Amiibo CrazeMiscPrevNextPrevNext

*This article pertains to the US releases.
Canceled and Sold-out! >.<
I don't know if anyone else in the US has been paying attention to the Amiibo craze, perhaps intensified by the holiday season, but they are selling like hot cakes...some characters are clearing shelves the day they come out (e.g. Little Mac). Pre-orders for the Target exclusive Rosalina filled within ~30 minutes and pre-orders for the Best Buy exclusive Meta Knight and GameStop exclusive Shulk have already sold-out. Some of my pre-orders were canceled...a lot later, unfortunately after they closed/sold-out everywhere else.

Japan vs US
You can still buy Japanese versions from Japan (not bad considering the current exchange rate). They are region free, but for me, I want consistency in my Amiibo collection, and prefer to have the English packaging rather than the Japanese. Also, Amiibo seem to have a relatively high defect rate and are inconsistent in their paint jobs. It would be easier to deal w/ customer service in the US than w/ Japane; however, if you do get a majorly defective one (e.g. missing limbs), it might just be worth keeping as some rare defects on Amiibo are selling on ebay for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Discontinued!?!... o_O
The craze was likely also fueled by rumors that a number of characters were being discontinued after their initial run (if anyone has official announcements of specific characters being discontinued please let me know). Articles citing Nintendo officials (including Shigeru Miyamoto), would not specify when/which characters would be discontinued, but stated that Nintendo's intent was to continually provide the staple/core characters for sale (e.g. Mario, Link), whereas the less popular characters would be discontinued after their initial run. Most sources are claiming that Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, and Marth have been discontinued. My local shops have confirmed this to be the case (Game Stop), although they also said they would no longer be stocking a number of other Amiibo (e.g. Diddy Kong, Little Mac, Captain Falcon, Pit).

Also, Amiibo may have unique features, bonus items and compatibility with certain games, so it is important to be aware of this if you are buying an Amiibo to use with a particular game. It also gives a lot more value to those Amiibo that will be discontinued...for now. Shigeru Miyamoto, in an article, stated that Nintendo is pursuing another, less expensive way to provide the Amiibo functions w/o having to own the Amiibo figure. One suggestion was to develop and release character cards to be used instead--after the initial run of a figure sells out.

Toys R Us Cancellation Error -.-
Toys R Us cancellations occurred due to an error in their system. They have sent out emails to customers who were affected by this. In attempt to make right w/ customers, they have sent an email (a few hours ago) to affected customers w/ the opportunity to pre-order/re-purchase a number of Amiibo. For the inconvenience, they also included a Coupon Code to apply to a single order which discounts each eligible Amiibo to $10.99--my original order was BOGO 40% off sale, so it isn't much of a discount in my situation. This offer expires Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:59 pm EST, at which time the items will be made available to the general public pending availability.

My email provided links for the following:
Bowser (Limit 2)
Captain Falcon (Limit 1)
Lucario (Limit 2)
Mega Man (Limit 2)
Pit (Limit 1)
Sheik (Limit 2)
Sonic (Limit 1)
Toon Link (Limit 2)

*A separate communication will be sent within the next day to those customers who purchased this item with additional information:
King Dedede (Limit 1)
*A separate communication will be sent in January to those customers who purchased this item with additional information:
Ike (Limit 1)

As I did not originally order all of these, I assume it is standard for all affected customers regardless of which Amiibo was originally ordered. This gave me the chance to order the previously sold out Toys R Us exclusive Lucario Amiibo--seems flawed that I could essentially take someone else's reservation for this likely limited exclusive.

GameStop Inventory Error
Last week, I also went hunting for some sold-out Amiibo and saw on GameStop's website that some local shops had them in low stock. Good thing I called before making the long drive, because they were actually sold-out according to the guy working there. He said they were still showing up in the system despite being out of inventory. He also told me that someone returned some defective Amiibo, but changed their mind and came back to reclaim them. They probably realized they weren't going to find another one elsewhere, or maybe saw the defective Amiibo selling for hundreds and thousands of dollars on ebay.