Am I a doormat?

[UncleBob]

So, I've been wanting to purchase a Panasonic Q for awhile and, to go with it, I wanted the special Game Boy Player.

Well, a guy had a Game Boy Player for the Panasonic Q up on eBay and I decided to go for it. They're pretty hard to find, so I figured I should grab it while I can and get the Q later.

Ending bid was for £82 + £20 for shipping to the US.

I contacted the seller to see if he had a Q he planned on selling soon - and he did!
It's modded to play US games and included the box and everything. £150 + £30 shipping.

I bite. It's a bit more than I wanted to pay, but it was a good deal for everything, so I bit. £282 for a GameCube. ;) For those of us in the US, that's about $490.

Anywhoo, I got an email from him today saying that the £50 for shipping wasn't enough to cover the insurance and he needed about £12.50 more (about $20).

Well, I sent the money... should I have? Or should I complained? He's been super-nice about pretty much everything and it's still a good deal... I just think it's kinda icky to make a deal, then ask for more afterwords... am I alone? Or am I being a douche?

[help1]

You shouldn't have sent it. Once a price is set, that is that. He should have done his research first, not your fault. Also, if you bought this on eBay, sellers have that whole leverage thing, so you should have just gave him a polite "No."

[antlp89]

I don't think you should have sent any extra money. Once an item's been sold, the buyer should not have to pay any more than what was agreed upon. The seller should have factored the extra shipping costs into the price of the item. So in actuality, the seller is a douche for asking for more money.

[DarkRider23]

Even if you are a collector, how the hell is $490 worth it for a Gamecube? I'd be damned if I ever spent that much money on a GC.

[UncleBob]

Umm... it's sexy? ;)
Have you ever seen a Q? :)

[rick3000gto]

WTF is Q? It better have diamonds encrusted on it.

[chakan]

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/features/hdw/PanasonicQ/front.jpg
http://www.ntsc-uk.com/features/hdw/PanasonicQ/02.jpg

[gotrice415510]

and...... thats not worth it

[mietha]

Damn, if it wasn't such a shitty system, I'd pay $500 for it.

[sendme]

I wonder why this thing never came out in the US. I might have bought one if it did. Well atleast if I could have found it for cheap around the end of the Gamecubes life.

[UncleBob]

Well, before you completely think I'm completely crazy, here's everything about the total purchase.

Japanese Panasonic Q. Complete with box, manual, all accessories, styrofoam packing, etc...
The unit is being purchased from the original owner and is in excellent condition.
The unit includes both the gray Panasonic controller and the DVD remote control.
Also included is the english faceplate for the DVD remote. (It's a Japanese unit, so the remote is all in Japanese).
The unit has been modified to play US games/DVDs in addition to the original Japanese games/DVDs. I've seen some mods where they've cut a hole in the casing to add an additional button somewhere (back, bottom, etc). This unit has been modded all internally - region switching is done with the power button.

Also included is the Game Boy Player for the Panasonic Q. These are pretty hard to find - even when they first came out, I had a friend who has a Q who tried to get one but they were sold out everywhere he tried. Box, manual, etc... is included with this as well.

And - waiting for this at home, I have a Broadband Adapter, a set of Component Cables, three other Game Cubes, all also equipped with BroadBand Adapters and Game Boy Players, and three copies of Mario Kart: Double Dash (I'll need to grab a fourth copy now, though...).

What'll all this let me do? I'll be able to play 16 Player Mario Kart: Double Dash. I'll be able to play 4-Player Game Boy Games on the big screen. I'll be able to play Four Swords Adventures and Final Fantasy: CC all on TVs (using my Wii).

Yeah, I'm crazy... but it's a good kind of crazy. :)

[blackjaw]

That crazy old Uncle Bob

[Poor2More]

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/features/hdw/PanasonicQ/front.jpg
http://www.ntsc-uk.com/features/hdw/PanasonicQ/02.jpg

If Robocop played videogames then this is the system he would have played.

I must admit though that is pretty sexy with all the backlites and the metalic finish is classy :), but $500, little too much for a GameCube

[Vinny]

I honestly don't see any reason to pay that much for a GameCube that plays DVDs... the functionality isn't worth obviously as you can get both separately for like $50 and if you paid $500 just because it looks cool than maybe you should chance your name to Paris Hilton.:)

But honestly, I hope you get everything. From reading your post, I wasn't sure if the Q deal was done through eBay or off of eBay.

[UncleBob]

The Game Boy Player was done via eBay. The Panasonic Q was an off-eBay transaction. I paid via Credit Card, so, worst case, I can always do a charge back.... but, honestly, I have absolutely no reason to believe the seller is scamming me in any way.

While it does look awesome (not just "cool" ;)), I'm getting it for the functionality of everything involved (GameCube+Game Boy Player+Broadband Adapter.. don't really need the DVD player part, per say, although I suppose it'd let me move a DVD player into another room, but that's not too important) and the "collector" aspect of it. Don't get me wrong, I do plan on using it, but it's something I've wanted since they first came out and I'm now in a situation where I can afford to blow the money on it.

