North American PS3 Auctions?

The initial launch of the PS3 saw scalpers rush out and get as many machines as they could get their hands on - and sell them online for ridiculous prices. I can't help but wonder why Sony didn't take this opportunity, and auction off systems themselves (like they did in Japan). It's quite obvious that those who had the money were willing to dish out ridiculous amounts of cash to get their hands on a system. Sony could have easily cut out the middle man and cashed in on this. Better yet, they could easily continue selling systems online even after the initial demand dies down. When the demand decreases, so can the price, and with a bit of planning, they can rake in roughly the same profits, while at the same time pushing bluray to more users worldwide.

Many reports (USAtoday) claim that in Japan, most large amounts posted on auction sites are fakes, and the systems auctioned off in Japan are actually going for bargain prices. Because of the high demand and low supply of systems in North America, Sony can be sure there will be a large market willing to pay whatever they need to in order to get their hands on a system. Even when prices begin to fall, at the very least, the systems will be selling for the maximum amount people are willing to pay for them, and Sony will also be putting a bluray player in every home that purchases a PS3.