• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

PS5 scalping ring has no regrets, draws huge backlash

Texas Pride

Banned
Blame falls squarely on Sony and the retailers allowing bots to buy up stock their customers would have. And this hurts Sony too. No asshole is going to pay 1000-1500 for a PS5 and then go buy a bunch of games with it so I'd think the attach rate on scalped consoles is lower. And I'm sure it also plants a little seed in Sony's mind that hey people are actually willing to spend $750-$900 consistently on their consoles even in a pandemic so next time they go high out of the gate. Like seriously I could figure out a better solution to this problem than the assholes collecting a check and falling face first. Here's a quick example. Anyone who has been a PS Plus subscriber for at least 2 years should've gotten a link to order a PS5 directly from the store on their PS4. New customers are great but it's loyal customers that should be rewarded first since they financially support your product. And there's no bot problem there. You're welcome Sony.
 
Blame falls squarely on Sony and the retailers allowing bots to buy up stock their customers would have. And this hurts Sony too. No asshole is going to pay 1000-1500 for a PS5 and then go buy a bunch of games with it so I'd think the attach rate on scalped consoles is lower. And I'm sure it also plants a little seed in Sony's mind that hey people are actually willing to spend $750-$900 consistently on their consoles even in a pandemic so next time they go high out of the gate. Like seriously I could figure out a better solution to this problem than the assholes collecting a check and falling face first. Here's a quick example. Anyone who has been a PS Plus subscriber for at least 2 years should've gotten a link to order a PS5 directly from the store on their PS4. New customers are great but it's loyal customers that should be rewarded first since they financially support your product. And there's no bot problem there. You're welcome Sony.

3500 out of 2.5 Million

0.14%

Zero. Point. One four. Percent...
 

Spaceman292

Banned
I mean no one is stopping someone from robbing the scalpers at gunpoint and returning the PS5's to the stores to be sold to people at MSRP.

No jury would vote to convict, even if one of the scalpers somehow got shot during the robbery.
I'm not sure this is true but I wouldn't be entirely disappointed if it happened
 

Larlight

Member
Sony - "most successful launch ever".

Seems like the manufacturer and the retailers don't give a shit who is actually buying them.

Haha, I’m sure others have said it already but unfortunately desperate ass people with more money than sense are still buying them from scalpers which validate their actions and are sure to likely do it again and again. If it wasn’t the holidays, I wonder if people would be as desperate to pay more than retail price.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
People saying it's legal is that even with using bots to buy large quantities? Surely that would fall into hacking categorie? They are giving themselves a massive advantage over everyone else.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Relax.

If it's true that PS5 launch was 2.5M units, those 3500 is literally drop in the ocean.

And tell me please how would Sony prevent or comment on this? What would they say? We are sorry for the capitalism to exist and some people being greedy? Your comment seems like fanboy attack on Sony...

I mentioned that Sony said this because they did. But my next sentence specifically targeted "Manufactuers". My comment is directed to Sony, NVIDIA, Microsoft etc.

If the manufacturers required retailers to show that they had anti scalping methods in place before they could order PS5s or RTX 3080s or XBox Series X, trust me, the retailers would put them in place.
 
That one guy with the "fuck your feelings" quote was apparently doxxed and then robbed. Anyone else read that? I call that Karma, lol.

Oh found this?

Fuck your feelings. We steal your consoles
giphy.webp
 

Larlight

Member
That one guy with the "fuck your feelings" quote was apparently doxxed and then robbed. Anyone else read that? I call that Karma, lol.

Oh found this?


Holy fucking shit that actually happened? Like did they steal all the PS5’s and give them out like Robinhood? What happened to the scalper?
 

Paasei

Member
I have more blame on the morons that buy them from such a scalper, rofl. That is the only reason they do it, take it away and there's no reason for them anymore.
 
