Why is amiibo so rare?

Nintendo‘s amiibo figures have become infamously difficult to collect ever since their launch in 2014. Despite being around for over 8 years now, some amiibo still routinely sell out instantly or command astronomical prices on the secondary market due to their rarity.

So why have these video game toys continued to be so hard to find for fans and collectors? There are a few key factors that explain the ongoing scarcity of certain amiibo even today.

High demand versus low supply

The main reason some amiibo end up rare is basic economics – demand has consistently outpaced supply when it comes to many figures.

Back in 2014-15, Nintendo vastly underestimated the popularity amiibo would have. As a result, they didn‘t produce nearly enough units to satisfy demand. Retailers frequently sold out of sought-after characters like Marth, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer within minutes.

In 2022, it‘s much the same story. Take the Splatoon 3-pack of amiibo – it remains one of the rarest and commands prices of $200 and beyond, despite having a standard MSRP of $35. Why? Because Nintendo simply hasn‘t produced enough to come close to meeting collector demand.

As the table above shows, lack of supply means many amiibo end up sold at 3-5 times their original price. Print runs of 10,000 or less are now common for new releases. Yet Nintendo is still regularly caught off guard – pre-orders for the recent Kirby amiibo sold out in minutes.

Christopher Dring from GamesIndustry.biz notes that "Nintendo has been burned too many times by overestimating demand." But this conservative approach leaves genuine fans frustrated.

Retailer exclusives

Part of Nintendo‘s strategy has been partnering with different retailers to offer exclusive amiibo. For example, the gold-colored Mega Man figure was exclusive to Walmart. Fans could only acquire it there.

Qbby, from the BoxBoy series, was exclusive to GameStop. Again, amiibo collectors had no choice but to purchase from that specific store.

These retailer-exclusive deals allow companies like GameStop, Walmart and Best Buy to drive foot traffic and sales by offering unique collectibles. But for fans, it means hunting across different stores to try to purchase hard-to-find exclusives.

Limited availability turns these exclusives into coveted rarities. According to Tamoor Hussain of GameSpot, it "[feeds] into the hype and demand for them, as people love having what other people don‘t have."

Variants and special editions

On top of different characters, Nintendo has released alternate variants of existing amiibo. For example, alongside the standard Super Smash Bros. line, there is also a "Super Mario series" line featuring Mario characters in different poses.

Then there are specially branded variants, like the gold Mega Man or the yarn Yoshi amiibo. These types of unique variants drive up demand because completionist collectors aim to gather the full set of figures.

Limited run variants are purposefully rare. Only a single production run of the 19" giant yarn Yoshi was made in 2015, instantly making it a valuable collector‘s item.

Scalping and price gouging

The limited availability of many amiibo has led to inflated resale prices from third party sellers online. When supply is low and demand is high, it creates an environment ripe for scalping.

Some of the most extreme examples:

• A recent sale of a factory-sealed Qbby amiibo for $2,750
• Listings for the Splatoon 3-pack at $10,000

These absurd prices come from sellers buying up limited stock then relisting at a huge markup. For example, the recent Byleth amiibo has an MSRP of $15.99. Yet on eBay, it routinely goes for $80 or more simply due to lack of availability.

Illegitimate "account generators" for My Nintendo rewards have also popped up, showing the lengths some will go to unlock amiibo-locked content.

Discontinuation

Once an amiibo has been available for a year or more, Nintendo will typically discontinue production. This instantly turns even non-rare figures into scarce collectibles.

Discontinuation, combined with a lack of ongoing reprints for out-of-stock amiibo, makes brand new releases incredibly expensive. The coveted Monster Hunter Rise figures were going for $70 just a week after launch.

Some fans have urged Nintendo to take inspiration from companies like Hasbro, who leverage data to assess continued demand and avoid discontinuing popular toys. But so far, Nintendo has shown little interest in this approach.

The psychology of scarcity

Beyond just manufacturing and supply issues, part of the reason behind Nintendo‘s strategy seems to be capitalizing on the psychological appeal of limited-edition and exclusive products.

Owning rare, exclusive items feels good. As Dr. Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University explains, consumers attach more value to things that are difficult to obtain.

By manufacturing an environment of scarcity, Nintendo taps into these natural human tendencies. Fans become conditioned to purchase any amiibo quickly lest they miss out and regret it later. It makes new releases into events and attracts wider media coverage.

While effective marketing, it comes at the cost of frustrating fans. But Nintendo seems willing to take the PR hit, likely because amiibo scarcity has allowed the line to persist for so many years.

The future of amiibo collecting

Despite the continued demand, the future trajectory of amiibo remains unclear. New amiibo releases have certainly slowed over the past year or two. Major retailers like Best Buy have reduced shelf space dedicated to the toys to reflect lower output.

However, to celebrate the upcoming Super Mario movie, Nintendo is launching new figures of Mario, Peach and Donkey Kong in special retro packaging this spring. Could this mark the start of an amiibo revival? Collectors anxiously await any news around upcoming announcements and discontinuations.

Nintendo could certainly do more to make amiibo collecting a less stressful experience for fans. But the toy line still persists nearly a decade later partly because of manufactured scarcity. As frustrating as it can be, hunting for these elusive figures has become part of the appeal.