Distributors have been doing this for many years. Prices have always been a sliding scale. If a game is more valuable, they will charge you more for it. If you have an established relationship with them, your odds of getting a sought after game are higher.

Please just shop around when a game is at the end of it's NIB supply. The price goes up no matter if the game was highly prized or not. They figure if you want the NIB game, you will pay for it. Or someone else will. No big deal. If people are willing to pay more, charge more. Stern already priced most normal folk out of the LE games, so just keep going.

LE games have been selling well, and the Mandalorian is a good theme (in my opinion). But this is why I will never buy a new LE. I don't buy games without playing them. If they are good games, they will be sold out long before I've had a chance to play them.

This is why I only use one distributor. There are others I’d use, but I’m loyal when I’m treated well. I’ve had a playfield replacement. I’ve had a game shipped with just a phone call, where I actually sent the check after I already had the game. If I could get the game a bit cheaper from someone else, I wouldn’t bother.