The Festive Season Has Come Early for Scalpers as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series Are Being Sold at Ridiculous Prices

Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X have had a busy week. Sony and Microsoft have been trying to keep up with the increasing demand for their respective consoles. But the supply has been running scarce despite that.

The new stock is spending virtually no time on the shelf, given the frenzied demand. It’s safe to assume that the ongoing pandemic has not affected the sale of the next-gen consoles.

Moreover, retailers like Walmart, GameStop find themselves in a sticky wicket as many are of the opinion that the consoles are being bought by bots. Listings on eBay have added fuel to this theory. Every region is facing a shortage, but it seems like the festive season has come early for scalpers.

Scalpers are charging a massive premium on PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series

PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles landing on eBay at a higher price was inevitable. But the listings paint a spine-chilling picture. The digital-only version of PS5 costs $400 while the disk edition costs $500. However, the prices listed on eBay are nowhere close to the retail prices of the consoles.

The prices of the console start at around $800 and reach a staggering $15,000. This is primarily because the scalpers are aware of the stock shortage in the market.

More importantly, several users have reported that they have received coffee machines or other products in place of PS5. Moreover, hundreds of users haven’t received a console despite placing an order and waiting for countless hours.

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Users have witnessed a similar pattern on eBay. Those who have placed an order either haven’t received the console or have received other items in place of it. The Xbox, too, is being sold for a higher price, but the situation with that console is comparatively better than the PS5.

All this, however, points to the fact that the pandemic has done little to affect the demand for the gaming consoles.

Both Sony and Microsoft are doing their best to meet the expected demand. The consoles, for sure, will trickle down with time. The users will just have to be patient until then.