Am I the only one here who is sorely disappointed at the way gamesas/Zenimax has handled the PipBoy Editon Pre-Order? It would seem to me from a business standpoint, that if an item is in demand, you try to reach that demand to make your faithful Fan base happy. Not only that, but from that same business standpoint you would stand to make a LOT more money. All gamesas has done is give those few greedy people out there a way to rip off the general public by buying them up and then selling them on eBay. The same thing happened when the XBox 360 came out and I couldn't buy one for almost 6 months because they were all over eBay for $2,500.00-$5.000.00.

A friend of mine, who is a store manager at Gamestop here in Venice Florida told me on the day they got their first PipBoy Edtion PreOrders in, a gentleman (for lack of a not so nice word) was waiting for the store to open, along with several other people. So this guy proceeds to come in and buy ALL 10 that the store had to offer and the other people who were waiting in line were just SOOL. I asked my friend why he sold them all to this one guy and he said, he was not told otherwise. I just don't see how limiting the number produced is doing anyone any good. How can this be a good thing, for anyone? What is the reasoning behind this?

You know, I'm going through treatment for lung cancer right now and I can't do a whole lot of anything right now (weakness) except sit here on this damn computer all day long looking for a way to buy one and let me tell you, there are none to be had. How are people getting them? What am I missing? I am extremely diligent (or so I thought) as far as trying to cover all bases, but they are like a myth...what more can I do besides break down and buy one from one of those greedy scalpers? One day on eBay there were 5 of them. In a matter of 2 days, there were suddenly 13 of them for sale! Where are they getting them??? Does anyone have any insight into what's to come and if they may release more at a later date? Because if that's the case, I can wait patiently. I just want one for myself, not to sell, just for me, to use, in MY game. Any ideas anyone? Please?

First, sorry to hear about your health issues, hope things are on the up for you.

The problem is, Bethesda doesn't make the Pipboys themsevles. They contract a company to make them in their factory.

The contract is to make x amount of Pipboys. When the order is fulfilled, that is often it becuase those companys have a backlog on orders to work through, they cannot spend too long on one order because the rest of the work slips. If Bethesda wants more, then they have to place a new order which goes to back of the list.

They could use multiple company's, but it depends how busy said companys are. They aren't going to make room for an order just becuase a gaming company wants a load of plastic phone holders making. Beth's order would go to the back of the queue.

Also, to point out about the scalpers. Since the Pipboy editions haven't gone out yet. Those scalpers currently have nothing to to sell They are asking people to pay for something they might not even have. (Which is against ebays rules last I checked) Some of them may scam merchents, others may not even recieve a Pipboy edition since I did read a couple of weeks back that Game were reviewing orders whjere multiple copies had been purchased by one person or sent to a single address.

But, I'm not sure what Bethesda are the gaming stores could have really done. Bethesda can't control the retailers, if Game wants to sell multiple copies to one guy, Bethesda can't stop them. If someone buys multiple copies, each from a different store then how can Bethesda stop them then?

I don't know, I'd say it's because of the most common reason people suggestion: the Pip Boy edition is technically Fallout 4's limited/collector's edition, and as the name implies, they're quite limited, and probably for a good reason. Bethesda isn't the only company that does this, but just about every other company does it with their collector's editions. Collectors editions always sell out for almost every game so its obvious profit is made from them. But they probably stop for a reason, likely a manufacturing reason. Otherwise, they would keep producing more. They're not stupid.

Bethesda probably put out a reasonable amount collectors edition like any other of its kind for any other game, and it sold quicker than usual because of the popularity of the franchise. They made more available, and they sold out quickly as well. With such popularity also equals more scalpers as well. Adding this all to the equation, they're bound to run out in mere hours. They're limited and expensive, and scalpers will try to make a profit off it. That's just the way it is.

Legion, you're probably right about it being their "Collectors Edition" and the numbers are probably no lower than any other, but that they just went really quickly because of popularity. Thank you for your insight.

