Is Amazon Trying To Artificially Inflate The Demand For Their Exclusive Marvel Legends Sentinel?

Obviously there is no way to really know for sure, but something sure does seem fishy with Hasbro's new Amazon exclusive Marvel Legends Series Wolverine and Sentinel 2-pack. Is the massive online etailer trying to create an illusion of demand by having this latest exclusive constantly sell out in minutes if not in seconds?

The set which here in the United States was originally slated to be a Toys R' Us exclusive was later switched over to an Amazon exclusive after the toy retailer closed it's doors. The set is nothing more than a newly packaged re-issue of the 15.75" Sentinel that Hasbro originally released under the 3.75" Marvel Universe line with a modified Old Man Logan figure made to look like the Wolverine from the classic X-Men story line called Days Of Future Past. The original Marvel Universe Sentinel toys while pretty cool eventually ended up being sold at discount chains like Marshals for a drastically reduced price.

Amazon originally started listing this new 2-Pack about a month ago and every time it has been listed at the $100 price tag it has sold out in minutes. Just yesterday the set was listed 3 different times as being in stock and then sold out very quickly. Then again this morning at 7am ET I received an email notification it was back in stock again only to click on the link to find out it was once again sold out. It literally sold out between the time I got Amazon's email notification telling me it was back in stock and 2 second's later when I clicked on the link. Even if this was a completely brand new item and not just a reissue I would have a hard problem believing a high-priced item such as this was constantly selling out that quickly.

Since we have no way of knowing how many of these sets Amazon has to sell, its near impossible to tell what kind of volume these are selling at, but one really has to wonder how can you have an item sell out 3 different times in one day and then have it back in stock. I could see getting something, then it sells out and then getting more in a month later, but in one day???

People on eBay are already trying to sell the item double its regular price and the frustration of more collectors who actually want it grows daily, but is this a case of real demand, or just a etailer trying to make it look more popular than it really is???