But these are pretty cool, right? It's an eBay store called The Clay Collection that features these hand-crafted, penny-sized earrings of geek paraphernalia - there are the tiny Companion Cubes I would have made had I only the fine motor skill, there are tiny Nintendo light guns and Bloopers that look absolutely fantastic, too, as well as other non-game related memetics like fast food and Mystery Science Theater.

Let's have a little discussion, shall we? Do you rock any game-related clothing items? Belt buckles, messenger bags, T-shirts, wristbands, beanies? How do you feel about it? More Clay Collection pics after the jump, too.

Since we have such a small community, there's often the temptation to show some "pride." Gamers are so vociferous on the web, and we can connect "here" with each other so easily, it's often a little bit disorienting to step out into the real world - say, the populous crush of a crowded New York City subway, which like Mr. Totilo I frequent - and realize that the vast majority of people are still not all that into games.

Stephen counted gaming systems he saw on the subway for a year and came up with 67 PSPs, 44 DSes, and 6 GBAs - in a city of millions and millions, though, that still feels a little lonely, doesn't it?

When you see someone wearing a game-related accessory, do you feel a little excited, or tempted to talk to them? Do you wear your game-related accessories in the hopes that another face in the crowd will be a fellow gamer that might, encouraged by your apparel, strike up a conversation with you?

Or do you feel it's not something you need to advertise? Is it, like any other fact about you, not really a big deal, along with the fact you like bananas and enjoy naps, for example? Do you feel people might think you were weird if you had, say, a BioShock T-shirt on? Do you figure that no one will even know what it is?

Although the stereotype that "girls don't play video games" is wildly inaccurate, I have a much harder time meeting fellow females who share my interests than I do males. Especially in a fashion-conscious city like New York, some days I feel a little concerned about being stigmatized by my female friends and onlookers, and other times I totally don't care.

If you saw a girl with Nintendo zapper earrings on, would you think she was cool, or worry that she might be weird?

And aren't these teeny tiny carts amazing?

[Thanks to d1rtfarm for the tip.]

The bad news is that Mr. C says he needs to sell his PlayStation 3 in order to scrounge up the funds to travel home to see his father, who is very ill, for the first time in seven years and possibly for the final time. A plane ticket to Bulgaria, he says, isn't cheap, so the very neat PS3 must go.

Sure, you may have doubts about the validity of the whole thing, especially since we're not sure Bulgaria is even a real country. But being dishonest about something this grave will only secure you the finest lake of fire in Hell, so we're taking off the cynic's hat for once. David's plea is after the link and after the jump.

ONE-OF-A-KIND LASER-ETCHED SONY PLAYSTATION 3! 120GB!! [eBay]

Dear Kotaku Editors,

Last April, I was the winner of your one-of-a-kind Red Laser-Etched PS3. I thank you very much for letting me have it, but unfortunately I have run into a situation where I have need to sell it.

You may not believe the story that you are about to read but it is 100% the truth. I just didn't want some Kotaku reader to find it on ebay and it end in a post about how I am just out for money etc, and didn't appreciate it.

I am a poor college student. My father lives in Bulgaria and is suffering from cancer. I haven't seen him since I was 15, and I am almost 22 now. The cancer has been in remission for many years but has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. I need to fly there to see him as it very well may be the last time that I have the chance. I am so broke I can barely feed myself and go to school much less afford this ticket. I have no credit history and can't get a private loan. Really my only choice is to sell something and the awesome PS3 you guys gave me is the only expendable and valuable thing that I own. I love it, but if there was ever a good reason to sell it this is it.

It occurred to me that this type of thing may go for well more than I need. And if it does I will donate what I can to Child's Play. Unfortunately I don't know the exact amount (at least 1600 total) that I will need to cover this whole trip. I just know that I need to go as soon as possible.

Anyway, this is the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250262768816

thanks again,

I wish I had been able to keep it but I would never forgive myself if I didn't try to see him.

D

Capcom Checking eBay To See Which Games To Port [MTV]

Yes, there's even a market for the terrible PlayStation Speed Racer game! Plenty of interesting charts and graphs await hopeful auctioneers at VGPC. I'm off to put a spit shine on my copy of The X-Files for PSone in anticipation!

Summer Movies Increase Game Prices. Go Speed Racer! [VGPC]

Outrageous MSG4 Bundle [eBay Thanks, Andres!]

