I hate scalpers. Scum of the earth.

[Deleted member 37928]

Yes, they are embarrassing to put it lightly.

I recently sold my RTX 3080 which is notorious for attracting scalpers. Retail price is just below 1k and auctions go as high up as 3k. I really wanted to counter this trend so I sold mine for 850 bucks, which made a lot of people message me about what a "fantastic bargain" it was. I just put up a price that felt reasonable, it wasn't supposed to be cheap or anything. It really put in perspective how shameless most sellers are in maximizing their profit. There's like 0 thought of giving another human being a pleasant experience.

 

[DaciaJC]

While I don't approve of scalping, making a bunch of impatient nerds wait a bit longer for a luxury electronic is about as low as stakes get.

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My thoughts word-for-word. In the grand scheme, this is practically a non-issue.

 

[Shodan14]

"Scalpers gotta eat" off of other people's plates, apparently. Fuck 'em.


If you don't make a profit you're not a scalper.

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It's a god damn luxury item.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

If I had a spare PS5, you bet I'd ask the highest price people are willing to pay. Why would I throw money away? It's an entertainment product, not insulin. Scum of the earth lmao. 😂 What OP seems to have a problem with are shady offers?

 

[nihilence]

They aren't providing any real value. They aren't anymore efficient than say Amazon, unless a cash transaction is required. And that shouldn't command such exorbitant premiums.

 

[Malcolm9]

The websites are to blame as they allow anyone to buy them, some like Shopto restrict to one console per address etc, but most aren't doing enough to prevent bots/scalpers.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

They aren't providing any real value.

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They do. They redistribute a product among those with a higher willingness to pay, instead of those who come first. Assuming you have the money to buy a PS5 but not the time to F5 at midnight, then the scalpers secures you a product.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

Scalpers are scum, and these bots make things worse than ever. I'd love to see retailers focus on putting product in their brick and mortar stores rather than their websites. At least give people a fair shot at getting these items.

 

[ParanormalFupa]

You aren't missing much.

 

[Deleted member 24097]

As usual, two-faced fucks in droves defending scalping "because in the end it's the buyers' fault".
Victim blaming 101. Well done, you pieces of shit.

Scalpers perform something that is illegal in most countries and deserve appropriate punishment. Period.
Not the death penalty, but hefty fines.
Not one single of their "justifications" hold.

 

[Kill3r7]

Don't buy from them. Consumers of luxury goods and experiences are as much the problem as scalpers. They are taking advantage of market inefficiencies.

 

[Eggiem]

Yes, they are embarrassing to put it lightly.

I recently sold my RTX 3080 which is notorious for attracting scalpers. Retail price is just below 1k and auctions go as high up as 3k. I really wanted to counter this trend so I sold mine for 850 bucks, which made a lot of people message me about what a "fantastic bargain" it was. I just put up a price that felt reasonable, it wasn't supposed to be cheap or anything. It really put in perspective how shameless most sellers are in maximizing their profit. There's like 0 thought of giving another human being a pleasant experience.

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The 3k bids are fake. Nobody buys a 3080 for 3k.

 

[Shodan14]

As usual, two-faced fucks in droves defending scalping "because in the end it's the buyers' fault".
Victim blaming 101. Well done, you pieces of shit.

Scalpers perform something that is illegal in most countries and deserve appropriate punishment. Period.
Not the death penalty, but hefty fines.
Not one single of their "justifications" hold.

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There are no victims here, why are some of you so dramatic over this? Show me where scalping of luxury goods is "illegal".

 

[XR.]

They do. They redistribute a product among those with a higher willingness to pay, instead of those who come first. Assuming you have the money to buy a PS5 but not the time to F5 at midnight, then the scalpers secures you a product.

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That's only if you think people with more money deserve the right to purchase the product more so than people with less money.

 

[orava]

lmao at "victims"

 

[Zombegoast]

With Democrats now in power they could enforce regulations from ever reselling products that's marked higher than MSRP.

But I doubt anything will be done.

 

[Dizzy Ukulele]

It won't stop. This has gone on since before any of us were born. The internet has just made it easier.

 

[Cru Jones]

That's only if you think people with more money deserve the right to purchase the product more so than people with less money.