Now DevenTarn, thank you for all of that very helpful information. I learned a little something from you tonight. I had no idea that this was the way they did these things. Now that I'm better informed, I'll know what to expect next time and not be quite so disappointed. It's just too bad that eBay has made it possible for people to carry on in such a unscrupulous manner. If you check the people that are "selling" their Pre-orders, you will see that they ALL just opened an eBay account just to sell that damn PipBoy Edition to make a quick buck. What a shame...

And Thank you Deven for your well wishes. It warms my heart ??

Pete went into this, on a video for IGN, says there staff members that wont even be getting one. also said he thinks there has been more pipboys made than any other special edition of any game they have done in the past.

here it is

http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/08/08/why-theres-no-more-fallout-4-pip-boy-editions-coming-gamescom-2015

I wonder how many of those ebay accounts are just scammers and won't even have a Pip-Boy Edition to sell. I wouldn't trust them even if they sold them at cost, let alone the ridiculous prices they are going for. You see, when you order on eBay I think you have to pay then... and by the time November runs around the scammers will have their money and be gone.

Sorry to hear about your lung Cancer, I hope you make a great recovery.

DevenTarn has already addressed the actual physical production of the Pipboys and is spot on (and has been covered in more than a handful of threads in the forum already). They set themselves a date point where they can ship these overseas and that them ready for a worldwide release date. So they are really working under a timeframe. Its even possible Bethesda asked for too many from the factory and the factory just kept saying 'Yes we can fufill that' when they actually might not be able to.

I actually wanted to address the point you made about your friend the Store Manager at Gamestop in Venice Florida. Ive also got a friend who is a Store Manager at a similar type store called EB Games here in Australia. I was speaking to him a while back about the Pip Boy Edition (I bought it through his store) and he said no sooner had the Pipboy edition been announced them they started to get a LOT of emails /circulars from Management about pricing and just how many copies people could buy (essentially one copy per person). He said this information came out within an hour or so of the E3 announcement. These circulars are basically printed out and staff are informed as they start their shift. (which helps when Customers are asking the tough questions).

Edit: They actually also got emails which was basically "DO NOT SELL ANYMORE PIPBOY EDITIONS> STOCK Exhausted'

The fact it sounds like Gamestop hadnt made this determination is pretty well surprising considering its more than likely they knew there would be a Collectors edition and dosnt exactly sounds like its a great place for business practice. Selling 10 copies to the one person of an item that is a collectors edition is also a no no. Your friend really cant go back to the 'I wasnt told otherwise'. Being a Store manager means he could say 'Everyone can only buy one copy each' and then he could go up his management chain to find out whats going on.

But frankly its really something that Gamestop Admin should have sorted out. Its not up to Bethesda to tell a business how to run their business.

If I might make a suggestion, Its worthwhile to actually put your name down at some of your local stores selling the Pipboy edition. Sometimes (although its more rare than it used to be), stores will keep a waiting list of people who want one but there is no stock for them. Some people actually cancel their preorder (mum finds out about the rather large dollar amount, girlfriend bans buying of the game etc) and it goes back into the pool for purchase. Hell some people actually pay some of the cost for the game, and then never pick it up.

NeoMorph: Kinda reminds me of the guys I used to hear about selling Consoles outta the Parking Lot of Walmart after hours. You take home the box and find out its a box of sand.

Oddly enough, the 'guy buying all ten copies' story sounds a bit familiar to a few similar ones I've heard. How many employees at that store? How many suddenly have Pipboy editions come release day? (Joking here, but wouldn't be the first time a stores employees bangs stock to one side for pursonal purchase)

Also, a good poiint made by Neomorph, people buying off the scalpers are basically giving them money now in the hope that three months down the line they get what they paid for and that the seller hasn't shut down their account by then and done a runner with the money.

I think Elton John did that with DvDs in an issue of Viz once.

