How to find Wii Fit in the UK

Going mad trying to find Wii Fit in the UK?

Where to begin?

Where indeed! There are various options, some which are easy yet mean that you need to wait a couple of weeks for delivery, some of which are time consuming and hard work, but which usually mean that when (if?!) you do find one you'll end up with it in your hands within a few days. So first, ask yourself the following - "how much effort do I want to expend trying to find a Wii Fit ?" and "How much money do I want to spend?"

The cheap, easy, guaranteed option that always works

Currently the cheapest and easiest option is to simply order Wii Fit from Amazon in Germany (as of 20th October Amazon in France are no longer shipping Wii Fit to the UK) - it's not at all difficult, in fact you'll find it a very simple process (especially if you are familiar with ordering from Amazon in the UK) - and a Wii Fit from Germany will work perfectly well with your UK Wii, and in English too! You're even covered by Nintendo's European Warranty, so if the Wii Balance Board develops a fault within 12 months of buying it, then you can contact Nintendo UK and have it repaired under warranty. You won't pay any Import Duty either, remember that we're all in the EU now - what could be simpler? More to the point, you also pay roughly the equivalent of the UK recommended retail price of £69.99 (I say roughly as the exchange rate always fluctuates but it will only affect the price of the Wii Fit by a very tiny amount in this case). On top of that you'll pay about £5 to ship the Wii Fit to the UK.

And that's it!

I've compiled some comprehensive guides on how to order from not only Amazon in Germany, but also another reputable company in Germany called buecher.de

Here are the links to the guides

http://www.wiistockcheckers.com/WiiFitfromGermany.html

http://www.wiistockcheckers.com/WiiFitfromBuecher_de.html

But I don't want to buy from abroad .............

Fair enough, some people just don't like buying from abroad. In my experience it's never been a problem, but everyone has their reasons and far be it for me to try and persuade you otherwise! Here's some options for those who prefer to buy within the UK:

The cheap option for those that are patient, are lucky and are fast typists

The Automated Stock Checker Sites

These have been around for quite a while and there are a few of them about - basically they regularly and automatically check the stock levels of the major online stores about once per minute and update their sites accordingly. The site will then 'pop up' an alert when Wii Fit is in stock. This alert can take various forms, such as a pop up window on your computer screen, an 'alarm' sound on your computer, or via your an automated email to you. These sites work very well and are used by many, but in some ways are a victim of their own success - so many sites now monitor the major online stores that as soon as Wii Fit is sighted in stock everyone and their grandmothers scramble to order the limited stock and the store sells out within minutes, if not seconds. Because of this, anyone using this method really does need to be in front of or close to their PCs a lot of the time or else you will probably miss a stock alert. You may get lucky and just happen upon a stock alert on the first day that you use an automated stock checker site, or you may end up checking them regularly for many weeks on end and just miss a number of alerts. In some ways it's a lot of fun using this method, but it can also be incredibly frustrating when you just miss your 20th stock alert.

I've listed the main automated stock checkers on my site:

http://www.wiistockcheckers.com

Finally, a tip if you're set on using this method - set up an account with ALL of the online stores which the stock checker sites are keeping an eye on, this will make the checkout process MUCH faster and so increase your chances of getting a Wii Fit (remember that just because you've put one into your virtual basket doesn't means it's yours - you'll only be guaranteed one once you have successfully completed the checkout process).

The High Street Stores

This is where persistence and luck can play major parts in the process of finding a Wii Fit. A few pointers:

Make a note of the high street stores in your area which normally sell Wii Fit and phone them first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening, you might get lucky
If you're out shopping, check every likely store that you pass
Keep a close eye on the smaller electrical and games stores, ie those that aren't part of a large retail chain - these are often bypassed in the Wii Fit hunt

I also have a 'High Street Stock Sightings' area on my web site which I update if I hear of a a store with the basic Wii Fit package in stock (NOT a bundle!) - people sometimes Contact me with this information, sometimes I read about it on various forums on the Internet.

