People are mad at Amazon over how it handled Nintendo’s $99 3DS Black Friday sale (update)

One of the most anticipated Black Friday sales was the limited edition Super Mario 3DS, that came in either black or white, for $99. It was the first time that Nintendo was selling its handheld console for under $100 and it was a Black Friday exclusive deal.

Customers noticed, however, that the 3DS was available for pre-order on Amazon for a period of about an hour on Nov. 23, two days before the sale was supposed to kick off. The 3DS then officially went on sale on the 24th, and while some customers were able to snag it, most were left in the dark when it went on sale a day earlier than expected.

“Like so many others I am disappointed with the random release and was penalized for actually thinking I could buy one when I was supposed too,” one Amazon commenter wrote.

Another disappointed customer wrote that he was excited to see a version of the 3DS that he could get for his son at a price he could afford, but when he logged onto the site today, he noticed that it was already sold out and had been since yesterday. He added that he noticed that multiple versions of the 3DS were available through third-party accounts on Amazon for almost double the price.

The 3DS deal also went live at retailers like Toys R Us, Walmart and Best Buy on Thursday, but the majority of complaints Amazon customers have is regarding the pre-order and the scalpers that managed to cop more than one or two consoles.

“Awesome product so cheap bought two for my kids and five for resale so happy right now,” one Amazon customer wrote.

On Nintendo forums and subreddits, players complained that they weren’t aware Amazon was going to push a pre-order for the product and by the time they discovered it — thanks to posts online — it was already gone.

“It is absolutely absurd that it went on sale when it did,” one Reddit commenter wrote. “There was no indication that it would be available before tomorrow, and I didn't get any email despite the fact that I requested one to be sent when they became available. I get that they're a business with profit in mind, but this is absurd.”

It appears that stock was replenished between yesterday and today, but much like Nintendo’s recent sale of the NES Classic, it sold out within minutes. The deal also applied in-store, with customers reporting that their local Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart or Toys R Us locations had anywhere from 10 to 50 in stock.

Polygon has reached out to both Nintendo and Amazon about the sale and will update if more information becomes available.

Update: It appears Amazon will be replenishing stock throughout the day. More became available around 2:25 p.m. ET, but sold out within five minutes. Be sure to keep the tabs for the black and white version open if you’re hoping to nab one.