PSA: Please don’t buy PS5 consoles from scalpers
The PS5 has been sold out everywhere since launch and scalpers are taking advantage of the FOMO. Please, don’t cave to these ridiculous prices.
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) launched earlier this month and as you’re probably aware, Sony’s next-gen console is sold out practically everywhere. And when retailers do manage to get some in stock, it sells out immediately.
While I’m sure some of the PS5’s sales have been fueled by honest gamers excited about the next-gen, the numbers have also been driven by a large number of scalpers, people who purchase the console and then look to flip it for a profit. A quick search on eBay shows a large number of PlayStation 5 consoles ranging in price from $700 to a whopping $1,200. In many cases, it’s more than double the cost of the actual console.
One particular UK-based scalper group, CrepChiefNotify, nabbed over 3,500 PlayStation 5 consoles between pre-orders and launch. With 12 staffers utilizing services and software to circumvent online retail queues, while the rest of us are forced to wait and ultimately miss out. In some cases, the use of bots, which automatically purchase these consoles faster than any human possibly could, leads to websites crashing, which you’ve probably experienced before.
I’m here to tell you, don’t give in. I know you want a PlayStation 5 this holiday season, but feeding into this extortionist behavior only leads to more of this bad practice. Anyone who is genuinely interested in video games doesn’t condone this type of profiteering.
I know it sucks to wait, but I assure you, Sony will have more consoles in stock. It may come after the holiday season, but you will get one.
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The group tries to defend this type of behavior by using the pandemic as justification, writing in a statement:
"Lots of our community have been furloughed, made redundant, or at some form of disadvantage due to the pandemic. These people have managed to cover their bills, put food on the table and supply Christmas presents to their children. It may be unfortunate that a child won’t wake up to a PS5 this Christmas, but another child may have woken up to nothing."
I’m calling bullsh**. This type of behavior has existed long before the pandemic. We’ve seen scalpers try and flip consoles for profits with every new generation launch.
The only way to stop this sort of behavior is to make these scalpers sit on their supply. Don’t go out and pay double the price of what a PS5 (or Xbox Series X) normally costs. I understand the FOMO, but it’s just not worth it.