Resellers Eye Die-Cast Fallout Pip-Boy Replicas

News

By RC Staff

26 April 2024

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or inside a vault), you probably know that Fallout is a big franchise right now. Bethesda’s collaboration with Amazon Prime paid out big for everyone involved, and now everything Fallout-branded is skyrocketing in value. New die-cast replicas of the Pip-Boy personal computers have recently opened for preorder. Past versions of this product have been quite popular for resellers, and with all the hype around the show, this might end up the most profitable release yet.

Fallout Die-Cast Pip-Boy

We had no idea there were so many Fallout fans out there. Even though the series hasn’t had a mainline entry since 2015 (no, 76 doesn’t count), Bethesda has managed to capture hearts, minds, eyes, and especially wallets.

Sales for Fallout games are way up right now, from the sorta-recent ones all the way back to the 90s OGs. It’s too bad a sequel is only, oh, a decade or so away, but these things take time and planning ahead is hard.

Maybe that’s a little unfair. The Fallout TV series is wildly popular, far more than anyone could have predicted. It might not be perfect, but most reviewers are assigning it solid scores.

So if there’s not a new game in the works, what then? How is Bethesda parlaying the success of the show into money in the bank?

Well, merch is a good way to start, and Fallout is an ideal IP to work with. We’ve covered some of Bethesda’s previous Fallout-related items in the past that you can read about here, and we’ve found that fans are more than willing to fork over cash and caps for the goodies they crave.

About a week ago, the IGN webstore opened preorders for a new product: die-cast replicas of the Pip-Boy personal computer prominently featured in the Fallout games and TV show.

This actually features a functional LCD screen. Previous replicas were usually just glorified phone holders. These die-cast replicas also ship with a machined aluminum stand for optimal display.

IGN’s Pip-Boy replicas are $200, and available for preorder for the next five days. If you’re interested, you should know that these will not ship for some time. IGN will be releasing them in two batches.

Batch 1 is expected to reach customers by the end of this year, but Batch 2 likely won’t ship until 2025. Which batch you receive is dependent on when you order, and the window to snag a Batch 1 preorder has already closed.

Fallout Pip-Boy Replicas Resell

That means there’s a prime opportunity here for resellers. We’re going to let you in on a little esoteric flipping wisdom: People hate to wait. It drives them up the wall, inflames their nerves, makes them feel impotent and inadequate.

In an age of Amazon Prime and drone-delivered groceries, knowing that the thing you want will take months and months to reach your door can be utterly demoralizing for some, and the temptation to jump the line with a little extra money arises.

All of that is to say these Pip-Boy replicas might end up being very profitable. When the preorder window closes next week, there will be a significant number of people that are suddenly very interested in them now that they can’t buy them at retail. Preorders expected to ship the earliest will be the most valuable.

Want proof? Check eBay. There have been plenty of confirmed sales for other replicas, and IGN’s is looking to be one of the nicest. Other versions have resold for as much as $500 in the past.

Our advice, as always is DYOR (that’s “do your own research”). This is not a surefire flip, and it will take a long time before the orders ship. It might do pretty well, it might flop.

As these are a preorder, you can cancel the order and get a refund prior to taking delivery, or even return them within 14 days of receiving the product. The risks are fairly minimal, and the potential rewards look pretty good.

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