Think of it as someone buying a '57 Chevy they've always wanted. Sure, they could buy a plain ol' regular used car for a lot less... but the '57 Chevy is their dream car... :)

[Vinny]

This is definitely going to be worth more than $500 one day, I'm sure. But still, $500 is a lot to drop on one item.:lol:

Oh well, congrats dude. I know what it's like to get that holy grail you've been searching for even if it costs you quite a bit.

[v1c70r]

Sorry but i cnanot resist saying what im going to say.

WTF!

500 dollars to much IMO. i found a working Gamucube for 10 bucks. You could have bought a gameboy+GC+Dvd player for about 35 bucks. No offense but i think this purchase deserves an award. But not a good one

Plus to answer your question yes you are a doormat.

Also i looked on ebay and found 1 Q. I am pretty sure that means nobody wants them

[camoor]

Also i looked on ebay and found 1 Q. I am pretty sure that means nobody wants them

By that logic noone wants an original Picasso because there are so few of them for sale

[EdEddandEdge]

Cost and value are two different things. I paid over 20k for my truck but I honestly enjoy gaming more.

[v1c70r]

to Camor:

Theres a fine line inbetween an overpriced item that is not worth it and a Picasso art piece.

I searched further and found one for 170 shipped. Still overpriced to me

I apologize for what i said because i understand that you want one but it i s a little different then a 57 chevy. The cars will only get more valuable while this shiny Gamecube cost more than a ps3.

[UncleBob]

Also i looked on ebay and found 1 Q. I am pretty sure that means nobody wants them

As camoor said, your logic is a little off. While not super-rare, Panasonic Q's aren't the most common of things.

More important to look at would be completed auctions (http://completed.shop.ebay.com/items/__Panasonic-Q_W0QQ_nkwZQ22PanasonicQ20Q51Q22QQLHQ5fCompleteZ1Q Q_dmptZVideoQ5fGamesQQ_flnZ1QQ_fromfsbZQQ_trksidZp 3286Q2ec0Q2em283?MA2ShowItems&guest=1).

The first Q would have been about $185 after comparable shipping. It did not include the box or manual, nor does it have the original controller. Also, it isn't modified for US games.

The second Q would have been about $310 after comparable shipping. It has everything, but was not modded for US games.

For the Q alone, I paid about $330 after shipping. That, as mentioned above, includes everything (packaging/accessory wise) and includes the modifications to play US games.

[lolwut?]

I like how you're trying to argue that your purchase was worthwhile.

I myself (and a lot of others) wouldn't drop $500 on the thing, but if you're happy with it, more power to you. Just don't expect to convince others that you got some kind of deal out of this.

On that note, for $500 you better have gotten everything that originally came in the box, and a gem mint Q with no scratches on that shiny exterior

[Chronotrigga]

This is like a collector's thing. For the average person, it isn't worth it. Congratulations, I guess. If you're willing to spend that much for something that you can easily get for way cheaper (but not as cool), then paying the extra is worth it. However, what it boils down to is that it's still a Gamecube and still a Gameboy player, etc.. things that are practically outdated in the Gaming industry, now that the nex-gen systems are out. With the $500 you dropped, you'd be missing out on the hardcore Nexgen games coming out like right now.

If you bought the Q when the Gamecube first came out, everyone would be like "OMG NICE". But, since it's been a few years, and the Gamecube is like $10 now, people are like ehhh.. considering the 360, PS3, and Wii are all the hype nowadays. But, like I said, it's a collector's thing. In more years, it'll be worth a lot more, or it might not.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2006/08/zelda12.jpg

[djbooba]

I think what you paid for everything was a fair price for all things considered. Shipping from the UK, A Modded Q in box, and a GameBoy Player in box. If I had the funds, I would have paid that much.

[00JON]

You should have not sent the extra money. A deal is a deal. That gamecube looks like a toaster.

[Link927]

I cant believe they actually made something like this.....

[Captain_Insano16]

Congrats - it looks pretty cool.

Also that Zelda modded NES looks really cool too.

[bryenfury]

wow money to burn?
hey uncle can i borrow some dough ;).
Hehe seriously though if you can do it and you want it then more power to you!

[coolsteel]

Unless it really spiked lately no you're a doormat. Last I checked they were going for around 300. All the same hey you wanted it bad enough, congrats.

[FeNoM91]

Shouldn't have sent it. Make sure you check the shipping label amount on the box. If it's not what you paid for or just a little under, ask for it back.

[Joe4pal]

I like the Q

[UncleBob]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/TheUncleBob/1031082342.jpg

And you people thought I was crazy... ;)

[lolwut?]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/TheUncleBob/1031082342.jpg

And you people thought I was crazy... ;)

Not until I saw the Wii