Holy fucking shit that actually happened? Like did they steal all the PS5’s and give them out like Robinhood? What happened to the scalper?
Apparently the guy is just selling them for the normal price. The Scalper? Dunno, nothing happened I guess? He deleted his Twitter. Nothing confirmed btw.
 
From this one ring yes. Are you going to tell me there aren't other rings and scalpers or do you truly believe this is it?
It's a "ring" so multiple people... But let's follow your logic and assume there are other rings as well. What would make then? 0.2%? 0.3%?

As much as I like your paranoid thinking, "scalper" isn't the most common profession in the world...
 

Darklor01

Might need to stop sniffing glue
I made a bigger return of investment this year holding stocks such as Tesla and Cloudflare this year. Scalping goods for profits is definitely not the most optimal investment.

You’re right. Many of us here can’t afford the proper investment though. Some might have enough credit to scalp a dozen or two... but need that credit paid off.
 

Texas Pride

Banned
It's a "ring" so multiple people... But let's follow your logic and assume there are other rings as well. What would make then? 0.2%? 0.3%?

As much as I like your paranoid thinking, "scalper" isn't the most common profession in the world...



I never said scalping was "the most common profession in the world" you did. But let's get down to WTF your issue is with my post to begin with? What do you take issue with in particular? Scalping happens and it's a shitty practice and it doesn't matter if it's 0.1% or 50% it isn't illegal and shouldn't be. But companies have a responsibility to their consumers to ensure they don't get screwed along the way imo.
 

acm2000

Member
A sale is a sale for the retailer and Sony, they have no reason to care, it's money in the bank in what has been a hard year.

Scalpers are nothing new, buying and selling for a profit is how business works, stop getting so salty.
 

Javthusiast

Banned
Be patient, don't fall into FOMO syndrome. Everybody will get their ps5s eventually.

Yeah it sucks that scalpers exist, but it is not illegal, and if retailers can't provide measures against them there's nothing we can do as long as people pay these high prices. Their money to throw away.
 
Last edited:

Madflavor

Member
I've completely given up on trying to get a PS5 this year. I'm not even going to entertain the idea. I'll just keep gaming on the PC, and then by late 2021 I'll look into getting one. Hopefully there will be more games on it by then. Right now Demon Souls is all I care about.

Truth be told I would call this a disaster of a launch. The average person hasn't been able to get a PS5 since pre-orders. You basically have to have total dedication to getting one, and also an enormous amount of luck. every time these things are restocked, within seconds they are immediately bought up by bots. I would in no way shape or form call this a successful launch.
 

Desudzer10

Member
I've seen several desperate parents put up facebook posts that they're willing to overpay a few hundred dollars if it means they can get a new console for their kid for Christmas.

That's why scalping isn't leaving.
 

Zog

Banned
Gamers are truly one of the most retarded consumer groups at times. Always looking for that next high (game, hardware etc.) like a fucking crack addict.

Supply will sooner or later exceed demand. Just be patient.
It fills me with hope to see posts like this blaming consumers for wanting a product at MSRP to use it and hand waving the scalpers who are making that harder. /s
 
Last edited:

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
First of all waiting till 3 am online and refreshing your page because lack of stock is more of an issue than scalping, scalping is basically getting a hold of the situation.
 

lefty1117

Gold Member
I'm shocked and disappointed in places like ebay that are allowing these people to post listings for the BOX ONLY, no console inside only the packaging - and these things have legit bids and are running at over $800. Buried way at the bottom is a note that actually says it does NOT include the console, only the packaging. So sure discerning, savvy customers will know to look for that stuff, but a grandma buying something for her family at Christmas? This is the kind of thing that consumer protection laws should be helping with. Sure, by the letter of the rules the seller may have provided the necessary information, but it's clearly deceptive and predatory. I'm a believer in capitalism but it needs some small modicum of conscience.
 

mr.dilya

Banned
Anyone who has been a PS Plus subscriber for at least 2 years should've gotten a link to order a PS5 directly from the store on their PS4.

that’s a great idea, and Sony was well aware of what was going to happen....they could have implemented something like this but chose not to, which is way it’s solely their fault for this mess and not the scalpers.
 

