond what Nintendo's latest North American handheld sold. A failure for the DSi? Not exactly. Take a look at the sell-through percentage and you'll see that the DSi has the largest number of any game console. eBayers wanted to buy them, but the sellers just weren't selling.</p> <p><strong>PSP</strong></p> <p>The PSP sold strong on eBay this holiday, with the PSP-1000, 2000, and 3000 generating more money than any other handheld, though the DS trumped them with sheer numbers.</p> <p>The top selling PSP was a used red God of War limited edition PSP, which <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160379813821&category=139971">went for $1,009</a>.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the PSPgo didn't fare nearly as well as its older brother. In fact, Sony's UMD-less alternative to the regular PSP performed abysmally, pushing only 250 units. It's not a factor of demand behind too high for supply either - the sell-through rate of 76.47% indicates that people simply weren't buying it.</p> <p>To help paint a more complete picture, let's compare units sold versus monetary sales. <a rel="lytebox" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/comparison.jpg"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/500x_comparison.jpg" class="left image500" width="500"/></a> If you look very closely, you'll notice that both graphs do indeed contain the PSPgo. You might need to zoom in.</p> <p><strong>Games With Legs</strong></p> <p>Now let's take a look at the games that traded this holiday season. This time around I took the top ten titles sorted by number of auctions, to see which ones were moving the most.</p> <table width="100%" height="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Number of Auctions</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Average Price</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Total Sales</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Modern Warfare 2</strong> (Xbox 360)</td> <td align="left" valign="top">2,073</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$46</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$140,334</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Modern Warfare 2</strong> (PS3)</td> <td align="left" valign="top">1,709</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$50</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$115,460</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Wii Sports Resort</strong> (with 2 Motion Plus adapters)</td> <td align="left" valign="top">1,798</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$70</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$118,141</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Wii Sports</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">1,500</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$19</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$24,005</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Lego Batman + Pure Combo</strong> (Xbox 360)</td> <td align="left" valign="top">1,077</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$12</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$12,538</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">950</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$53</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$53,461</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Uncharted 2: Among Thieves</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">926</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$53</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$53,661</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Call of Duty: World at War</strong> (Xbox 360)</td> <td align="left" valign="top">838</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$25</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$18.503</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Halo 3: ODST</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top">716</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$40</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$31,197</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Left 4 Dead 2</strong> (Xbox 360)</td> <td align="left" valign="top">686</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$43</td> <td align="left" valign="top">$31,897</td> </tr> </table> <p><br></p> <p>Certainly not a surprising list. Modern Warfare 2 seems to be showing up at the top of any list as far as sales are concerned these days, and Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are two of the titles meant to showcase what the Wii can do, so those both sold in droves. World at War traded heavily, perhaps due to people swapping out the old for the new, and the Pure / Lego Batman combo disc packed inside select Xbox 360 consoles over the holiday season scores a tidy profit for those who received it for free.</p> <p>And Uncharted 2 making the list makes sense, but what about the extremely more expensive edition?