Why is the rift so overpriced everywhere... except from the manufacturer

[Andovar]

Ordered my rift on saturday straight from Oculus. $350 + $22 shipping. It shipped yesterday.
Everywhere else I looked (ebay, even amazon) the price is ridiculously jacked up, sometimes close to double the price.

I don't get it. Normally it's just the opposite. The vendor is expensive, and you go looking to these other sites for deals.
Why on earth would anyone go to a third party to pay significantly more than what direct from manufacturer charges? Are there some kind of international shipping restrictions from oculus or something? :S

 

[Jericho]

It used to be because of the 10 week delay from Oculus to ship. There was a premium for people who couldn't wait. But now its down to 1-2 weeks from Oculus, so not sure why those Ebay Rifts are still so much. Either the sellers aren't in the know, or they're hoping for buyers who aren't in the know.
.
BTW, Congrats on your purchase!

 

[Arithon]

Bought mine from Oculus. It arrived in four days. Go to the source.

With the right settings a good GFX card, it's the dogs. Just waiting for the CV1 to upgrade now...

 

[Ancipital]

It used to be because of the 10 week delay from Oculus to ship. There was a premium for people who couldn't wait. But now its down to 1-2 weeks from Oculus, so not sure why those Ebay Rifts are still so much. Either the sellers aren't in the know, or they're hoping for buyers who aren't in the know.

It's the latter- especially overseas. People don't do any research and assume that it will be slow and difficult, and that they'll be hit with customs charges.

 

[djbordie]

conversion rates, duty killed it for me, and shipping costs.

350 USD + shipping + conversion + boarder duties = a ton more than i was willing to pay.
but ebay for $400 used or so is way cheaper

or local classifieds is great too