Intel G2 available but is NewEgg gouging?

[ElderTech]

As of this morning, 9-1-09 at 10:30CDT, NewEgg has the Intel X25-M G2 available for the ridiculous price of $499, limit 1 per customer. That's twice as much as they priced it on Friday, at $249 with a limit of two. Other sources have it for less, although currently are out of stock, with MWave at $250, ZipZoomFly at $237, and CDW at $255. Amazon has it listed at $269 for the retail package as well, but with a likely longer ETA. If you have the time to wait, the price should return to more normal levels as stock becomes more widely available. In the meantime, if you really want/need it now, check out some of the smaller Intel Partners in your area and they may be able to obtain it from their master distributor for around $250. That's what I found available in the Chicago area. Good luck!

 

[Uprock7]

I also live in the Chicago area, where did you get your drive from?

 

[ElderTech]

If you're a business, try Sherwood Systems or a similar Intel Partner in the Chicago area. For an individual purchase, your best bet is to use the autonotify option from an online retailer listed on Intel's website, and for those that don't have it available, like MWave, call their sales support and find out when the ETA is for the next batch, then watch the site like a hawk! Good luck!

 

[supaxi]

I understand that NewEgg wants to make a profit but I don't like the "Auction" style markup. I would expect this from ebay but not a normal retailer. Normally, I would expect them to set a price with a reasonable profit and then when they go out of stock, people will have to wait. They must have too many MBA's working for them now. At any rate, I would hope that most people would have the sense not to pay $600 for an 80 GB drive....I can wait a few weeks for the supply chain to catch up.

 

[TankGuys]

They tend to do that on low supply / high demand parts. I have them in stock now, much less. They are low supply parts to be sure, but no reason to pay *that* much.

 

[Old Hippie]

Look now, it's not even listed on Newegg's site.

 

[jdjbuffalo]

Yes, they are gauging and I don't like the mentality. I understand a reasonable markup on a high demand / low inventory item but these prices are insane. I was reluctant but willing to pay when then moved the price up to $250. But at $499 they can go $*#% themselves. If I have to wait for a few months then so be it.

 

[xenolith]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Look now, it's not even listed on Newegg's site.

I'm willing to bet it's because they were flooded with complaints. :laugh:

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: xenolith

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Look now, it's not even listed on Newegg's site.

I'm willing to bet it's because they were flooded with complaints. :laugh:

You could all support my complaint here :

Thank You !!

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/565110.aspx

They also got a Call Earlier Today..

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: xenolith

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Look now, it's not even listed on Newegg's site.

I'm willing to bet it's because they were flooded with complaints. :laugh:

I'm willing to bet they sold out.

Anyone who blindly buys from any company without price shopping deserves the price they pay. Anyone who blindly buys something at a high price because they just had to get one NOW deserves the price they pay. If it is worth that price for them, then good for them. If it isn't, then either wait or buy from somewhere else.

Newegg obviously knows about high demand items. If anyone doesn't like their pricing on these items, wait or buy from somewhere else. Nobody is holding a gun to your wallet demanding that you buy RIGHT NOW from ONLY THAT VENDOR.

If nobody paid their artificially high prices, then they would lower them. Obviously some people feel it is worth the money and are paying.

 

[TemjinGold]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: xenolith

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Look now, it's not even listed on Newegg's site.

I'm willing to bet it's because they were flooded with complaints. :laugh:

I'm willing to bet they sold out.

Anyone who blindly buys from any company without price shopping deserves the price they pay. Anyone who blindly buys something at a high price because they just had to get one NOW deserves the price they pay. If it is worth that price for them, then good for them. If it isn't, then either wait or buy from somewhere else.

Newegg obviously knows about high demand items. If anyone doesn't like their pricing on these items, wait or buy from somewhere else. Nobody is holding a gun to your wallet demanding that you buy RIGHT NOW from ONLY THAT VENDOR.

If nobody paid their artificially high prices, then they would lower them. Obviously some people feel it is worth the money and are paying.

I agree. I don't like that price but I know if it was me carrying that I'd do the exact same thing! That's the idea behind a free market--you can charge whatever you want as long as you find someone willing to pay that much.

 

[dali71]

Originally posted by: Zap
I'm willing to bet they sold out..

Not likely. Instead of listing the G2 drives in the Intel section of the SSDs as OOS with an auto notify button, they are all now deactivated. If they had really sold all of them at those ridiculous prices, you can be damn sure that they would want to notify any other potential suckers when they had more in stock.

 

[dali71]

Originally posted by: Mr Fox

Originally posted by: xenolith

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Look now, it's not even listed on Newegg's site.

I'm willing to bet it's because they were flooded with complaints. :laugh:

You could all support my complaint here :

Thank You !!

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/565110.aspx

They also got a Call Earlier Today..

Your thread was locked...hmm, didn't see that coming

 

[SuperSix]

It's not "gouging", it's responding to a very constricted market.

now Tank Guys - they have ther 80GB in stock for $249.00

 

[PGriff]

They can charge whatever they want its their business decision. If people are paying it, more power to 'em (well not really I dont like that from a consumer standpoint) but there really is nothing wrong or illegal about this, theyre just trying to maximize profits.

There is a solution too- don't pay their price.

 

[Old Hippie]

Idle, idiotic threats always lend an air of credibility and sincerity. :roll:

 

[taltamir]

I'd like to quote one of the other users on the newegg thread that was linked here...