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Paying more to save time is pretty normal. Ever go to a theme park? Most have express passes that cost as much as the ticket. Ever go to a club? You can wait in line or slip the bouncer $20 to get in immediately. We are talking pretty standard stuff here.

 

[Valcrist]

Man, it's crazy how lucky I got with a Walmart preorder on the day PS5 preorders went up. I'm still pretty grateful that I made it.

 

[Shodan14]

With Democrats now in power they could enforce regulations from ever reselling products that's marked higher than MSRP.

But I doubt anything will be done.

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Finally the opportunity the radical left has been waiting for!

 

[Deleted member 12352]

Yes, unquestionably.

 

[Classybro]

Scum of the earth? Sometimes I wonder at the blessed and privileged lives guys in here live jeeze.

 

[Cru Jones]

With Democrats now in power they could enforce regulations from ever reselling products that's marked higher than MSRP.

But I doubt anything will be done.

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I'd be pretty upset if my government wasted time and resources on such an unimportant non-issue. There is waaaaaay bigger fish to fry than trying to regulate and enforce the 30% markup on luxury goods by scalpers. If this was something like medicine or essential gear like PPE, then I'd 100% agree... but we're talking about PS5s.

 

[nihilence]

They do. They redistribute a product among those with a higher willingness to pay, instead of those who come first. Assuming you have the money to buy a PS5 but not the time to F5 at midnight, then the scalpers secures you a product.

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In the academic sense they do on the surface. You can also make the case that it's rent seeking and inefficient.

 

[jgminto]

It's capitalism working as it's meant to, manufactured scarcity is the core of pretty much every major industry. Consider directing your frustrations towards the system if it really bothers you that much.

 

[Deleted member 24097]

There are no victims here, why are some of you so dramatic over this? Show me where scalping of luxury goods is "illegal".

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Scalping is illegal in most countries.
Scalpers commit a felony. Buyers are victims. So are all the people who would like to buy but can't. It is very simple.
You might not like the idea that you are a thief, but the fact is you are one.
Items are sold through retailers because it is the most convenient way for everyone to manage around their life schedule in order to get the items they want when they can.

You are exploiting a flaw in this system to leech off everyone else's back.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

That's only if you think people with more money deserve the right to purchase the product more so than people with less money.

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Sure. Much the same that poor people can't buy Ferraris, I don't care whether some poor kid gets a PS5 or not. It's irrelevant because the product is non-essential. A capitalist society gates luxury products and services behind a high cost of entry all the time. If you want a society where every product is available to everyone, then that's another discussion. Kill3r7 correctly points out that scalpers are taking advantage of a market inefficiency. What inefficiency is that? Well, PS5, Nvidia cards etc. are currenty being sold below equilibrium price, that means the demand (quite obviously) exceeds the supply. What does one do about that? Ideally, the supply is increased but that isn't happening quickly enough for the OP. The other method is to increase the price. The price customers are willing to pay for a PS5 or 3080 is well above the MSRP. So scalpers purchase consoles at MSRP and sell the product at the price people are willing to pay, check out arbitrage. What you guys are basically calling for is for the retailers to increase the price to what the scalpers are currently asking, thereby killing off scalpers since they can't make a profit from scalping any longer. Of course, you still end up paying the same price but I suppose you're less likely to get scammed in that case.

Just wait until the product is available for the price you are willing to pay.

 

[Shodan14]

Scalping is illegal in most countries.
Scalpers commit a felony. Buyers are victims. It is very simple.
You might not like the idea that you are a thief, but the fact is you are one.
Items are sold through retailers because it is the most convenient way for everyone to manage around their life schedule in order to get the items they want when they can.

You are exploiting a flaw in this system to leech off everyone else's back.

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You're straight up wrong.

 

[StereoVSN]

why would they? They get the money and move on!

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It's very shortsighted view though. You sell other things if you have real customers, but you aren't selling anything else to scalpers.

Say I buy a CPU from Newegg, BestBuy, Amazon, etc... I might grab a cooler, some RAM, thermal paste, and more. That's a lot of additional sales. Scalper will only buy that CPU.

Say I want to buy a pair of sneakers from Nike or another store. Same thing, might get some socks or pants, etc...

