Amazon Prime Now offered of Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition – one of the most-sought items of the holiday season – on its delivery service on Wednesday.
The $60 retro gaming console is sold out virtually everywhere, except for on eBay where it’s selling for nearly three times the price.
Dedicated gaming fans on the hunt know that the NES hits shelves in bursts at a variety of brick-and-mortar and online stores from Toys-R-Us to Urban Outfitters, but the item sells out in seconds.
Amazon’s catch on Wednesday: it’s only selling in select stores, with most of them on the east coast.
Seattle is out of luck on its offer. But scroll down for tips on how you may find one in Western Washington!
Last week, Amazon sold nearly 20 of the consoles at its store – Amazon Books – in University Village.
With just under two weeks to go before Christmas, here are some tips and alternatives to the path to your favorite retro games.
Where can I find one in the Seattle area?
The replica will not be easily found at your local gaming store, or even big box stores, but there is some hope.
It will be on sale at best Buy on December 20, a company spokesperson confirmed to Fortune. Best Buy expects to have only "limited quantities" available on Dec. 20 that will be sold "on a first-come, first-serve basis" in brick-and-mortar stores, but not online.
In early December, Target stores would get sporadic replenishment of the consoles. It may be worth calling your closest stores and see if they have any shipments en route.
Where can I find one online?
As mentioned above, it’s also nearly impossible to find the item online, with the exception of expensive and competitive bidding on eBay.
Brent Shelton, a deal expert with FatWallet.com and the Black Friday website BfAds.net, says not to give up on the search .
"A few things interested shoppers can do to stay on the insider news for these super hot toys that are sold out in stores and avoid the exorbitant re-seller prices is to follow inventory tracking sites, like Zoolert and Stock Informer," Shelton said.
Deal-hunting forums on FatWallet.com and BfAds.net also allow shoppers to “keep their ear to the ground” for new shipments, he said.
"I advise to set topic alerts with any of these, so you get quick notification on any news," Shelton said. "They can also follow Facebook groups like the Hatchimals BST (Buy Sell Trade) or Nintendo Classic Mini NES, and Reddit is a great candidate if you have the time to scour their hundreds of subtopics."
You can also set mobile alerts on Twitter for accounts, such as @AmazonGames, that may have information on replenishment to first learn about new stock. Learn how to set Twitter notifications here.
What if you can’t find it online?
Buy a legit retro console! Game Gurus in North Seattle sells everything from the real NES to Sega
You can find the store at 9901 Aurora Avenue North.
Looking ahead, Nintendo says it’ll continue to produce new units and hopes to make a “steady flow” of consoles available through early 2017.
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