One Off Swarovski Crystal Covered Sony Playstation 3 Up for Sale [Bornrich]

Forsaken_angel24 presents Nerf Lancer. Shoots 90+ feet. [eBay - thanks, Joe!]

Perhaps you'll also find some worth in its new competitor, VAG, which is taking a different approach. Their system may be better, as the VAG scale runs up to 1000 (aka Super Minty and Sealed) and uses hermetically sealed containers that can be reused for storing leftovers. They also seem to gloss over GIANT instances of the owners name being scrawled upon the box. Check 'em out! For peace of mind and stuff.

MISSILE COMMAND - VAG 90 NM ~ ATARI VCS 1981 SEALED [eBay - thanks, Joe!]

Just think, your little Master Pony will always be there right by your side. He'll be there right by your side. Definitely worth dropping $100-plus on to get the promised hand-sculpted assault rifle. Bid early and often, folks.

Master Chief From Halo OOAK My Little Pony Custom [eBay]

Ha ha ha! Just imagine if I'd say, set aside that Nintendo DS until the Lite had appeared or simply shelled out $150 for a back up. Regardless of the profit I could make, it wouldn't be worth the hilarious story of me flushing money down the drain.

For an even better tale of throwing away money, remind me sometime to spin you the yarn of placing my Game Boy Advance in the garbage as a joke, then forgetting to remove it before the janitorial service disposed of it. It's a sidesplitter!

Shigeru Miyamoto Signed Super Famicom + Games [eBay via The BBPS]

I was looking for something new and unique to crochet, and so I thought "Hey, why not make a little Prinny?" A few hours of mad crocheting and accidents later, I had a Prinny from the popular video game series Disgaea. Then I thought, "Hey, why not make it into a Witzbold?" Another hour of messing around with different yarns later, and I had a little replica of the infamous "Banhammer Wielder" from Kotaku.com, the most popular gaming website on the internet.

And there's even a crocheted ban hammer to go with it. Awwww. It can be yours for the current low low bid of $5.99, which is way, way cheaper than most of the crocheted curiosities we post.

Crocheted Prinny/Witzbold - HANDMADE!

There is nothing more striking and impressive for a collector or gaming fan to have. In the dark it glows a beautiful neon blue colour when turned on, as you can see in the pictures. This really is the ultimate Dreamcast collector's item.

Why should you care? Proceeds from the auction will go to the Brian Morden Foundation to help fund Ewing's Sarcoma and childhood cancer research. Bust out your checkbook and your goodwill if you've got the cash. If not, read the artist's statement at Bungie.net. It will haunt you.

Heart of Dorkness [Bungie]
Bungie Charity: Original Mister Chief Art [eBay]

Make the jump for a few more shots.

[Thanks, Beeb]

Verdict? It's 1960s Playboy magazine centerfold sexy: a bit dated for real use, but alright to look at for its historical significance.

eBay Listing [via gamelife]

More like the year before Christmas, actually. An entire year where not a day went by that hundreds of electronic and gaming retail employees didn't have to negatively answer the same nagging question. "Do you have any Wiis in stock?" Even though the console sold relatively briskly in the year following its launch, getting your hands on one meant you either won a contest, knew someone who worked for a retailer, shadowed UPS trucks or were just plain lucky.

As the holidays season started heating up, things looked bleak for parents and gamers looking to get their hands on Nintendo's tiny, motion-controlled console. Rumors of chip shortages ran rampant, and I personally was certain that the eBay grey market price for the hot gift item would far meet if not surpass the highest numbers seen during the initial late 2006 release window.

Miraculously that never happened. At the very last moment, in a series of moves that gained them criticism from fans, Nintendo managed to pull together enough supply to curb the often ridiculously inflated eBay demand before it was too late.

Rising...Slowly

As you can see from the chart, back in early November the Wii was selling for a relatively modest price on the world's largest online auction house. While $350 is still $100 than the retail price of the system, the markup isn't quite as painful as it could be. Then the Christmas panic sets in.

By November 21st the price had spiked to $459...nearly double the retail cost of the system, and with a few fluctuations the price stays solidly about the $400 mark. Perhaps consumers hoping to avoid the Black Friday rush 2 days later were trying to get a leg up on things, causing the price to reach this high of a point. Either way, things were looking pretty grim for parents and fans hoping to get their hands on a Wii without getting fleeced by eBay resellers - until one day.

