PlayStation Fans Gleefully Snitch on 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro Scalpers
For the players
by Khayl Adam · Push SquareIn a strangely cathartic piece of news, annoyed and disgruntled PlayStation fans who were unable to secure preorders for the undeniably gorgeous 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro bundle have been mass-reporting the scalpers who did. Many of these sordid trades happen on eBay, and the retailer has reportedly been unusually responsive in taking these hugely inflated listings down.
Spotted by PSLS, X user (and Killzone fanzine writer) Jimmy Bowers set out the template for the process. According to Bowers, you're not allowed to hike the price of a limited item pre-release, and thus, these ridiculous listings breach the platform's terms of use. So, if you feel like venting your spleen on the bot-wrangler who snapped up all those lovely 30th Anniversary PS5 Pros (probably), well, there you go.
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News Scalpers Want $10k to Try to Buy You a 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro
That's bold
Will you be taking to eBay to report scalpers? Did you manage to secure a preorder for a PS5 Pro, Anniversary or otherwise? Stay salty in the comments section below.
[source x.com, via playstationlifestyle.net]
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About Khayl Adam
Khayl Adam is Push Square's roving Australian correspondent, a reporter tasked with scouring the internet for the richest, most succulent PlayStation stories. With five years of experience as a freelance journalist and mercenary wordsmith, RPGs are his first great love, but strategy and tactics games are a close second, genres in which he is only too happy to specialize.
Comments 64
It's a shame eBay don't care about their own terms and conditions as they freely allow these listings until they're reported
I approve of this. But honestly if Sony would just release the covers and controllers in stores at a normal quantity instead of limited this wouldn't be a problem. The same with limited edition controllers, I was lucky to get the astrobot controller, bit it's ridiculous that you need to refresh a page thousands time to be in time to buy something like this.
Those listings doesnt brake rules. I reported around 5 for testing, and all was declined by automatic system. As you can see, then his reply was from manual removal from Customer support.
If only someone is eager to run through EBAY tos and provide that there is rule for inflating price. I would say, ebay doesnt really have rules against it.
Why Pushsquare is not covering, that PSN is down? Cant go online in UK for example
@REALAIS yup. Which also means that the ps portal currently doesn't work.
- 6
- Medic_alert
- 8:10am
Scalpers suck, but they don't exist without people who open their wallets for them.
I promise they go away pretty fast if gamers stop buying from them.
It’s marketing. If they did what you’re suggesting, they would lose the hype that drives many consumers to make otherwise irrational purchases.
Reporting online sellers who will just relist immediately or wait until release day seems a complete waste of time. The problem isn't resellers, it's Sony creating an artificial scarcity in order to generate hype and headlines.
- 9
- Medic_alert
- 8:15am
@Rgeneb1 creating a limited edition is not the same as artificial scarcity.
This is genuine scarcity they created to make something special for a limited number of fans.
Unfortunately the wrong people often get hold of them.
- 10
- Arthur_Morgan
- 8:16am
@REALAIS Terms and Conditions are region dependent on Ebay for example if you reside in the United Kingdom, you are entering into a contract with eBay (UK) Limited.
- 11
- Medic_alert
- 8:17am
@REALAIS just logged in to see what was going on and I really like the PS5 when it can't pull all that rubbish from the Internet.
It's like having a PS5 in the year 2000!
@carlos82 eBay also technically doesn't allow bootlegs either. But if they willfully took those listings down themselves think of all the lost revenue from their commissions.
It actually surprises me that other industries haven't sued eBay over the years for the amount of fake products they sell, distort the market with while also making profit from.
@REALAIS ah I wondered why the store wasn't working on my phone
@naruball lack of staff maybe? Last four articles were reported by Khayl, who’s Australian and (presumably) the one currently awake, just calculated guesses though. I’m probably connecting dots where there aren’t.
@koverby that's true, but it can also backfire. On the long term consumers might loose interest in your products because they are never able to get it, at least not at a reasonable price.
Si the question would be, what is more important. Selling to the ones that will invest further in the product they buy. Or to scalpers who want to make a quick buck and consumers who will keep it in the box in hope it will be worth more in a couple of years
@Yousef- yup. That's my guess, too.
@Medic_alert why you need in general make such limited run, if there are more buyers? Same as Premium brands, its just to make design more valuable. They could easily make 123 000 instead of 12 300 or even more. They could sell plates etc. Especially when they sold Pro bundle for such reasonable RRP price. It is just open gates to resell it because of scarcity. Lets guess that PS5 has 60 million consoles worldwide. 12 300 is just 0,02%. I know, PS4 was same run. Just salty that I didnt get one.
- 18
- LavenderShroud
- 8:22am
@REALAIS I thought it was just my crappy internet. I just set up my PlayStation for the first time and was really getting annoyed…
I filed complaints against ten listings and had eight taken down. Ultimately, once the release date nears there will be no legit complaint that break the Ebay terms of sale, so you cannot stop them.