Messageboards

People sometimes mention on messageboards if they have found Wii Fit in a store - there are too many forums to mention here, but the main two are:

MoneySavingExpert.Com (this link will go to page 57, but that number will have increased by the time you read this, so to see the latest just click on the 'Last >>' link where you see the page numbers in a row)

HotUKDeals.Com (this link is just a search on the current day for the words 'Wii' and 'Fit' - other irrelevant search results will appear, but it's a good way to see any mention of Wii Fit on that forum)

'Special' ordering options

Some stores don't openly advertise having Wii Fit for sale, even though they do have them in stock! Wii Fit can sometimes be obtained from the following if you're lucky:

Smyths Toys have a small chain in the UK and an online stock checker - Click here to check availability (note: you need to visit the store to collect, they will not post them or send to a closer store)

Argos Home Delivery - phone: 08456402020 and quote item number: 568/5970

HMV - Phone customer services on 08456038576 to check stock

Online:

play.com have a (no longer 'secret') page that sometimes works even when their main page is showing that they are out of stock. To try this, Click here and add one to your basket, then go to checkout - once you have logged in you will then see whether or not they actually have any in stock. At the time of writing this they are out of stock, but this may of course change in the future.

None of these are guaranteed to work, but are worth a try

Getting Wii Fit the more expensive but faster way

There are a ways to do this: buy from 'online marketplaces' or buy a bundle!

The online marketplaces such as Ebay, Amazon Marketplace or play.com's PlayTrade

Okay, I know - some people don't like the idea of buying Wii Fit from Ebay, etc and see them as a way for some people to profiteer from other people's desperation. Whatever your opinions, they ARE an option and, if you're careful, not necessarily a bad one. Some things to bear in mind if going down this route:

ALWAYS make sure that a seller is well established and has extremely good feedback, preferably 100% positive (and if not, at least look at the feedback comments for the seller)
If using Ebay, set yourself an upper price limit - don't fall into the trap of bidding on one particular Wii Fit 'just because it's the one I saw first'; that way often leads to a high selling price. Instead look around at the Wii Fits that are listed (there are always plenty!), bid at quiet times of the night or very early morning and, again, set yourself an upper limit! Recently I've seen quite a number of Wii Fits selling for between £70 and £80, and that's only a bit over the RRP of £69.99
Postage - BE CAREFUL HERE! Postage should be no more than about £20, and even then that should be for the Post Office's 'Special Delivery' next day service. If sending via courier or parcel post it should be anywhere between £10 to £20
Argos Reservation Codes pop up on Ebay fairly regularly at varying prices - again, be careful that you buy from a reputable seller and don't pay too much!

Bundles

Depending on your point of view, these can be the scourge of the customer and the pot of gold to the retailer; the bundle is, by varying degrees, a way for the customer to get the product that they are after AT A PRICE and a way for the retailer to make extra sales into the bargain, plus of course offload some of the unsold games and peripherals sitting gathering dust in shops and warehouses. Always make sure that the bundle has items that you really want, don't be tempted to buy a bundle which is loaded with games and peripherals that you have no interest in and which will end up thrown in a cupboard, put on Ebay or given away.

Here is a good site to look at to get an idea of what bundles are available:

http://www.wii-consoles.co.uk/wii-fit-in-stock.asp

With a bundle, on average you'll end up paying double what you would have paid if you had just purchased the Wii fit on its own at the RRP of £69.99

Local Ads, both online and the paper form

In some ways these are better as you get to meet the person selling the Wii Fit (and, in theory, you know where they live), but they can also be expensive and you can take a risk and end up with a faulty unit which may not quite be as advertised. There are no guarantees using this method, so be cautious.

And that's it! I wish you all luck in your Wii Fit search!

Should anyone spot any errors in this document, please inform me via the contact form at: http://www.wiistockcheckers.com

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