The purpose of this guide is to assist shoppers intending to buy a Playstation 3 system.  A lot of scams are floating around and it's important to be aware of them.

As the holiday season approaches, there's no doubt that many will be turning to e-bay to obtain the hottest items.  Chief among them this year is the Playstation 3 system.  However, it is important to be aware of many who would do anything to make a buck off this craze.  In particular, many people are selling the Japanese version of the PS3.  The purpose of this guide is to warn you of the dangers associated with this.

First and foremost, read the auction carefully, make sure they are actually offering the console, and not a "picture" of a PS3 or anything of that nature.  Last year some folks were upset after inadvertantly buying a "picture" of an XBOX 360, or the empty box that it comes in for upwards of $1500.00.  Next, you'll want to MAKE SURE that the auction specifies that you are bidding on the US (or north american) version of the Playstation 3.  This is important because in japan they use a different current to power their appliances.  The Japanese playstation 3 WILL NOT WORK out of the box if plugged in to an american electrical outlet.  We use a higher current, and it is likely that plugging the machine into an american outlet will destroy or damage the system, or cause it to overheat. 

Now, it is true that you can buy an adapter to "Step-down" the current and run the Japanese system from an american outlet.  However, please keep in mind that this can compromise your investment.  For one, plugging the PS3 into this adapter voids the manufacturer's warranty, sony will not make warranty repairs if the machine is damaged due to being plugged into an adapter and american outlet.  In other words, you will be responsible for repairs that would otherwise be covered.  In addition, the adapter can fail, and you run a severe risk of damaging the system in the event of a power surge.
 
Remember, it is very likely that the current from the american outlet will DESTROY the machine if no adapter is present, or if the adapter fails.  If you want to avoid this and protect your investment, read the auction carefully and be sure that they are offering the american console.  If the auction doesn't specify, don't bid!  It's most likely the Japanese version.  Sony made 2 seperate versions for a reason and the Japanese one is not meant to be used in the US.