That said, if enough of the FOMO immediate post-sale auctions are targeted (one that I had removed did have four bids @ £10k), that may ultimately cost the scalpers a little as the re-listing may not reach as high once prospective buyer's heads cool.
Plus things are probably going ok in upside-down land (wonder if they drink their tea while sitting on the ceiling…)
- 21
- thefourfoldroot1
- 8:36am
@Rgeneb1
It’s not artificial scarcity form Sony. Outside of sites like this people don’t care about it. It’s for enthusiasts of a certain age and there are relatively few of us. Sony will only make what they can sell. The problem is the abuse of scalpers, artificially creating scarcity themselves by buying and hoarding stock.
The governments should honestly making aekking things at inflated prices illegal
@REALAIS why does it have to be in the news you just wait until it comes online
- 24
- Medic_alert
- 8:43am
@REALAIS I understand the frustration. The random queueing system dropped me in with a 45 minute wait and I was nowhere near getting one.
But these things are supposed to be special, they are supposed to be limited to a few lucky fans. And yeah it opens the door to scalpers but I see why they do it.
i hate this practice (scalping).
Sony clearly made enough Pro's and coupled with the price this has (so far) detererred scalpers.
But in the case of limited editions, I just dont see it ever stopping.
Scalpers only need 1 of these to make a lot of money so the old 'no more than 1 per address' isnt going to be of much use.
Im sure Sony and others have tried on a purchase system front, but I was there and in on the site within a minute or so of the queue opening last Thursday - everyone on hold was given a random place in the queue - and i dont know if i could have completed a purchase. These 30th Pros went fast.
The cancelled ebay resales will just be put back up after launch...
So either:
1) dont have limited runs, or
2) Forever ban resales of Limited Runs
As someone who tried to get one, this sparks a shiver of joy, but ultimately the wounds will take time to heal.
- 27
- CutchuSlow
- 8:49am
PSN is down. Won't let me use any TV apps or even Spotify.
@Moj500 because other news sites covers it. It is down for more than 5 hours.
10 posts about PS5 PRO is okay, but one relevant for daily users is not. Nothing online related is working. That is big issue.
I gave it to a scalper yesterday on ebay(verbally) lol
- 30
- Skeletor85
- 9:01am
Ironic how with scalping the scalpers are not the problem, but the dumb people that pay these ridiculous high prices to keep the scalping alive in the first place.
@Mikey856 nice one 😆
I managed to secure a 30th edition bundle, and have to admit my head has been turned by the prices being thrown about. However, I've decided to keep and enjoy it. It's not often you get to own something so rare and I think I'll get on the Pro loop from now on, so there's more games to play when I do eventually get a PS6. If this generation is anything to go by there's not much point in jumping in day 1 anymore.
@Yousef- lol. I started with the old… would you take 500 for this anniversary base ps5? He says.. “no one is selling them for that price mate”.. too which I said yeah cus they are all robbing b******s mate! And then I kinda went off at him and never got a reply 🫣 😝
He was asking 650 for the base anniversary tut tut tut. I’ve just taken the lead from this thread and reported him so I hope he gets stuck with it now 👍
@Mikey856 looool about time someone forces these guys to come down to earth lolol 😝
@Old-Red I'd be keeping mine in the box - perhaps in an ancient Peruvian temple secured by spike traps, bottomless pits and gigantic rolling boulders.
- 36
- SystemAddict
- 9:30am
@carlos82 what sickens me about eBay is a saw a number of takedowns at typical scalper rates but then one listed for like a million remained. It seems the joke is fine once it involves a really extortionate amount of money; and so it goes
@Yousef- I think we all should do it! Make them feel pathetic. I’m a genuine PlayStation fan since the mid 90s. I would have loved one of them anniversary consoles and the price of 433 for the digital was very reasonable I thought. Then these morons have to come and ruin it. But as I say that people are literally bidding on one and it’s up to 570 so whatever 🤷♂️
@LN78 haha, crazy as it may be, I'm going to open it and use it. I'll probably be one in a hand full of people that actually gets to enjoy it properly.
@Old-Red The prices that people are already willing to pay is insane. You could easily sell yours, buy a regular Pro and still have change for a week in Antigua.
- 40
- SystemAddict
- 9:46am
@Old-Red I’m considering a pro and running some grey masking tape along the front of it just to give the illusion. That’s all it’s about for me
- 41
- Czar_Khastik
- 9:53am
There is a high enough possibility that PS5 Slim plates fit on a PS5 Pro. So if anyone can get their hands on the PS5 Slim 30th anniversary edition in theory you can upgrade a regular PS5 Pro to look like the PS5 Pro 30th anniversary model. The only difference is that it will look gray with black middle part instead of gray with a gray middle part
Heh, I was always much more inclined towards celebrating the 30th anniversary of the SEGA Saturn anyways 🪐
@LN78 I know, it's insane, but allowing yourself a luxury treat when the opportunity comes up is worth it sometimes. There's also some kind of nihilistic part of me that likes the idea of using a console up for pleasure while everyone else keeps them safely boxed and locked away.