<br> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/500x_fortunehunter.jpg" class="left image500" width="500"/><br> Forty-five of the ultra-rare <a class="autolink" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #uncharted2amongthievesfortunehunteredition" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/uncharted2amongthievesfortunehunteredition/">Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition</a> made it onto eBay during the 30 days leading up to Christmas, but it seems some sellers set their hopes too high. Of the 45, only 24 sold, giving the package a 53.33% sell-through rate. The average price for the package was $891.52, with one going for as high as $1,136. Didn't get one? Maybe you should have made it to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5400373/want-uncharted-2-fortune-hunters-edition-you-should-come-party-with-kotaku">Kotaku's Child's Play fundraiser</a> this year.</p> <p><strong>What People Look For In An Online Video Game Auction</strong></p> <p>Selling on eBay isn't just a matter of having a strong product, but being aware of what your prospective buyers are searching for and using <a class="autolink" title="Click here to read more posts tagged #searchterms" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/tag/searchterms/">search terms</a> accordingly. Let's see if this list of the top 10 search terms used in both the games and system category can help.</p> <table width="100%" height="100%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top" colspan="2"><strong>Top Ten eBay Search Terms For Games And Consoles</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Consoles</strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><strong>Games</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">xbox 360</td> <td align="left" valign="top">street fighter 360</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">playstation 3</td> <td align="left" valign="top">ninja gaiden 360</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">wii</td> <td align="left" valign="top">bioshock 360</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">psp</td> <td align="left" valign="top">beatles rock band</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">ps3</td> <td align="left" valign="top">ps3</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">nintendo ds</td> <td align="left" valign="top">lot</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">xbox 360 console</td> <td align="left" valign="top">wii games</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">wii console</td> <td align="left" valign="top">xbox 360</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">nintendo ds lite</td> <td align="left" valign="top">wii</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">xbox</td> <td align="left" valign="top">uncharted 2</td> </tr> </table> <p><br> <br> The console search terms are pretty much common sense. Let's face it - if you're selling an Xbox 360 and you forget to include Xbox 360 in the title, there's something wrong with you. As far as game search terms go, folks initially seem to be going for specific games, but then desperation sets in. You have to be pretty desperate in order to type "Wii games" into an eBay search page.</p> <p><strong>Wii Remotes Are The New Hotcakes</strong><br> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/12/500x_wiiremote.jpg" class="left image500" width="500"/><br> Finally we come to the hottest selling video game item of the holiday season. With 8,359 items sold between November 26th and December 25th, the Nintendo Wii remote is the hottest selling gaming item this holiday season, generating more than $202,000 for sellers over the course of one month. The remote, bundled with a nunchuck, a skin, and a wrist-strap is sold as a "Nintendo Wii Remote+Nunchuck Game Controller+Skin 4 SET," though counting the wrist strap as an actual item is a bit shaky. Still, with The New Super Mario Bros. Wii making four-player gaming fun on the Wii, its no wonder the controllers are flying off the shelves, onto resellers' shelves, and then back off of the shelves again.</p> <p><strong>Another Year Goes By</strong></p> <p>And there you have the 2009 holiday season, summed up in 30 days of eBay data. A look into what happens to games and consoles once they pass from retail into the hands of the wheelers and dealers that populate the world's largest online marketplace. Bids were sniped, Buy It Now items were pounced, and in the end, everybody got feedback. A++++! Would research again!</p> <p><em><strong>Methodology</strong><br> Statistics in the 2009 Grey Market Report were gathered using eBay market research tool <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://terapeak.com/">Terapeak</a>. Data was drawn for a 30 day period starting on November 26th and ending on December 25th. Console statistics were pulled directly from the Video Games / Systems subcategory to allow for mis-filed system listings, while game data was puled directly from the Video Game / Games subcategory. Console searches were limited to items in New condition, with a range of $100 to $1,000 used to ferret out accessories. Certain terms were omitted from the search in order to allow for a more accurate reporting of console pricing, including "games," "extras", "accessories," "lot," and others on a case-by-case basis - for instance, "Wii Fit" was omitted from search terms for the Wii in order to make sure systems bundled with Wii Fit did not influence the pricing data.