 

[Ikuu]

Honestly I love reselling things for a profit, get mad at the manufacture for not being able or or simply not wanting to meet demand.

 

[XR.]

Paying more to save time is pretty normal. Ever go to a theme park? Most have express passes that cost as much as the ticket. Ever go to a club? You can wait in line or slip the bouncer $20 to get in immediately. We are talking pretty standard stuff here.

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Are you being purposefully obtuse?

The former is someone outside the eco-system taking away something by offering nothing in return, the latter is literally the provider responding to demand. Sony are free to charge $1,000 for PS5s during the first week or month if they wish to do so, but the thing here is they don't necessarily are in it to turn a profit on selling hardware. They are more interested in having as big of a userbase as possible, so overcharging or scalping isn't really helping in that endeavor.

Again, it's not helping anyone outside of the people with money. Feel free to regard that as a positive in your own mind, but don't pretend it's somehow beneficial for everyone or the eco-system as a whole.

 

[J_Viper]

SCUM OF THE EARTH

COME ON

 

[Adamska]

Yeah, I could never be angry at people trying to make some money just because someone might not be able to get an expensive consoled on the timing they want. It's not a good world out there.

 

[Mr Jones]

This is definitely the strangest console launch period I've ever seen. There's hardly any exclusive software and supply/scalping issues are so bad that it's like the consoles never even came out.

As long as my PS4 Pro stays alive for at least another year, I'm fine with waiting until 2022. Especially if something resembling normal life resumes before then.

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This is pretty much my take. There's nothing on the PS5 / XBox that makes me want to deal with the bullshit. And the poster who's talking about going through the hunting and shit to get them and turn around and sell 'em? I'd say fuck off, but it's a luxury game item, not facemasks or hand sanitizer. I can wait.

 

[StereoVSN]

If people are willing to pay more than retail because they can't wait until restock, than its their problem. Nobody forced them too.

I got for myself a free 3090, 2x ps5 and a 3080 for a friend who was very thankful, just by buying and selling pre-orders.

Do i feel bad? Not in the slightest. I had the same chances of preordering like others and was more successful. I took a risk by spending a lot of money upfront and it paid off. I didn't force people to buy from me at a higher price.

It's the oldest financial game in the world of buying and selling with profit.

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Yeah, I am sure you were just pre-ordering normally vs using bots to sell enough to cover for the above items or more. Anyways, yeah, this is scummy as hell, but ignore button will work.

 

[Deleted member 86891]

My thoughts word-for-word. In the grand scheme, this is practically a non-issue.

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people out there will hate scalpers then defend landlords lol

 

[Deleted member 24097]

You're straight up wrong.

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You're straight up lacking any kind of argument.

 

[StereoVSN]

Yeah, I could never be angry at people trying to make some money just because someone might not be able to get an expensive consoled on the timing they want. It's not a good world out there.

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It's not just consoles, it's everything that even has a modicum of availability issues including computer parts , games, books, etc... That's what you all are missing.

 

[Shodan14]

You're straight up lacking any kind of argument.

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Show me one country where the resale of luxury goods is illegal.

 

[Apathy]

It's capitalism working as it's meant to, manufactured scarcity is the core of pretty much every major industry. Consider directing your frustrations towards the system if it really bothers you that much.

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This isn't manufactured scarcity though, this is actual scarcity. Literally Sony and Microsoft can't make these fast enough to meet demand because of limitations on manufacturing. This is the time when fans are most rabid for a console. That would love to be able to produce and ship and sell more.

 

[AzureSky]

this is the first time i am interested in a console (ps5) at release, because of the broad compatibility to ps4. My policy with ps2, ps3 and ps4 was to wait until the game library was decent and i didnt care for buying them for at least a year after release. It is very frustrating to not beeing able to purchase it. I refuse to go to a scaper even if i can afford it.
I very much expected to be able to buy it 1-2 months after release, but there is no end to shortages in seight. Was it this bad with the previous generations?

 

[LifeLine]

This isn't manufactured scarcity though, this is actual scarcity. Literally Sony and Microsoft can't make these fast enough to meet demand because of limitations on manufacturing. This is the time when fans are most rabid for a console. That would love to be able to produce and ship and sell more.