You know Tyranthraxus, I was actually quite disgusted by my friends behavior. Personally, even if the "higherups" or management had not said anything, common sense would have made ME say, "No, I don't think so". What happened to that common sense in his case? But, I do know that there has been an incredible amount of turnover and shutting down of MANY of the GAMESTOP stores here in Florida. They actually closed ALL of their stores in Puerto Rico and brought THOSE employees up here to Florida and gave them jobs in the local stores. So, I don't believe GAMESTOP is very "together" shall we say when it comes to being organized and professional. Trust me, he's told me some horror stories. But that's not an interesting topic to discuss. Thanks for the idea of putting my name on a list, but honestly, would you trust them? Maybe I can try it at Best Buy or Target or somewhere else, right? Thanks again, I'll do it

And lastly Thanks for the well wishes Tyranthraxus. My prognosis is actually pretty good and all the positives from good people shines through. I can feel it working

All good points EVERYONE . Thank you so much. Just talking to you guys has lifted my spirits and that's tough to do these days

Nyphrodel: Oh dont worry , we have some dodgy business practices over here in Australia. I live in Perth which is basically the most Western city in Australia. We are a long way from the next city. Sydney you would of heard of, basically 80 percent of shipping goes through th ere.

A lot of the distribution point for main companies are there. Things like Games would be distributed through Sydney out to Australia. A common business practice was for a Sydney store to actually take stock dedicated already to another store somewhere else in Australia (generally because they had exhausted their own quota and needed more copies). Generally the excuses why other stores didnt receive their stock were 'Oh we wernt sent enough in the shipment' . Things like that.

Unfortunately for you, and many other people, there really wasn't a "shortage" It might feel that way because the Pip-Boy Edition was much more sought after, but in the end it's still a Collector's Edition, and there are generally only so many produced to keep it that way.

As much as it svcks though, stores handling the sales of their stock in whatever way they want isn't Bethesda's fault. I'm not even sure if Bethesda can tell a store how to sell its stock.

Many places limited stock, and many didn't. For all of us, it was just a matter of "Is anything in my area limiting, or not?" For me, Gamestops in Canada seemed to have a 1 per customer order limit, as the Pip-Boy Edition was only available through their online store.

"How did people even manage to get them?" You ask? No easy feat for the ones that did. As I said, they were highly sought after, and even announced at E3, raising even more attention. They sold out in minutes to an hour after most places got an initial stock. After that it became a matter of hunting down stores in your area online, daily, hoping for a re-stock. Their were fortunately, a good 2 - 3 restocks for Gamestops here in Ontario, and I'd assume other places did the same, as many people who were initially screwed, did managed to pick one up during those times. It was more of a, right time, right place sort of deal though.

I know it svcks, and it's frustrating as all hell, but the going advice for people who still want one, is to check around for any cancelled orders come release. It'll likely still be an ordeal, but you might just be lucky.

Good luck.

Im sorry but in this case Bethesda should never have announced that they planned on making them. If you look at it from a consumer standpoint instead of a company standpoint you will know that E3 had most of the FO community watching and sitting in the seats at the venue. Obviously with that announcement people got hyped and excited knowing that the PipBoy would be a collectors thing. But then to come out a little while later and say "sorry but due to these easily foreseen circumstances we have chosen to stop production since the company we contract it to cant make anymore since they are also working on other things".

I know i am paraphrasing here but that is essentially what he said during the interview. That was VERY poor planning on their part. Either that or they did that just to get hype and more pre-orders for their games. So my question is, what if someone ordered a PipBoy collectors edition around the time they said they are stopping production? Does that mean that those people wont get their PipBoys and they are out $120 and have to get their money back and hopes crushed?

Next time, Besthesda should think twice about making a kind of announcement like that before they get their fans hopes up about something that they most likely wont get due to production and BS hoarding issues.

Also, do we know if Bethesda even makes an appreciable margin on them? If they roughly break even on mfg costs, its not worth it to make more, but the hype generated from the shortage has won big for Fallout 4 hype-meter

Nyphrodel keep kicking the out of that cancer!

I understand how you feel about the Pip-boy edition. I dare say with Pete acknowledging that this is the largest amount of Beth CE's produced to date, maybe FO is going to be more popular than TES

Admittedly I love both, but am a FO fan first.