</em></p>  <p class="contactinfo" style="clear:both;"><br/> Send an email to Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at <script type="text/javascript">Rot13.write('<n uers="znvygb:snurl@xbgnxh.pbz">snurl@xbgnxh.pbz</n>');</script><noscript><span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override;direction:rtl;">< moc.ukatok@yehaf > moc.ukatok@yehaf</span></noscript>. </p> </div> </div> </div>  <script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://www.google.com/jsapi?key="></script> <script type="text/javascript">google.load("ads", "1");</script> <a id="viewcomments"></a> <div id="interruptor"> <div id="ad-728" class="permalink-728"> <div id="inner-728" class="ad_space"> <div class="dfpad" id="gadc_1434812-placeholder"><noscript><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=3;sz=728x90;ord=17560443" target="_blank"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=3;sz=728x90;ord=17560443" width="728" height="90" border="0" alt=""/></a></noscript></div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display:none;"><div class="dfpad" id="gadc_6676049-delayed"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=2;sz=160x600;ord=17560443"></script></div><script type="text/javascript">var ns_div=jQuery("#gadc_6676049-placeholder");var moveable_div=jQuery("#gadc_6676049-delayed");try{ns_div.parent().get(0).appendChild(moveable_div.parent().get(0).removeChild(moveable_div.get(0)));}catch(e){console.log(moveable_div)}</script><div class="dfpad" id="gadc_1434812-delayed"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/gm.kotaku/ps3;ptile=3;sz=728x90;ord=17560443"></script></div><script type="text/javascript">var ns_div=jQuery("#gadc_1434812-placeholder");var moveable_div=jQuery("#gadc_1434812-delayed");try{ns_div.parent().get(0).appendChild(moveable_div.parent().get(0).removeChild(moveable_div.get(0)));}catch(e){console.log(moveable_div)}</script></div> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://track.gawker.com/stats/count/post?i=5437760&s=358ded90" height="0" width="0" class="track" alt=""/> <a name="comments"></a> <div class="gawkerwidget commenter_area commenter_tools commenter_admin commenttype_post rootid_5437760 "> <div id="comments" class="showfeatured">  <div class="comment_list facebook_enabled">  <a name="comment"></a> <a name="loggedin"></a> <div class="entryContainer commentbox_widget widgettype_comment"> <div class="comment_box_container collapsed inputcontrol cn_expandform"> <a name="commentform"></a> <form action="" method="post" id="comment_form" class="inputform form_commentform inputcontrol cn_commentform"> <input type="hidden" name="op" value="postcomment" class="inputcontrol cn_commentop"/> <input type="hidden" name="parentType" value="POST"/> <input type="hidden" name="commentId" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="formToken" class="formTokenInput" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="rootType" value="POST"/> <input type="hidden" name="rootId" value="5437760" class="inputcontrol cn_rootid_input"/> <input type="hidden" name="entry_id" value="5437760" class="inputcontrol cn_entryid_input"/> <input type="hidden" name="anonymous_email" value="" class="inputcontrol cn_anonemailinput"/> <input type="hidden" name="seoHashTag" class="inputcontrol cn_seohashtag" value="#greymarket"/> <div class="inputHolder"> <div class="inner"> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td><textarea id="topComment" name="text" rows="2" class="inputcontrol cn_textarea"></textarea></td> <td class="buttonCell"> <div class="buttonHolder"> <a class="inputcontrol cn_submitform bttn" href="#">Share</a> <a class="inputcontrol cn_collapseform onlyexpanded bttn" href="#">Cancel</a> <br style="clear: both; height: 0px;" class="onlyexpanded"/> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="onlyexpanded fbuser" style="display: none; padding-left: 7px;"> <input type="checkbox" id="fb_publish_comment_comment" name="fb_publish_comment" class="inputcontrol cn_fbcomment" checked/> <label for="fb_publish_comment_comment" class="inputcontrol fb_publish_comment_label cn_fbcommentlabel">publish on Facebook</label> </div> <div class="extensions onlyexpanded"> <div class="extension_list">  <a class="tab inputcontrol cn_showimage select" href="#" title="Upload image"> </a> <a class="tab inputcontrol cn_showvideo select" href="#" title="Upload Youtube video"> </a> <div class="tab inputcontrol cn_imageoptions attachimage" style="display: none;"> <div class="mediaSelection"> <a class="inputcontrol cn_showimageupload">Upload an image</a> | <a class="inputcontrol cn_showimageurl">Add an image URL</a> </div> </div>  <div class="inputcontrol cn_imageurlform attachimage_url" style="display: none;"> <label