"Where Can I Get A Wii?" There will be hundreds of thousands of consoles sold in the run-up to Christmas this year, but the most popular console is the Nintendo Wii. Compared to the next generation capabilities and slick graphics of the PS3 and XBox360, the Nintendo Wii looks quite basic. It's the unique and innovative controller which has caused the stir and captured people's imagination.

The popularity of the Wii however, does have a drawback. Namely, that they are selling like the proverbial hot cakes, and very soon you will not be able to buy one this side of Christmas for love or money! Imagine the disappointment your children would face, of having to tell them they need to wait until after Christmas because Nintendo sold out of consoles.

To help you avoid this situation, here are my top 4 tips.

• Do Buy Early
  OK, I'm not teaching you to suck eggs, as with all Christmas presents, you need to make sure you do not leave this until the last minute. It's worth reminding you of this point though, because time flies quickly and before you know it, the console you were thinking of buying in October is no longer available because you have left it too long and it's already November.
• Do Not Pay Over the Odds
  There will be some unscrupulous people who have realised there will be a shortage early on in the year and will have stocked up with Wii consoles to take advantage of this. Check Ebay in the weeks before Christmas. I guarantee there will be people selling their old consoles for more than double the retail price of a new one. Sure, you don't want to disappoint your kids, but nothing is worth giving these immoral internet highway robbers the satisfaction of fleecing you.
• Team Up With Other Shoppers
  Find out if any of your friends are also looking for a Wii this Christmas, or other such gift. That way, if you happen to be in a shop or on a website and you see two (or however many) Wii consoles, then you can snap them both up and save your friend a lot of hassle in the process. Of course, you need to keep in touch, otherwise you could all find yourself with multiple consoles!
• Only Buy From Known Websites
  Don't send your hard earned cash off to people you don't know. People do the silliest things in times of stress. Play it safe online.