Reggie Spreads The Word.

On December 14th, Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime held a conference call to address the growing problem of Wii shortages, detailing the companies plans to get customers matched up with systems by any means necessary. First came the raincheck system, which allowed customers a chance to pre-purchase the machine at GameStop stores across the country, with the understanding that they would be guaranteed a system by the end of January.

Then he announced that seven retail outlets - Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City - would have the coveted consoles in stock that weekend, revealing that stores had been stockpiling the systems for a massive, last-minute flood.

While the rainchecks met with varying success due to limited ability, the flood of systems that weekend had a huge effect on the eBay market.

Bursting The Bubble

On December 17th, according to my data seen on the chart above, 11,016 Nintendo Wii consoles were sold on eBay, for an average price of $368 - the first time the price had dropped below $400 in a month. As Crecente noted in a previous post, eBay was positively slammed with Wiis, bringing the average price down and significantly lowering the normally high auction success rates on the console. Folks looking for a huge payoff still made a little dough of course, but nothing like the windfall they were expecting when they rushed out over the weekend to snag the systems for profiteering purposes. By the time Christmas Eve hits, the consoles are dollars away from the lowest price since November started.

Conclusion

As of this writing I cannot say if this was a calculated move by Nintendo to thwart the profit-hungry eBay grey market or simply a happy side-effect of a last-ditch effort to save face in the eyes of consumers worrying about where the product they wanted to purchase was, but Reggie's press conference and the subsequent console flood neatly nipped in the bud what could have been a terribly expensive Christmas for families looking for a little motion-controlled joy. Whatever the case may be, the end result is a small victory for the hardworking folks out there more worried about the smiles on their children's face than the thickness of their wallet.

Nicely done Nintendo.

While Nintendo declined to comment for this story, back during Fils-Aime's December press call he did address the issue of Wii gouging.

"We are always very disappointed if we see retailers that are pricing the Wii or any of our products above the MSRP price."

How I collected the graph data:
To track eBay sales for the Wii I once again used a website called Terapeak, which is of of the most trusted eBay market research tools available. I looked at data for the US eBay site each day utilizing the keyword "Nintendo Wii" in the Video Games/Systems category. I set the price range for $200 through $10,000 to weed out any artificially inflated auctions as well as any fake buying guide auctions. Keep in mind that the results are still in part tainted by systems including games and extra controllers, but I believe the method I used obtained the most accurate results, all things considered.

As for the numbers sold chart, I used the same data, taking note of the "Items Sold" statistic for each day in the period.

What is suspect, however, is whether you actually get the signed copy of the game for your four large, seemingly the entire point of dropping this much cash on a used PS2 game. The eBay listing comes with the unclear note "Please note: I do not actually want to sell this. I am just listing it for show and to hopefully win a contest. However, if you want to spend $4000 on this then I will donate 100% of the proceeds to Child's Play Charity." The seller does have a 99.9% positive rating, so I wager you'll be satisfied. If you do decide to give up the cash, let us know when (and if) you get it.

Grand Theft Auto III Signed By Jack Thompson (PS2) [eBay - thanks, Rick!]

The most searched for item on the UK's eBay since Christmas is the Wii, The Telegraph reports today. More than 1,100 of the consoles were on sale earlier today with asking prices as high as £1,000, aka somewhere in the stupid range.

And the Wii isn't the only console UK buyers are searching for on the auction site. In fact half of the top ten searched items are gaming consoles with the DS at the number five spot the PSP at number six, the 360 at number 9 and the PS3 rounding out the list at number ten.

Hit the jump for the top ten search list from the paper.

1. Wii console
2. Ugg boots
3. High School Musical
4. iPod Nano
5. Nintendo DS
6. PSP console
7. Laptop
8. Tom Tom
9. XBox 360 console
10. PS3 Console

I don't know which is more surprising, the fact that the PSP is beating out the 360 or the fact that High School Musical is in the number two spot.

Nintendo Wii most searched for item on eBay [Telegraph]

Ru Weerasuriya, Ready at Dawn co-founder, dropped me a line to let me know that his studio has put two eBay auctions up to hlp raise money for Child's Play.