for="photourl">Image URL: </label> <input type="text" id="photourl" name="addphotourl" class="inputcontrol cn_photourl textinput"/> </div> <div class="inputcontrol cn_videoupload" style="display: none;">  <div class="attachvideo"> <label for="youtubevideo">Youtube URL: </label> <input type="text" id="youtubevideo" name="addvideourl" class="inputcontrol cn_videourl textinput"/> </div> </div> <a class="inputcontrol cn_closeextensions closeButton" style="display: none;">×</a> </div> <div class="inputcontrol cn_imageupload panel" style="display: none;">  <div class="inputcontrol cn_imageuploadform attachimage_upload" style="display: none;"> <label for="imguploadfile" id="uploadLabel">Choose a file to upload: </label> <input type="hidden" name="uploadedfile" id="uploadedfile" class="inputcontrol cn_uploadedfile"/> <input type="hidden" name="uploadedfileformat" id="uploadedfileformat"/> <img id="imagePreview" style="display: none;"/> <iframe src="/web/20100103100114if_/http://kotaku.com/commentimageuploader.html" width="140" height="25" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" id="upload_frame"></iframe> <img class="inputcontrol cn_imagepreview" style="display: none;"/> </div> <br style="clear: both; height: 0px;" class="onlyexpanded"/> </div> </div> <img width="16" height="16" alt="logging in" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif" class="commentindicator inputcontrol cn_indicator onlyexpanded" style="display: none;"/> <br style="clear: both; height: 0px;" class="onlyexpanded"/> </div> </div> </form> <span class="inputform_message inputcontrol cn_message"></span> </div> </div> <div class="admin_links" style="display:none"> <a href="#" title="Disemvowel comment" class="commentadmin_control cn_comment_admin_disemvowelcomment">Dsmvwl</a>  <a href="#" title="Commenter administration" class="commentadmin_control cn_comment_admin_userlist">Admin</a>  <a href="#" title="Promote this comment to frontpage" class="commentadmin_control cn_comment_admin_promotecomment">Promote to frontpage</a> <a href="#" title="Approve this commenter" class="commentadmin_control toggle cn_approvecommenter">Approve user</a> <a href="#" title="Ban this commenter" class="commentadmin_control toggle cn_bancommenter">Ban user</a> <a href="#" class="closeButton" onclick="jQuery('.admin_links').hide(); return false;">×</a> <span class="comment_admin_message"></span> </div> <span class="input_box_place"></span> <span class="comment_placeholder_desc"></span> <div class="comment_list_placeholder commentcontrol cn_comments_placeholder"> <div class="commentLoading">Loading comments ... <img class="commentLoading_img" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif" alt=""/></div> </div> <span class="comment_placeholder_asc"></span> <div class="comment_footer"> <div class="tools"> <span class="commentPager" style="display: none;"><a href="#" class="commentcontrol cn_showmorecomments">Earlier discussions</a> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif" alt="" width="12" height="12" style="display: none;" class="pagingIndicator"/> | </span> <span class="allComments" style="display: none;"><a href="#" class="commentcontrol cn_showallcomments">Other discussions</a> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif" alt="" width="12" height="12" style="display: none;" class="pagingIndicator"/> | </span> <span class="showHiddenComments" style="display: none;"><a href="#" class="expandLink commentcontrol cn_loadallcomments">Show all discussions</a> | </span> <span class="showFeaturedComments" style="display: none;"><a href="#" class="expandLink commentcontrol cn_loadfeaturedcomments">Show featured discussions only</a><span class="newDiscussionPipe"> | </span></span> <a href="#" class="commentcontrol cn_newdiscussion newDiscussion">Start a new discussion</a> </div> </div> </div>  </div> <div class="commenter_tools_terminating" style="clear: both;"></div> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"> GawkerClientside.pushWidget('comment', jQuery('.gawkerwidget.commenter_area').CommentWidget().data('CommentWidget')); var commentAdminOptions = jQuery.extend({}, settings.widgets.commentadmin.byselector['.commenter_admin'].options); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('commentadmin', jQuery('.gawkerwidget.commenter_area').CommentAdminWidget(commentAdminOptions).data('CommentAdminWidget')); </script> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> GawkerClientside.pushWidget('buddytoggle', jQuery('.commenter_tools').eq(0).BuddyToggleWidget().data('BuddyToggleWidget')); </script> <noscript> <div class="noscriptbar"> In order to view comments on kotaku.com you need to enable JavaScript.