Xyort

Neo Member
Maybe if there weren't so many retards willing to pay 3 times the price for a console at launch with a nonexistent lineup of games, there wouldn't be scalpers on such a massive scale? Just a thought.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
Just to put that into perspective - 3500 consoles, with at least 500$ profit on each, that's close to 2MLN in the bank, I really can't blame them, if I could buy a PS5 today I wouldn't even think twice about putting it on auction.
 

Zog

Banned
Maybe if there weren't so many retards willing to pay 3 times the price for a console at launch with a nonexistent lineup of games, there wouldn't be scalpers on such a massive scale? Just a thought.

Without drug buyers, there would be no drug dealers?
 

Marlenus

Member
No. It is a gray area and it should be 100% illegal. Pre-ordering an extra PS5 to gift/give to a family member/friend/colleague that you decided to sell later on is fine but using bots to buy that many PS5 to sell at ridiculously high prices in a pandemic?? They should go in jail.

Go to jail for what exactly?

If you want to fix it direct your energy to the stores. Make it so that selling to scalpers is worse for their bottom line than regular customers and that will ensure they put systems in place to reduce the practice.

If the stores see no difference to their bottom line though then they won't do anything to resolve the issue.

Another option is to put pressure on eBay. If their bottom line is made worse due to enabling scalpers to sell on their marketplace they might do something to combat it.
 

lock2k

Banned
Seriously, they guys should be forced to stop buying the ps5 consoles. Let others buy their own ps5, man. They apparently uses bots to buy the console online the moment it appears for preorder...



If idiots didn't buy them for higher prices from scalpers, it wouldn't happen.
 

Thaedolus

Gold Member
I've completely given up on trying to get a PS5 this year. I'm not even going to entertain the idea. I'll just keep gaming on the PC, and then by late 2021 I'll look into getting one. Hopefully there will be more games on it by then. Right now Demon Souls is all I care about.

This is where I’m at. No need to stress about beating bots, I got plenty of shit to play in the meantime
 

mancs

Member
Scum. I love gaming , but I'm no mug , go fk ya selves , I'd never pay more these days for what a console retails at , patience is a virtue.
 
Wow. That’s a pretty definite statement to make. Care to expound on how morality isn’t subjective.

On a fundamental level you have two options: Idealism and relativism (Moral relativism). Of course, you could take the position of a moral relativist. This is a legitimate philosophical standpoint to argue for. However, idealism has always been by far the more popular conviction in the history of occidental thought, not only in tradition and religion but also within the enlightment movement, modern philosophy and so on. Moral relativism heavily contradicts many of the beliefs traditionally held by western schools of thought of all kinds and provinces. It just isn't a very good hill to die on imho.
 

lock2k

Banned
....but are drug dealers innocent?

I don't think they're innocent, but illegal drugs are illegal. The comparison doesn't hold up. These guys are gaming a broken system and they're smart. I don' think they are right, but imbeciles should stop buying from them to starve them.
 

Twinblade

Member
If idiots with money would just stop overpaying from scalpers, we wouldn't be having this issue of scalpers having more supplies than stores. I think after Christmas, prices are going to stop dropping on these scalper prices.

All I gotta say is HOLD THE LINE! Do not give in to these scalpers. DEFENSE
 

Zog

Banned
I don't think they're innocent, but illegal drugs are illegal. The comparison doesn't hold up. These guys are gaming a broken system and they're smart. I don' think they are right, but imbeciles should stop buying from them to starve them.

Do you think everyone would prefer to pay MSRP vs the inflated prices?
 

lock2k

Banned
Do you think everyone would prefer to pay MSRP vs the inflated prices?

Yes. But how about having self control and let them rot with lots of units in their basements until they have to sell them all for the MSRP price to recover the money?
 
Top Bottom