The studio managed to get their hand on one of the last Daxter PSP Entertainment packs around and then had everyone at Ready at Dawn Studios. As if the cool autographed, hard-t0-find PSP weren't enough, the Ready at Dawn folks are throwing in an autographed piece of original production art from the game.

All proceeds go to Child's Play. Hit up the link for the U.S. auction, and check out Ready at Dawn's other auction if you live in Europe.

Ready at Dawn eBay Auction

Over the weekend there appeared to be another sell out of Wii consoles. On Friday, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced that seven retailers-Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City- would be throwing a lot of Wii consoles out on their shelves over the weekend to try and sate the appetite of games and their families.

But judging by the obvious spike in eBay listings of Wii consoles, I think it's fair to say the only thing sated was greed. From 9 a.m. Eastern Sunday to 9 p.m. Eastern Sunday alone more than 13,500 Wii consoles were listed for sale in the U.S. on eBay. Coincidence? I can't imagine.

Note: These numbers might deviate a little from 100% complete authentic scientific goodness, but the trend is still relevant.

This is exactly what eBay auctioneer kyleselectronicsplus07 is doing at this very moment. It is made quite clear in the description that the price is for the Wii ONLY and the rest of the goodies are free bonuses. The seller seems to have a good reputation and 10% of the sale goes to Charlotte ReStore - Habitat for Humanty. Certainly an admirable cause, but could this truly be for real? And what exactly is the story behind someone willing to give up their entire life over eBay, although at that price I suppose you could afford an all new one a couple times over.

The auction has nine days to go and in news that will surprise no one, it currently has no bids. I'm going to continue watching this just to see exactly what happens with it and I'll report back on it next weekend as it gets closer to the end of the bid. Check below for the full description.

This auction is for one (1) Brand New Never Opened Nintendo Wii Console Sports Edition with 5 Games. This also includes Wii Play Bundle that comes with an extra Remote and 9 Wii Play Games. With the purchase of the Wii console, we will also throw in for free our Charlotte, North Carolina 2-story, single-family home. This house was built and purchased new in 2006 for $240,000 and is within walking distance to major attractions such as Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers) & Bobcats Arena (Charlotte Bobcats). You are also only minutes away from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, I-485, I-85, I-77, and many uptown restaurants. Everything in the house is yours if wanted, including a Brand New 46" Sony Bravia Full 1080p LCD HDTV along with all the furniture and appliances. We will personally drive and deliver this Wii with all the accessories listed once payment has been received and cleared. Once we hand you the Wii, we will also hand you the car keys and house keys to both our home in Charlotte and a 2002 BMW 330i. We will even have you(1) and up to 5 other family members or friends (for a total of 6) flown in to see the house and city and will also pay to have you moved up to Charlotte from anywhere in the continental United States. This is to be the most DELUXE and EXCLUSIVE listing for any Wii that there will ever be on eBay. If you choose, you will have nothing to do but to hop on a plane with 5 of your closest friends or family members. We'll handle all the rest for you. We will personally deliver these items to the winning bidder on the day of his/her choice, including Christmas Day, December 25, 2007.

[via Megatonik]
[Thanks, Kevin]

UPDATE: Sarah from SuicideGirls.com is a regular Kotaku reader, and wanted to drop us a line explaining that these two women were not, in fact, Suicide Girls at all.

First off, any SuicideGirl worth her salt would know better than to risk destroying the game she was selling by wearing dangerously pointy lucite stripper heels and lolling "seductively" (ahem) on the precious equipment.

Secondly, Beeporama said "Does anybody still think the Suicide Girls are cool? @Stormrider900 got it right, this is a missed opportunity to do something charitable and cool instead of continuing to milk a dying, increasingly reviled brand for profit." While he's absolutely right, I DO enjoy spending my days milking things for profit (wheee!
Sweet, milky profit!), at least get the ways I am choosing to milk correct. Since apparently our brand is now uncool and reviled, I have very little left to get me through my long, lonely days. Except the milking, of course. And we are not milking anything on, near, or around that auction.

ROCK BAND PS3 GUITAR HERO 3 BUNDLE SANTA'S HELPER [eBay via Polygamia]

Brown, sweet and eatable. Master Chief never tasted so good!

Cloud Strife Final Fantasy VII Custom My Little Pony [eBay - Thanks Brian!]