<br/> If you are using Firefox and NoScript addon, please mark kotaku.com as trusted. </div> </noscript> </li> </ul>  </div> <script type="text/javascript"> // onload hacks here window.onload = function() { try { jQuery('#ad-300x250 [src]').each( function( i, el ) { el = jQuery(el); if (el.attr('src') != undefined) { if (el.attr('src').match( /817-grey.gif/)) { expandTopStories(); } } }); if (jQuery('#ad-300x250').html().trim().length == 0) expandTopStories(); cont = jQuery('#content .metadata .ad300x40'); if (cont.length > 0) { for (i=0; i < cont.length; i++) { var el = jQuery('[src]', cont.eq(i)); found = false; for (j=0; j < el.length; j++) { if (el.eq(j).attr('src') != undefined) { if (el.eq(j).attr('src').match( /817-grey.gif/)) { found = true; } } } if (!found) { cont.eq(i).css( { 'marginBottom' : '10px' } ); } } } var ad160x160bottom = jQuery('#ad-160x160-bottom'); if (ad160x160bottom.length > 0) { var spacer160 = jQuery('#spacer160'); if (ad160x160bottom.html().trim().length == 0) { ad160x160bottom[0].style.display = 'none'; spacer160[0].style.marginTop = '-1.5em'; spacer160[0].style.borderTopWidth = '0'; } else { jQuery('[src]', ad160x160bottom[0]).each( function( i, el ) { el = jQuery(el); if (el.attr('src') != undefined) { if (el.attr('src').match(/817-grey.gif/)) { ad160x160bottom[0].style.display = 'none'; spacer160[0].style.marginTop = '-1.5em'; spacer160[0].style.borderTopWidth = '0'; } } }); } } var ad160x160 = jQuery('#ad-160x160'); if (ad160x160.length > 0) { var spacer160 = jQuery('#spacer160'); if (ad160x160.html().trim().length == 0) { ad160x160[0].style.display = 'none'; spacer160[0].style.marginTop = '-1.5em'; spacer160[0].style.borderTopWidth = '0'; } else { jQuery('[src]', ad160x160[0]).each( function( i, el ) { el = jQuery(el); if (el.attr('src') != undefined) { if (el.attr('src').match(/817-grey.gif/)) { ad160x160[0].style.display = 'none'; spacer160[0].style.marginTop = '-1.5em'; spacer160[0].style.borderTopWidth = '0'; } } }); } } var skyscraper = jQuery('#skyscraper'); if (skyscraper.length > 0) { if (skyscraper.html().trim().length == 0) { collapseSkyscraper(); } else { jQuery('[src]', skyscraper).each( function( i, el ) { el = jQuery(el); if (el.attr('src') != undefined) { if (el.attr('src').match(/817-grey.gif/)) { collapseSkyscraper(); } } }); } } var interruptor = jQuery('#interruptor'); if (interruptor.length > 0) { if (interruptor.html().trim().length == 0) { interruptor[0].style.display = 'none'; } else { jQuery('[src]', interruptor).each( function( i, el ) { el = jQuery(el); if (el.attr('src') != undefined) { if (el.attr('src').match(/817-grey.gif/)) { interruptor[0].style.display = 'none'; } } }); } } } catch(e) {} }; </script> <script type="text/javascript">var ganjaDynamicContent = null;</script> <br class="clear"/> </div> </div> </div> <div class="presence_control_external"> <div class="modal_overlay presence_control inputcontrol editor_control cn_overlay" style="display:none;"></div> <div class="modal dialog login presence_control cn_login_dialog" style="display:none;width:550px;"> <div class="inner"> <h1>Login</h1> <img class="siteIcon" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <div class="content"> <p>Enter your username and password.</p> <form class="presence_control cn_login_form" method="post" action="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/?op=login"> <input class="presence_control cn_redirect_to" type="hidden" name="redirect_to" value=""/> <input type="hidden" value="1" name="remember" class="presence_control cn_remember"/> <div class="row"> <label for="login_username">Username:</label><input id="login_username" name="username" type="text" value="" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty presence_control cn_username"/> <div class="validationmessage username_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter a username.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <label for="login_password">Password:</label><input id="login_password" name="password" type="password" value="" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty presence_control cn_password"/> <div class="validationmessage password_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter your password.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <span class="menubar_login_indicator presence_control cn_login_indicator" style="display: none;"><img width="16" height="16" alt="logging in" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif"/></span> <input type="submit" value="Login" class="presence_control cn_login_button"/> <input type="button" value="Cancel" class="presence_control cn_login_cancel"/> <div class="presence_control cn_loginmessage"></div> </div> </form> <div class="footer"> <a href="#" class="presence_control cn_fb_login">Login via Facebook</a> | <a href="#" class="presence_control cn_toggleregisterdialog">Sign Up</a> | <a href="#" class="reset presence_control cn_toggleresetpwdialog">Forgot Password?</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="modal dialog resetPassword presence_control cn_resetpw_dialog" style="display: none; width:550px;"> <div class="inner"> <h1>Reset Password</h1> <img class="siteIcon" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <div class="content"> <p>Please enter your email address to have your password reset.