Usually during infomercials, the salesperson will mention that their item is "Not Available in Stores!" The intended implication is that this product is too exclusive to be sold just anywhere, though in practice it often makes the sellers look so cheap that no respectable retailer will ever deal with them. It can also fool the consumer (though this rarely works) into believing the product being sold will never appear in a store, pressuring them to call right now and buy the product.
This claim usually won't be true for long. There is a chain of stores called "As Seen on TV!" that specializes in selling these exact items. Furthermore, most department stores and even some drug stores have a small section devoted to them as well. You'll notice that the items are never placed in the department relevant to them, as if the store doesn't want shoppers to mistake a knife that "Never Needs Sharpening" for legitimate cutlery. In any case, you will be able to find the items on third-party online retailers like Amazon eventually, or cheaper (perhaps better-quality) copycats once all relevant patents expire.
A common tactic in many infomercials or advertisements is to state instead that "this offer is not available in stores," (so call now, Operators Are Standing By) usually in combination with some form of But Wait, There's More! That way, the product itself can be found in any number of stores, but the statement is still technically true.
So why might they advertise this way? Without making any direct accusations, it's safe to say they get more money if you order directly from them, eliminating the middleman who might mark the product down. The maker of a new product might even desperately need this money for seed capital to get the product into stores. This is also why it tends to be used in conjuction with Pre-Order Bonus (getting an extra or two that are definitely not sold in stores when you pre-order a video game).
Sub-Trope of Never Needs Sharpening (a major flaw with a product is spun to appear positive). Polish the Turd adverts make liberal use of this trope to get away with subpar products. This trope might be the result of Offer Void in Nebraska (product or service not available in your area).
Compare and contrast Direct-to-Video, when a movie debuts on home media instead of in theaters or on TV due to low quality or the producers fearing it might be too niche.
Examples:
- Ronco Miracle Blade III: The Ronco plastic-tat-o-matic is advertising in big bold letters as not being available at stores as a way to prop up what is otherwise a normal (if glorified) kitchen knife. It's probably a way to stop potential buyers from buying just that.
- Esteban's Gift is sold on late-night infomercials only because no sane music shop owner would offer it to their customers. Its flaws are glaring, so the company can only make it look good from behind a TV screen.
- BL Opens markers, those that you had to blow outward like some sort of demented, colorful bubble hoop, were initially advertised as call-order-only purchases.
- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo: Mr. Bojiggler's reward for answers leading to peace on his quiz is a neat-o peace pin that just can't be found in stores because Bojiggler made it himself.
Bojiggler: If your answers lead to peace, you'll win this neat-o peace pin, and it's not available in stores, ya know! But if your answers don't lead to peace, I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN! And no pin.
- Stealing Solo: The back cover of the published volume is a fake ad for The Kidnappers and The Captain figurines. Tacked at the end, you'll see a small name-drop of this trope.
- Svengoolie: The Svengoolie T-shirts and hoodies can only be ordered by calling a number you can only ever hope to jot down if you watch the series.
- Harvey Danger: One of his most notable recordings, the EP "Sometimes You Have To Work On Christmas" (featuring the eponymous song, "Wine, Women, and Song", and a live version of "Jack the Lion") was not sold in stores. Instead, you could acquire it by phone-ordering.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: The song "Mr. Popeil" pastiches infomercials, and includes just about every last one of the Advertising Stock Phrases for the lyrics. Accordingly, Al makes the claim "It's not sold in any store," midway through the song.
- Star Wars Insider: A set of exclusive figure stands
◊ was created by the mags' associated Fan Club and could only be purchased by call during a very narrow time window.
- Mitch Hedberg: Originally, his first CD. Unless he brought it in the store and left it there.
"Sir, you forgot this."
"No, I did not. That is for sale. Please alphabetize it."
- American Girls Collection: One of the main features that made these dolls a shift in the industry was that they were not initially available at general toy stores, which propped up their status as exclusive, high quality, and upper class; they could only be purchased by mail order (and phone, later online and in exclusive boutiques). Attempts to branch out by selling product in stores such as Toys R Us and Kohls to expand the market have resulted in backlash from consumers who feel this "cheapens" access and want to feel the prestige of a doll that not just "anyone" can buy.
- Barbie: Due to the fashion-interested Periphery Demographic garnered by the dolls, the company decided to start a Collector line exclusively for them. To ramp up the appeal, these dolls are not sold in stores, having their own Barbie collector website.
- LEGO: The Pride "Everyone is Awesome" set is advertised as an online-exclusive display piece.
- Magic Attic Club: Zigzagged. In an attempt to compete with the very successful American Girls dolls, Georgetown Collection and Knickerbocker only sold dolls via catalog (with some website use) to make its line appear just as exclusive. However, Marian ended all catalog ordering and only sold through particular boutiques.
- MapleStory: There seems to be a serious case of unpurchasability going on for all weapons and armor, past about level 35, making the game particularly painful in the case of item hacks. Later averted with the introduction of shops in Orbis that sell equips to level 50 and Sakura Castle Theme Dungeon that sells equips up to level 70. That's still nothing as your character will likely reach 100 very quickly.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies: Florent L'Belle takes this trope to the extreme. His cosmetic line is not available in stores and is in high demand — but it's only because he's such a narcissist that he believes nobody but himself deserves to use his products. Yet he still advertises them anyway to show people what they can't have.
- Homestar Runner: Implied in "Strong Bad Sings". While not mentioned in the short, the page title says it's "A Web-Only Special Offer".
- cattrigger's "Doc, I need something NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES" strip (read here) pokes fun at this kind of adverts, as the punchline is a woman afflicted with "Infomercial Victimhood Personification" yells the title phrase after rebuking her doctor's advice to see a therapist. She doesn't need that, the thing she needs, the better way, is something that can't be found in ordinary stores.
- Everything Is Terrible!: Parodied by the "You can't buy Real Guys in stores!" skit. 12 hot American boys are interviewed so girls can discover "what makes them tick", which is followed by stereotypical responses and the narrator unironically telling girls they can't find these guys in a store, so call now! This both references the stereotype of girls spending all their time shopping and makes fun of the guys being so similar to each other that they could just as well be commercialized products.
- When Bad Ads Happen To Good Agencies: Their fictional "Shoes on Steroids◊" poster (used to teach the anatomy of awful adverts) states that it's an exclusive online offer.
- Women On Writing: Their "Inspiration Is a Spoiled Brat" essay, they recommend a metaphorical Bum GlueTM technique (to stick the rebellious muse to the computer chair). In the footnote, it jokingly reads that Bum Glue is not available in stores as if what we just read was a Phony Article and not a piece of advice.
- Atop the Fourth Wall: An In-Universe commercial announcer selling the Pro200 console tacks this phrase after chiming into Linkara and Gellert's conversation to provide exposition about what Linkara claims to be the best game console.
Pro200 Announcer: Over 200 games can be yours with Pro200, the greatest bargain in computer game history! The Pro200 is also a full-function calculator, and is not available in stores!
- Looney Tunes: Some ACME catalogs will claim that this or that product cannot be found in stores, that it's only to be ordered by call or, more recently, through their website. This is probably the reason why Wile E. Coyote only rarely has visited ACME corporation installations and why we've never seen ACME stores.