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The amount of parents I saw that wanted to get a PS5 for their kids for the holidays and the amount of kids that wanted PS5s, but then ended settling for a Switch is huge because that's all that was available.

 

[Deleted member 9584]

Tell me about it. I've been trying to get a physical copy of Atlier Ryza on Switch for months...

 

[Snake Eater]

Luckily I snagged an XSX back in November, otherwise I'd be pretty annoyed not being able to snag a new console

who knows when I'll ever be able to grab a digital PS5

 

[MonadL]

While I don't approve of scalping, making a bunch of impatient nerds wait a bit longer for a luxury electronic is about as low as stakes get.

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This although scalping doesn't bother me at all unless it's something essential. So you don't get your electric toy box for a few months, you'll be alright.

 

[julia crawford]

They are the kind of people i would get up a table of they sat down. It's more than just that they are trying to make a quick buck, but the impetus to abuse a market and make profit off of people who for all they know are equally as likely to be very well off, or the complete opposite, scrounging their savings to be part of something they enjoy. Especially in a fucking pandemic, with people depending on their hobbies for ways to feel any sense of normalcy they can get their hands on. They are the incarnation of the capitalist horror that abounds, the bedroom version of a CEO that jacks up prices because they can, the very crux of not giving a shit who you're taking advantage of.

God i despise people like that.

 

[Kill3r7]

Scalping is illegal in most countries.
Scalpers commit a felony. Buyers are victims. So are all the people who would like to bug but can't. It is very simple.
You might not like the idea that you are a thief, but the fact is you are one.
Items are sold through retailers because it is the most convenient way for everyone to manage around their life schedule in order to get the items they want when they can.

You are exploiting a flaw in this system to leech off everyone else's back.

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Scalping is primary illegal in certain countries or states to protect consumers from counterfeit goods (ie used/claimed or counterfeit tickets) or from allowing proprietors to collude with resellers to drive up market prices. See https://www.npr.org/2018/09/20/6496...-scalping-program-canadian-journalists-report

 

[Cru Jones]

Are you being purposefully obtuse?

The former is someone outside the eco-system taking away something by offering nothing in return, the latter is literally the provider responding to demand. Sony are free to charge $1,000 for PS5s during the first week or month if they wish to do so, but the thing here is they don't necessarily are in it to turn a profit on selling hardware. They are more interested in having as big of a userbase as possible, so overcharging or scalping isn't really helping in that endeavor.

Again, it's not helping anyone outside of the people with money. Feel free to regard that as a positive in your own mind, but don't pretend it's somehow beneficial for everyone or the eco-system as a whole.

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What they are offering is a chance to get a PS5 without having to stay up until 2am F5ing a website.

Lets say scalpers didn't exist, you still wouldn't have a PS5 because they are in such high demand. Sony hasn't made enough to meet that demand.

The extra price some people choose to pay is for them to shorten their wait time while also not having to stay on top of the stock situation of every retailer.

 

[Rhowm]

Im biased, mainly because I had and sold 9 ps5s, 3 xboxes and like 4 or 5? 3080s.

All were purchased legit without bots.

It took "work" and planning to make it happen. The same amount of work and planning anyone else who really wanted the items that bad could have put in themselves.

Am I in the wrong ? Maybe, but why should lack of planning and investing time and resources be rewarded ? Many people sit back and expect things to be available when and how they want without accountability.

Its a messed up system, I know. But if scalpers can buy these items.....so can you.

In essence, no one complained about paying extra. The people who purchased off me where the type that did not want to invest any effort themselves and rather pick up and pay extra.

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I mean at the end of the day, parasitic behavior takes work, it takes planning, and yes the system allows it. But others also have the right to formulate their own opinions about the placings of such behavior in our ecosystem.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

You're straight up lacking any kind of argument.

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Firstly, whether something is illegal or not doesn't inform my view on whether something is morally permissable or not. Abortion is illegal in certain parts of the world. Secondly, you have to make the argument for why arbitraging a non-essential luxury product that will be available at MSRP down the line is immoral. I reject the notion that society has a moral obligation to distribute a non-essential entertainment product equitably to all social strata via legislation. Especially if by waiting everyone who can afford the $500 MSRP will get it at that price. It's just asinine.

Scalpers, landlords, billionaires. Online discourse is just bleh.