</p> <form action="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/?op=emailpassword" class="presence_control cn_resetpw_form"> <div class="row"> <label for="resetpw_email">Email:</label><input type="text" id="resetpw_email" name="email" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty valid_email presence_control cn_resetpwemail"/> <div class="validationmessage email_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter your email address.</div> <div class="validationmessage email_validmsg msg_valid_email" style="display: none;">Please enter a valid email address.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <span class="menubar_login_indicator presence_control cn_resetpw_indicator" style="display: none;"><img width="16" height="16" alt="requesting password reset" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif"/></span> <input type="submit" value="Reset" class="presence_control cn_resetpw_submit"/> <input type="button" value="Cancel" class="presence_control cn_resetpw_cancel"/> <div class="presence_control cn_resetpwmessage"></div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="modal dialog register presence_control cn_register_dialog" style="width: 550px; display: none;"> <div class="inner"> <h1>Register</h1> <img class="siteIcon" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <div class="content"> <p class="presence_control cn_register_copy">Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.</p> <p>Want to know more? Consult the <a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/commentfaq/" title="Comment FAQ" target="_blank">Comment FAQ</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://advertising.gawker.com/legal/" title="Legal terms" target="_blank">legal terms</a>.</p> <form action="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/?op=register" class="presence_control cn_register_form"> <input class="presence_control cn_register_invitecode" type="hidden" name="code" value=""/> <div class="row"> <label for="register_username">Username:</label><input type="text" id="register_username" name="username" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty presence_control cn_register_username"/> <div class="validationmessage username_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter a username.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <label for="register_password">Password:</label><input type="password" id="register_password" name="password" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty presence_control cn_register_password"/> <div class="validationmessage password_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter a password.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <label for="register_confirm_password">Confirm Password:</label><input type="password" id="register_confirm_password" name="confirm_password" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty valid_sameas-password presence_control cn_register_confirm_password"/> <div class="validationmessage confirm_password_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please confirm your password.</div> <div class="validationmessage confirm_password_validmsg msg_valid_sameas" style="display: none;">Passwords are not identical.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <label for="register_email">Email (not published):</label><input type="text" id="register_email" name="email" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_email presence_control cn_register_email"/> <div class="validationmessage email_validmsg msg_valid_email" style="display: none;">Please enter a valid email address.</div> </div> <div class="row"><label for="register_remember">Remember me on this computer?</label><input type="checkbox" id="register_remember" name="remember" class="presence_control cn_register_remember" checked="yes"/></div> <div class="row"> <span class="menubar_login_indicator presence_control cn_register_indicator" style="display: none;"><img width="16" height="16" alt="registration sent, waiting for reply" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif"/></span> <input type="submit" value="Register" class="presence_control cn_register_submit"/> <input type="button" value="Cancel" class="presence_control cn_register_cancel"/> <div class="presence_control cn_registermessage"></div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="modal dialog guestpanel inputcontrol cn_guestpanel_dialog" style="display: none; width: 550px;"> <div class="inner"> <h1>Submit Your Comment</h1> <img class="siteIcon" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <div class="content"> <div class="leftside"> <p>You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.</p> <p>See how your address will be displayed in the <a href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/commentfaq/" target="_blank">Comment FAQ</a>.</p> <form class="inputcontrol cn_guestpanel_form" method="post"> <div class="row"> <label for="guestpanel_email">Email:</label><input id="guestpanel_email" name="email" type="text" value="" maxlength="255" class="validate valid_nonempty valid_email inputcontrol cn_guestpanelemail"/> <div class="validationmessage email_validmsg msg_valid_email" style="display: none;">Please enter a valid email address.