Amazon suspends 3DS sales

Online retailer Amazon has halted sales of the 3DS. In a note on the product page, the retailer explains that it is not currently selling the system, due to customer complaints.

According to the boilerplate notice the site puts on any product it stops selling due to complaints, "while this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here."

With 359 customer reviews on Amazon, the 3DS carries a four-star average rating out of five. More than 200 of those reviews give the system five stars, while 28 gave it just one star. Complaints in the one-star reviews range from the 3D effect causing headaches to defective systems to an underwhelming software lineup.

[UPDATE]: Whatever the issue was, it has apparently been resolved to Amazon's satisfaction. The retailer has taken the notice off its site and is once again selling the 3DS itself.

[UPDATE 2]: An Amazon representative sent the following comment to GameSpot:

"We received customer feedback that there may be an inventory issue with the Cosmo Black Nintendo 3DS. The product itself is not under review. Customers are still able to purchase the Amazon.com offer of the Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS, however the Amazon.com offer of black Nintendo 3DS has been removed until the inventory issue is resolved."

Once again, it appears the issue was resolved, as Amazon is currently offering both versions of the 3DS for sale.

[UPDATE 3]: Although the incident has passed, Nintendo issued its own comment regarding the Amazon hold on 3DS sales:

An internal Amazon.com shipping issue triggered a brief hold on orders of Nintendo 3DS systems while the situation was reviewed, as is common in such matters. Amazon.com resolved the issue, and Nintendo 3DS orders have resumed. There are no issues with Nintendo 3DS inventory or quality.