It would not be a holiday shopping season without a toy shortage, and this year, consumers are clamouring for the out-of-stock Nintendo Wii video-game console.

For the second straight year, electronics stores around Metro Vancouver are out of stock of the innovative game system heading into Christmas, said Rick Lee, assistant manager at EB Games in Burnaby.

Demand for the Nintendo Wii video game console has outstripped the supply this holiday season.
(CBC)

"They're just the most popular item in the video-game market this year. They're really hard to come by because any time we get them, they just fly right out the door," Lee told CBC News on Wednesday.

Shoppers like Natalie Boucher and her whole family have scoured the Lower Mainland in a last-minute attempt to get their hands on one.

"We've called as far away as Kamloops and Bellingham in the U.S. to try and find one of these Wii's, but so far no luck," Boucher said.

Local stores are not the only ones hit by the shortage; from New Zealand to New York, the consoles are in short supply.

On Sunday, shoppers in Florida lined up overnight for 97 Wiis that sold out in less than 30 minutes.

In Vancouver, one Future Shop store received a shipment of 100 Wiis last Friday, general manager Mike Coghill told CBC News.

"We had a lineup that started in front of the store at 6 a.m. and we had enough people to fill the 100 Wiis by 7 a.m.," said Coghill.

The global shortage of units means parents who have yet to purchase a Wii system to put under the tree can expect to pay much more than the retail price.

Stores normally sell the system for about $270, but leading up to Christmas, hundreds of Wii video games are being made available by private sellers and on internet sites like Craigslist for up to twice the retail price.

One private seller, Emith Prabhu, told CBC News on Wednesday that people are so desperate, he expects to make $100 on each of the two units he has up for grabs.

"I've been able to get a hold of Wii, and they just want to get their hands on one," said Prabhu.

1.8 million consoles made a month

Internet technology websites are filled with rumours that Nintendo limited production on purpose and held back units to stoke demand, but the company has said publicly that the unexpected demand has simply outstripped its capacity to produce the consoles, and its warehouses are out of stock.

The North American division of the company is producing 1.8 million Wii consoles a month.

The popular game has been selling to a wider audience than the normal video-game market, because it gets players off the couch and physically involved. It uses two motion-sensitive wands that users swing and shake to play sports, games and do other activities, instead of traditional joystick and button controls.

Customers are also having a hard time getting another popular item, the video game Rock Band.

The game, which builds on the highly successful Guitar Hero franchise by adding drums and a microphone to simulate a full band, was to be released in Canada on Thursday, but retailers awaiting shipments were uncertain when stock would arrive.