</div> <div class="validationmessage email_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter a valid email address.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <span class="menubar_guestpanel_indicator inputcontrol cn_guestpanel_indicator" style="display: none;"><img width="16" height="16" alt="logging in" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif"/></span> <input type="submit" value="Submit" class="inputcontrol cn_guestpanel_button"/> <input type="button" value="Cancel" class="inputcontrol cn_guestpanel_cancel"/> <div class="inputcontrol cn_guestpanelmessage"></div> </div> </form> </div> <div class="rightside"> <p>Login with your <a href="#" title="Login via Facebook" class="inputcontrol cn_request_fb_login">Facebook</a> or <a href="#" class="inputcontrol cn_requestlogin">Kotaku</a> account.</p> <p>Sign up <a href="#" class="inputcontrol cn_requestregister">here</a>.</p> </div> <br style="clear: both; height: 0px;"/> </div> <br style="clear: both; height: 0px;"/> </div> </div>  <div class="modal dialog editor_control cn_starinvite_dialog" style="display: none; width:550px;"> <div class="inner"> <h1>Send An Invitation <span class="editor_control cn_starinvite_left"></span></h1> <img class="siteIcon" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/g4.kotaku.com/img/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <div class="content"> <p class="editor_control cn_starinvite_copy">To invite commenters to this page, paste in a list of comma-separated email addresses, and then select send invites.</p> <form action="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/?op=sendinvite" class="editor_control cn_starinvite_form"> <div class="row"> <label for="starinvite_email">Emails:</label><textarea style="width:350px;height:80px;" id="starinvite_email" name="emailto" class="validate valid_nonempty valid_emails_comma valid_unique_comma valid_limit_comma-10 editor_control cn_starinvite_email"></textarea> <div class="validationmessage emailto_validmsg msg_valid_nonempty" style="display: none;">Please enter at least one email address.</div> <div class="validationmessage emailto_validmsg msg_valid_emails_comma" style="display: none;">Please use valid email addresses.</div> <div class="validationmessage emailto_validmsg msg_valid_unique_comma" style="display: none;">Please use unique email addresses.</div> <div class="validationmessage emailto_validmsg msg_valid_limit_comma" style="display: none;">Please enter fewer addresses.</div> </div> <div class="row"> <span class="menubar_login_indicator editor_control cn_starinvite_indicator" style="display: none;"><img width="16" height="16" alt="requesting invites" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/progressIndicator_roller.gif"/></span> <input type="hidden" name="postId" value="" class="editor_control cn_starinvite_postid"/> <input type="hidden" name="ajax" value="true" class="editor_control cn_starinvite_ajax"/> <input type="submit" value="Send invites" class="editor_control cn_starinvite_submit"/> <input type="button" value="Cancel" class="editor_control cn_starinvite_cancel"/> <div class="editor_control cn_starinvitemessage"></div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <script type="text/javascript"> GawkerClientside.pushWidget('poststatustoggler', jQuery('.gawkerwidget.poststatustoggler').eq(0).PostStatusToggler().data('PostStatusToggler')); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('promotetweet', jQuery('.gawkerwidget.promotetweets').eq(0).PromoteTweetWidget().data('PromoteTweetWidget')); var presence_options = {'isReloading':false}; GawkerClientside.pushWidget('presence', jQuery('#top_presence_control').PresenceWidget(presence_options).data('PresenceWidget')); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('gallery_pager', jQuery('#postgallery_container').GalleryPagerWidget().data('GalleryPagerWidget')); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('inflow_notification', jQuery('#inflowNotification').InflowNotificationWidget().data('InflowNotificationWidget')); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('hybrid', jQuery('#hybridWidget').HybridWidget().data('HybridWidget')); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('commentbox', jQuery('.commentbox_widget').CommentBoxWidget().data('CommentBoxWidget')); GawkerClientside.pushWidget('editorcontrols', jQuery('.editorControlsWidget').EditorControlsWidget().data('EditorControlsWidget')); </script> <div id="footer" style="bottom: 0px;" class="centered"> <map name="footermap"> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://gawker.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="1,7,176,26"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://deadspin.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="194,7,327,26"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="345,3,438,28"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://jezebel.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="454,6,557,31"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://io9.