ONE OF A KIND Nintendo Blue & White DS Lite Zelda Mod [eBay]

Don't worry, it's all on the up and up. In fact, it's for a good cause. According to the auction, proceeds from the winning bid will go "to help raise money for the losses which a lawyer messed me over when I was entitled to a lot of money from being hit in a car accident." Harrowing, I know.

I Will Be Your X-Box Live Friend On Halo 3 [eBay via Destructoid]

Halo 3 Mz Master Chief Spartan Statue [eBay]
[Thanks, Sean]

OK, this shot is actually a picture of a Master Chief suit for sale on Ebay. The opening bid starts at $1,125.00. And we're gonna stop writing about Halo 3 before the readers attack and we need to purchase the armor for personal protection.

Halo 3 Spartan Master Chief Armor Costume Helmet Suit [via hawtymcblog]

With BioShock mania at a peak just four days before it's release, these rare faceplates have begun surfacing on eBay and are fetching anywhere upwards of $100 or more in some cases. Personally, I wouldn't dream of getting rid of mine because it's gorgeous and I love it and you'd have to pry it out of my cold dead fingers. But, given the choice between owning a rare, cool piece of (free) merchandise for your console or turning around and selling it for some cash, which would you choose?

Rare Bioshock faceplates bring in high price on eBay [Opposable Thumbs]

Now, could someone out there get to work on a Big Daddy papercraft?

Scrap Metal Big Daddy [eBay]
[Thanks, Rory]

Yoshi edition CUSTOMIZED NINTENDO Wii CONSOLE [ebay]

Kotakuite Connor sent along this eBay auction with the comment "That's a lot of video games .... and for a lot of money," which about sums it up. The seller says you can bid for the lot of "67 different video game systems and 1420 games" (no duplicates!) or you could just buy it now for the low, low sum of $18,000.

Perhaps because I collect boring (and flat) things like prints, every time I see one of these collections up for sale, I just wonder: who in the hell has room for all that in their house, and isn't it a pain in the ass to move? Maggie Greene

Huge Video Game Lot 67 Different Systems & 1420 Games

Club nintendo Hot Summer Contest Nintendo DS Peach Pink Limited 200! One of the most rarest consoles of Nintendo DS System. Japan's Club Nintendo rewards program is running an exclusive summer contest for its members. By registering a Nintendo DS or specific games, members will be entered into the contest and can pick their preferred prize... This is NUMBER 001. The First One Made!!!

I'm sure by the time the auction ends on June 18th, it will be much more. I just love the logo on the box, but I don't have seven hundred dollars to blow on a box. Kim Phu

Rare Hot Summer Nintendo DS Peach Pink NO.001 of 200!!! [eBay, thanks Chilly Hollow!]

Man, looking for off-beat game related stuff on eBay is so time consuming. Wouldn't be great to have a personal shopper? You know, someone who could do all the grunt work and let you know what's available. There is. Enter website GameSniped, which shows eBay goodies like Atari bottled water, tons of signatures, PlayStation development gloves and that Mario thing. It's updated regularly so even if you're not buying, window shopping is quite fun. Brian Ashcraft

Bid Away! [GameSniped via GameSetWatch]

What's being sold is unfortunately nothing more than a hacked ROM with a Super Mario Land meets Famicom label slapped on. The screenshots look like nothing more than a modified Super Mario Bros. 3 featuring some amatuer level and sprite editing and I'm fairly certain one could find this pirated ROM in the dark corners of the internet and save themselves some cash.

But if 150 bucks is just a drop in the bucket in your world for a "rare" NES curiosity such as this, go nuts. Me, I'll hunt it down and look for my old NESticle executable. Michael McWhertor

SUPER MARIO BROTHERS 4 IV Rare game [eBay, thanks Hero!]

Update: Hey! It's a hacked version of Armadillo! Thanks, MegaSeven.

Poor Uwe Boll. Not only is he unnaturally short, he is also a rotten filmmaker. The "director" recently try to eBay a role in his Far Cry adaptation. Bidding started at €2,498 (US $3,360). Not did the winner get five days on the set with Uwe, he or she would also have to cover things like the flight and the hotel. Any takers? No, it seems. The idea that Uwe thinks people would pay to be in his movies, let alone watch them, is HILARIOUS. Brian Ashcraft

Boll's Aution [eBay Thanks, Sebastian!]