@Old-Red That's a superb attitude to have and I commend you. I'd be on a plane to the tropical island paradise before you could say "vertical stand not included".
@Old-Red I don't think it's crazy.
Obviously everybody's circumstances are different, but I'd also prefer to enjoy a unique system like that than have a couple of extra grand in the savings account.
- 46
- Th3solution
- 11:20am
Somehow I’ve never heard the term “to vent one’s spleen” before now.
@SystemAddict
You're not wrong about that line of thought, pretty sure dbrand will have a skin couple of days after PS5 Pro is released.
you're not allowed to hike the price of a limited item pre-release
Rofl jeez
If people are that fumb to pay the prices how the f can there be rules that you're not allowed to sell someone something they are willing to pay for
Only thing that this will do is keep the prices high when the items release.
Emotionally, you feel avenged, but in truth you’re only pissing off a few scalpers to help thousands once they have these items in hand.
@Czar_Khastik
You raise an intetesting question. Presuming that the covers do fit slim & pro (which is a bit up in the air as I have read both ways on this, with PS Support saying slim plates do not fit pro), Sony were not making much money on these 30th editions - I wonder if it would have gone anywhere near as stupid if Sony had just sold the covers & pads? (Still keeping the 1 per address rule).
The pads and slims were much easier to get last Thursday. Remotes even easier i think?
If Sony sold the covers even for a premium price of £100, how much could scalpers have got for them... lets go with an extreme £500. A mark up of £400.
These 30th pro consoles are being marked up by 1000's of £ - would the lower mark up be as intetesting to them?
I would never pay scalper prices, but the proliferation of scalping is only made worse by these big paydays for them, and the perception of how much they can make in 1 'hit'.
I usually rage at scalpers too, but in this case, Sony has clearly encouraged them, with such a limited amount. I guess they think these situations makes the brand look more premium or something.
- 52
- sanderson72
- 12:26pm
Personally, I bought some shaped-inline-with-the-inner-black of the PS5 mcbazel covers as I want to hide the overweight Tub o' Lard.
Nice to know that people still like Playstation controllers with coloured buttons though just like every PS model before the dreary 5.
- 53
- Ryu_Niiyama
- 12:50pm
reporting, not snitching. The scalpers are ripping people off and violating the TOS of the marketplace they are selling in. They wanna do that mess? Take your bundle of preorder receipts to a swap meet. Then you can charge a million if you want.
- 54
- JalapenoSpiceLife
- 1:28pm
@Czar_Khastik I'm sure there will me many knock offs for the face plates available that can be used and will be far more cheaper imo
- 55
- Major_Player
- 1:28pm
If Sony really wanted the actual fans to get one they would be putting restrictions such as:
- 1 until per address.
- 1 unit per credit card on file
- 1 unit per PlayStation account
- 1 unit limit per customer.
While all matching the same first and last name.
But I guess Sony profits no matter the scalpers.
- 56
- CrashBandicoat
- 1:49pm
Sony are 100% to blame. Not even for the artificial scarcity, as whilst it is deliberate, all goods have some level of scarcity.
Rather they sold the item below the equilibrium market price that many consumers were prepared to pay for it. Scalping is just “the market” correcting that error, as it always will.
Note that the market isn’t sentient, and doesn’t care what any individual thinks of it, care whether any individual can afford or it, or care about anyone’s feelings.
Either sell it for the correct price, or find some way of locking it to the purchasers psn account for 6 months (likely illegal under UK consumer law).
@Frmknst Because laws and taxes in a competitive marketplace, that's why. Not exactly a hard concept to grasp when a private person is acting commercially.
- 58
- ButterySmooth30FPS
- 2:58pm
I reported about 15 of these before the official pre-sale and 12 were removed. Reporting them for being intangible seemed to work, but I think I'll try this presale option.
Of course eBay doesn’t care until reported. They make a percentage of every sale!
- 60
- SystemAddict
- 3:29pm
@JalapenoSpiceLife the console itself is the only item in the range that can be easily modified, I mean interchangeable plates even wtf why all the fuss
To quote the great Senator Palpatine, “Wipe them out. All of them.”
- 62
- tangyzesty
- 3:56pm
I hope every scalper gets bunions, like really bad ones that you need surgery to correct. I'm going to speak it into existence. Enjoy your shoes never fitting right scalpers!
- 63
- Slug_full_of_metal
- 4:04pm
eBay doesn’t care because it’s big $ and remember they get a cut of that. So they’d literally be saying no to $
Headline should be “For the payers 💸” 😀
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