...meanwhile, http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=pip+boy+edition&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XFALLOUT+4+pip+boy+edition.TRS0&_nkw=FALLOUT+4+pip+boy+edition&_sacat=0...

It's obvious that there is a demand for a lot more Pipboys and Bethesda should request another run even if production can't finish until the GOTY Edition arrives. I'm sure enough pre-orders can be established to warrant another run, even if delayed.

It is the least Bethesda can do for botching how these were distributed, allowing vultures to gouge people on sites like Ebay and such.

...or you can print your own.

http://www.polygon.com/2015/7/29/9059553/fallout-4-pip-boy-3d-print

How will they place an order for something that isn't being sold in the first place?

You're looking at it entirely wrong.

Obviously Bethesda is going to announce something that major at E3 to bring it to attention, increase sales, awareness, and hype. I would hardly say "most" of the FO communty was in attendance at that E3 presentation, and they've gone on record stating that they've made more of this particular item than any previous Collector's Edition. Which means there were a lot. They have to have a cut-off point at some point, regardless of if it was the factory choice, or Bethesda's.

You complicate this in such an odd way.

It's very simple. If it listed somwehere, it was available for purchase. If there were no more stock due to stopping production, you simply would have not been able to order it from that retailer in the first place.

Nobody who ordered one is getting told they aren't because production has ceased.

They didn't botch anything. They allocated plenty of stock to plenty of retailers, and even re-stocked, plenty of times. The retailers are the ones that sell as they please.

There is no "least they can do" in this case. It's a Collector's Edition that has already had plenty of units produced, now they've ceased. Going back to produce even more of a Collector's Edition is expensive, pointless, and ruins the overall integrity of the thing in the first place.

...so how many are you selling on ebay?

Cute.

Shame you're not as full of luck or determination as you are wit.

Well....The problem is that it's limited for a reason, when they announced at E3 everyone that was smart were mashing that F5 refresh key on Amazon/GS/Walmart etc. We all knew that pre-orders would be taken immediately after the E3 announcement was made.

On the story of the [censored] that went into GS and bought them all assuming it happened the manager was an idiot. They should've gone outside as a courtesy and asked who's here to buy a F04 LE and let the 1st 10 in line get a pre-order in. Screw the idiot that wanted to Ebay his. I know GS allows certain games to be a 1 per customer as per the developer instructions but I guess Beth was like meh...I still would've done the 1st ten in line deal lol.

Exactly, it was common sense to know that a CE was coming and there was ample opportunity to get one. Don't know why people keep coming to the forums. If you want one that bad you're going to have to pony up on the bay.

Um, i wasnt talking about after the announcement was made. I was talking about right before the announcement was made. If people ordered the PipBoy edition right before they said they would stop making it, are they still going to get their PipBoy or is Bethesda going to say "sorry but we dont have enough"? Because right at that mark is going to be hard to get one last order through to the compan that makes it since the company stated they dont have time to make them anymore.

I got my pre-order in time for the pip-boy at Gamestop however i am still not 100 % sure i will get it they keep dragging their feet on the have you gotten information that the 2 customers that have pre-ordered the pip-boy edition will get it, and they still can not say we are assured to get 1 of the pip-boy editions because it is so limited, they have no clue yet how many the franchise will get of the pip-boy edition in Denmark, and i will not know for sure until maybe 2 - 4 weeks until launch if i will get it or not.

But then again it is something that would be nice to have but i would just as well prefer the game to be honest i pre-ordered it due to it being a collectors edition and i have the previous available fallout versions in collector editions, so it was to keep my collection complete but by no means a requirement for my purchasing of fallout 4, and lets face it how often will you be wearing that pip-boy on you're wrist when walking around town, it will be a extra trinket on your desktop to look at.

And where are you going to order it from that just doesn't or won't have it in stock, due to production?

Stores don't just have these listed until someone tells them they're not producing anymore. That's just dumb.

Nobody is placing orders on Pip-Boy Editions that haven't even been (or wont be) manufactured.

If people found a retailer that had it up and managed to order it seconds before the announcement that no more are being produced, that doesn't mean a thing other than, they got one from that store's already allocated stock.