I visited the Target store tonight to pick up my copy of Splatoon, which was released today. It wasn’t the only item that Nintendo released, however. Wave 4 of the ever-popular Amiibo craze also launched this morning. While many were available online, the Jigglypuff Amiibo is a Target exclusive, so just for kicks I asked the sales clerk if there were any Jigglypuff Amiibos left. He laughed and said, “Those were hot off the shelf the first thirty minutes of the store opening!”
To put it in perspective, the Amiibo craze is real, so real in fact that Amazon limited the sales today to only one per customer online in order to give more people the opportunity to purchase. This is great as it helps keep the scalpers under control, but it makes me wonder just how important is it really to acquire these little figurines?
The answer is very important. Amiibos have now shipped over ten million units worldwide and continue to grow in popularity. The shortage of certain figures like Villager and Little Mac, have caused great commotion as many are trying to get their hands on them. The scalpers that buy them by the bundle sell them for way more than the suggested retail price. I even saw the Villager Amiibo listed at over $100.00 on Amazon for a moment.
The good news is that I’ve learned that being patient can have its benefits. By waiting around for prices to go down, I was able to purchase the Villager Amiibo for under $30.00 this last week, and many other Amiibos are listed around that price. So if you’re interested in collecting the Amiibos, here are some tips that I’ve composed for you:
Collect the common ones.
Amiibos like Link, Mario, and Luigi can be found almost anywhere, and it’s never a bad time to scoop these up first. That way you can try out the Amiibos on your video games and decide for yourself whether or not you want to collect more.
Collect your favorites first.
Aim for the ones you care the most for. That way in case you don’t acquire all of them, you’ll at least have your favorites to play with.
Do not, and I mean do not buy any Amiibo priced over $40.00.
If you buy Amiibos over that amount, the scalpers win. The only Amiibo I would consider paying that much for is Gold Mario, and even then I wouldn’t. If the scalpers can’t sell their product for a ridiculously high price, they’ll have no choice but lower the price, and that’s when you can make your move. I haven’t bought one for over $30.00 yet; after all, they’re just toys in the end.
Be patient.
By being patient I’ve seen Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Captain Falcon, and several others listed under $30.00. It’s not the worst price in the world; $25.00 is the equivalent of two Amiibos so if you can buy a rarer one like the aforementioned, it might be worth it. But if the price seems really high, wait. The prices on Ebay and Amazon fluctuate every week, so just have some patience and see what comes up.
The Amiibo craze is real, but it’s a lot of fun. I’ve personally enjoyed trying to collect them all, and they’re a lot of fun to use on video games like Super Smash Bros. For more on Amiibos, visit Nintendo.com.
Published: May 29, 2015 09:01 pm