Within hours of Sony put an end to months of speculation about the price and release for the PS5 during yesterday’s showcase, savvy scalpers are already flogging their confirmed pre-orders of the console on auction sites.
As Sony unceremoniously confirmed pre-orders would go live on Sept. 17 via a tweet rather than during the showcase, retailers seemingly didn’t get the memo, launching pre-orders almost immediately, triggering a wave of panic as millions across the globe abused their F5 keys.
Most retailers sold out within minutes, stocks dwindling as large swathes unlucky would-be owners fell foul to technical issues, payment woes, and, before long, the dreaded ‘sold out’ message.
Seemingly prepared for the mad dash, enterprising scalpers were ready to capitalize on the situation with lighting-fast tab-hopping and deftly copy-pasted credit card details. Listings soon went up on eBay and the like.
Compared to the $499/$399 announced by Sony, the prices on offer veer towards the absurd. One listing on eBay UK asks for a dizzying £1600/$2000 , while most are asking for a few extra hundred pounds on top of the list price.
Over on eBay AU, the situation is much the same with most scalpers looking to bank at least AU $1000 for a PS5, with one offering a Buy It Now price of $3000 .
A quick hop across the Pacific to eBay US, and you’ll find the largest selection of PS5 consoles up for sale with listings numbered in the hundreds as of writing. Prices range from a cool $600 to nearly $2000 in some instances.
If you’re in the business of buying coveted tech and reselling it at exorbitant prices, then the next few months are looking incredibly lucrative.