If true that would be a really creative way of making some nice profits. Typically distributors are anxious to dump excess EOL parts as demand will plummet. According to my friend who was an account manager at Wyle they would sell off their stock to one of the 'old part finders' for 1/2 to 1/4 of the previous suggested price.
If Nintendo proactively found a bunch of EOL parts they could make a nice limited edition product out of, the buy the parts at a steep discount, sell the 'limited edition' at a price premium, and maximize their gross margin. Frankly I've never met a procurement manager with the guts to do something like that but I'm sure they are out there.
If Nintendo proactively found a bunch of EOL parts they could make a nice limited edition product out of, the buy the parts at a steep discount, sell the 'limited edition' at a price premium, and maximize their gross margin. Frankly I've never met a procurement manager with the guts to do something like that but I'm sure they are out there.