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="575,2,620,28"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://jalopnik.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="636,6,746,26"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://gizmodo.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="764,5,883,26"/> <area href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://lifehacker.com/" alt="" title="" sharpe="rect" coords="899,1,997,28"/> </map> <img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://cache-foo.gawkerassets.com/gawker/assets/base.v8/img/footer-sitelist.png" usemap="#footermap" border="0" style="margin: 10px 0px" width="998" height="33"/> <ul id="siteinfo"> <li> <div id="sitemeter" class="plain">  <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://s19.sitemeter.com/js/counter.js?site=s19kotakuworld"> </script> <noscript><a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://s19.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=s19kotakuworld" target="_top"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://s19.sitemeter.com/meter.asp?site=s19kotakuworld" alt="Site Meter" border="0"/></a></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">var site="sm5kotaku"</script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://sm5.sitemeter.com/js/counter.js?site=sm5kotaku"></script> <noscript><a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://sm5.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=sm5kotaku" target="_top"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://sm5.sitemeter.com/meter.asp?site=sm5kotaku" alt="Site Meter" border="0"/></a></noscript>   </div> </li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/archive" title="Click here to go to Archives">Archives</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/about" title="Click here to go to About">About</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://advertising.gawker.com/" title="Click here to go to Advertising">Advertising</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://gawker.com/advertising/legal" title="Click here to go to Legal">Legal</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/help" title="Click here to go to Help">Help</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://getsatisfaction.com/gawker" title="Click here to go to Report a Bug" target="_blank">Report a Bug</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/commentfaq/" title="Click here to go to Comment FAQ">FAQ</a></li> </ul> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://advertising.gawker.com/legal/">Original material</a> is licensed under a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/">Creative Commons License</a> permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.  <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/https://ssl." : "http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-142218-8"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); </script>    <script type="text/javascript" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114js_/http://edge.quantserve.com/quant.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">_qoptions = { tags:"Gawker Geek" }; _qacct="p-d4P3FpSypJrlA";quantserve();</script> <noscript> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://www.quantcast.com/p-d4P3FpSypJrlA" target="_blank"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-d4P3FpSypJrlA.gif?tags=Gawker%20Geek" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/></a> </noscript>  <script type="text/javascript">if(typeof myUserLocation != 'undefined' && myUserLocation['country'] && myUserLocation['country'].toLowerCase() === 'au') document.write('<div><img src="//web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://secure-au.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?ci=alluremedia&cg=0&cc=1" alt=""/></div><img src="//web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://au.effectivemeasure.net/em_image" alt="" style="position:absolute; left:-5px;" />');</script> <script type="text/javascript"> // global fbc obj var gmfbc; // needed to parse XFMBL try { FB.Bootstrap.requireFeatures(["XFBML"], function() { // only define global obj once here gmfbc = new GM_fbc( "0bc7b1b8046188239de807842cae38ba", "/modules/blog/xd_receiver.html" ); gmfbc.fbReady(); }); } catch( e ) {} </script> <br class="clearer"/>  <script>document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js' %3E%3C/script%3E"));</script> <script>COMSCORE.beacon({ c1:2, c2:"6770184", c3:"", c4:"http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114/http://kotaku.com/5437760/", c5:"", c6:"", c15:"d83bc45c61a6ebfbdc572c64d1a295c6" });</script> <noscript><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20100103100114im_/http://b.scorecardresearch.com/b?c1=2&c2=6770184&c3=&c4=http%3A%2F%2Fkotaku.com%2F5437760%2F&c5=&c6=&c15=d83bc45c61a6ebfbdc572c64d1a295c6&cv=1.3&cj=1" style="display:none" width="0" height="0" alt=""/></noscript>  </div> <div style="display:none;"></div><script type="text/javascript">jQuery('.ie img, #contentSwitch a').ifixpng();</script> </body> </html>