Can I borrow some money?

The big news of the day seems to be people waiting in line for the new PlayStation 3. Are they crazy for being in line for a couple of days? Not really.

Some of the reports I heard today came from college kids lined up outside the stores. The best part is many of them are not wanting the system for themselves. They're going to resell it on eBay.

Why wait? Because over the last few days, eBay buyers have been bidding upward of $2,500 for these systems. Yep. A $600 system for $2,500.

That's the smart portion of waiting two days in the cold. However, the buyers on eBay are pretty dumb sometimes. Here's where patience pays off.

Remember the Xbox 360 shortage last year? I was certainly one of the many who wanted to get my hands on it. I didn't go on eBay to get mine though. I played it smart.

When my family and friends asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, I told them cash and Best Buy gift cards. My master plan was in motion. I was going to get the money and basically have someone else pay for my 360.

Fast forward to the beginning of February 2006. It just so happens I did get enough in Christmas gifts to buy my system. I walked into Best Buy one morning while they were still having the shortage, and I asked about the next shipment.

The employee graciously said, "Be here at 10:00 tomorrow morning. We'll have about 10 on the floor." Lo and behold, he was right. I waited outside until the doors opened, and there they were. I picked mine up, and I've been in love ever since.

The morale of the story? These systems come out in November, and there's going to be a shortage right off the bat. I basically got a free 360 for waiting until three months after the debut. Christmas is a beautiful thing (for many more important reasons than just gifts...).

Patience is key if you want one for yourself, but kudos to you guys in line looking to make an insane profit. I hope you walk out with one Friday morning.

To you guys buying one on eBay for that price? Suckers. :-)