Official definition of Price Gouging, which MrFox is threatening to report Newegg for:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging

I had absolutely NO IDEA that Intel G2 SSD's are

1) An ESSENTIAL good or service (like water, gasoline, food, etc...)

2) That we are in a time of CIVIL EMERGENCY where possession and usage of a Intel G2 SSD was ESSENTIAL to the preservation of public order.

So when can I call MrFox out on these issues and tell him to take his head out of his rear end? Oh man, I'm about to cross some abusive language limits I'm sure, but maybe its because MrFox made some SERIOUS THREATS against Newegg (lets report them to the California Attorney General!!!!) that to me are beyond outrageous and borderline slanderous. Come on man, these are high end electronic luxury items.

You gonna go off on a TIRADE over Bose Lifestyle systems being $5k? Oh MAN! Next Generation Priuses are $35k! OH NOES! Darn those $5k Season Tickets to see the local sports franchise! PRICE GOUGING!!!

(I am laughing hysterically inside)

-CAGG

OWNED!
capitalism at work for you, people bitch and moan when noone is forcing you to buy it, and many WILL pay that price... I don't bitch at intel for selling 1000$ cpus, i just buy cheaper ones. Same with newegg

 

[Syntax Error]

There are always going to be moaning about hardware people can't afford. This effect seems to be amplified when the prices of said hardware goes up, as if they EXPECT low prices.

Simple solution: find another competitor and don't pay Newegg's ludicrous prices for their SSDs.

 

[Old Hippie]

Some people can't help but be idiots.

I'm not gonna mention any names but they don't deserve the title "Mr.".

If it were my business, I'd block the IP and home address from any future purchase.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Some people can't help but be idiots.

I'm not gonna mention any names but they don't deserve the title "Mr.".

If it were my business, I'd block the IP and home address from any future purchase.

stupid customers not only demoralize your employees, they also are highly likely to cost you money with their shenanigans (like returning empty consumables, cheating, demanding stuff, etc)

 

[ElderTech]

As for my reason to question whether or not Newegg is "price gouging", it was more to gauge the sentiments of this forum readership in these difficult economic times than to advocate any specific response to them. From my extensive business background, I'm not naive about product pricing during times of shortages. I even lived throught the oil embargo and price controls of the early '70s while in the petroleum industry. Sure there's the concepts of "what the market will bear" and "caveat emptor". But the issue of customer trust is one that is far more important to the survival of a business these days, particularly in the consumer electronics arena where it's so easy to move to a different source online.

And that's where Newegg surprised me with this pricing strategy, and perhaps it will cause them to suffer some measurable negative consequences from it. Personally, rather than purchase from them, I'll seach elsewhere for my needs/wants in the future, and only buy from them if I can't obtain the product elsewhere and/or for a reasonable price. The lack of easy phone contact has always been one of my gripes, and with the excellent phone contact response I've received from other highly rated online retailers like MWave, it's becoming a real factor of differentiation as well.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: ElderTech
But the issue of customer trust is one that is far more important to the survival of a business these days, particularly in the consumer electronics arena where it's so easy to move to a different source online.

Not speaking for others obviously, but personally I always shop around for the lowest price I can get amongst the etailers I trust...there will usually be some manner of price differentiation when it comes to MIR and shipping, rarely do I actually have to decide between two companies that are offering THE product I want to buy at essentially the same price shipped and with the same shipping timelines.

Now what constitutes "trust" is where history and corporate consistency comes into play. I trust newegg based on experience in the past where they could have screwed me over (burden of proof was not in my favor) but instead they went the other direction and accepted my statement as fact, sans evidence to support it, and gave me RMA's anyways (and they paid for shipping both ways to boot).

Likewise ZZF, I trust their MIR system, it works flawlessly for me to date and has robust online update/tracking/verification system. I also trust Tankguys.

Buy.com and the nexttag groups, not so much.

But I'm not about to spend more at any one of them if any of the other two has what I want for a lower price after shipping. Once you have my trust that you aren't going to screw me over post-sales support then what else is there to differentiate beyond simply price?

 

[Majic 7]

The 80 G2 is back in stock at 350. Feel free to speculate.

 

[imported_jor8888]

$299 at Mwave

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: ElderTech
As for my reason to question whether or not Newegg is "price gouging", it was more to gauge the sentiments of this forum readership in these difficult economic times than to advocate any specific response to them. From my extensive business background, I'm not naive about product pricing during times of shortages. I even lived throught the oil embargo and price controls of the early '70s while in the petroleum industry. Sure there's the concepts of "what the market will bear" and "caveat emptor". But the issue of customer trust is one that is far more important to the survival of a business these days, particularly in the consumer electronics arena where it's so easy to move to a different source online.

And that's where Newegg surprised me with this pricing strategy, and perhaps it will cause them to suffer some measurable negative consequences from it. Personally, rather than purchase from them, I'll seach elsewhere for my needs/wants in the future, and only buy from them if I can't obtain the product elsewhere and/or for a reasonable price. The lack of easy phone contact has always been one of my gripes, and with the excellent phone contact response I've received from other highly rated online retailers like MWave, it's becoming a real factor of differentiation as well.

if trust worked, walmart will be out of business and small mom and pop shops would flourish, instead the opposite occurs... why? because people are selfish, the vast majority of customers shop where they find the best deal, and "customer loyalty" be damned.
Newegg lost my loyalty in 2007, and yet i still buy MOST of my stuff there, because they often seem to have the right stuff at the right price...