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Scalper Group, CrepChiefNotify, Based In The UK Has More PS5 Online Stock Than Most Major Retailers

delete12345

delete12345

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
19,673
Boston, MA
According to a report from Business Insider, not everyone's PS5 online shopping experience was a negative one - especially if they're a scalper. One UK-based group named CrepChiefNotify managed to snag just under 3500 PS5 units across its members and pre-orders, giving it stock that not even major online retailers can currently compete with in most regions. The report also details how the group was able to acquire so many, using bots to purchase items far faster than a human's reflexes can manage - particularly during the stress of staying up or monitoring a screen for hours to ensure even a chance at a console.
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www.businessinsider.com

One reseller group snagged nearly 3,500 PlayStation 5 consoles, and the resale market might be the only place to score one after it sold out everywhere online

Couldn't get a PlayStation 5 this week? You're not alone. Software used by resellers designed to speed through online checkout is partly to blame.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com

This is really insane.
 

SP.

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,543
All retailers need to do is implement captchas for large ticket items such as this. But they won't because they have zero incentive to do so. All they care about are sales, not who they are selling to.
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,050
That is a lot, so much so I wouldn't be shocked if they get looked at by the police
 
LightKiosk

LightKiosk

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,479
I was expecting a few hundred which would be a lot, but a few thousand? damn
 
Mr_F_Snowman

Mr_F_Snowman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,879
This is really a bullshit article giving this group more credence and publicity (to sell their BS product) when in reality they are just charging people for the same info and tools you'd find on something like hotukdeals - THOUSANDS of members secured thousands of units - yeh no shit, equates to like one per person geeez well done. Such a non story and gives these turds a platform for publicity
 
The Omega Man

The Omega Man

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,902
This is like organized crime, incredible what they can do when they come together and work for the same (scummy) goal.
 
Shifty360

Shifty360

Alt-Account
Banned
Sep 3, 2020
818
Unless it's illegal nothing will be done about it in relation to the law.

As for methods to mitigate the issue, online retailers need to implement better bot protection.

Sony can only make so many, in the UK the biggest sellers are 3rd party retailers, I don't think Sony sold direct in the UK.

Hard to stop individuals buying items to resell.
 
tapedeck

tapedeck

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,976
3500 systems is kind of insane..sad thing is they'll probably sell every single one of them.
 
Rosebud

Rosebud

Two Pieces
Member
Apr 16, 2018
43,512
I hope one day all scalpers have this moment:

CEWKlMNl.jpg
 
jerf

jerf

Member
Nov 1, 2017
6,230
More than most retailers, so what they got like 20 or something.....
5u69LPe.gif

3,500! WTF
 
jaffaro

jaffaro

Banned
Mar 16, 2018
197
Honestly, I don't know whose worse, those scalpers or the people who are actually willing to pay two times of the original price for a toy.
 

Deleted member 60135

User requested account closure
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Sep 21, 2019
169
Mr_F_Snowman said:
This is really a bullshit article giving this group more credence and publicity (to sell their BS product) when in reality they are just charging people for the same info and tools you'd find on something like hotukdeals - THOUSANDS of members secured thousands of units - yeh no shit, equates to like one per person geeez well done. Such a non story and gives these turds a platform for publicity
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...does the fact they have thousands of members to begin with not concern you?
 

admiraltaftbar

Self-Requested Ban
Banned
Dec 9, 2017
1,889
shadowhaxor

shadowhaxor

EIC of Theouterhaven
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
1,728
Claymont, Delaware
Hey Please said:
How is this NOT illegal?
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Because there's no regulation on this. There's nothing in place to say a person can't buy as many things as they want, using whatever tools. As mentioned, retailers don't care, as long as the goods are sold. And let's be honest, Sony nor Microsoft care either. They're making their money. The most anyone can do is just wait. Don't pay the scalpers the price they want and they'll either have to drop the pricing, eventually selling it for a reasonable price.

When you think about it, e-commerce is still pretty my the wild west.
 
shadowhaxor

shadowhaxor

EIC of Theouterhaven
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
1,728
Claymont, Delaware
ghostcrew said:
It's pretty hard to make the right to buy a product and then to sell it on illegal.
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I'm guessing what is being implied is using the bots to purchase the stuff. It's not like stores can't implement captcha to stop them. They just don't want to. Another angle to this is what if those consoles don't sell and Sony or MS don't make money back via software. I wonder if that does something to make them look at other ways of selling the consoles. But then again, it's not just their problem.

As long as someone is able to buy the product and someone is willing to purchase it from them, the cycle will continue.
 
Hey Please

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
Shifty360 said:
How is it? Whats illegal about buying things?
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shadowhaxor said:
Because there's no regulation on this. There's nothing in place to say a person can't buy as many things as they want, using whatever tools. As mentioned, retailers don't care, as long as the goods are sold. And let's be honest, Sony nor Microsoft care either. They're making their money. The most anyone can do is just wait. Don't pay the scalpers the price they want and they'll either have to drop the pricing, eventually selling it for a reasonable price.

When you think about it, e-commerce is still pretty my the wild west.
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ghostcrew said:
It's pretty hard to make the right to buy a product and then to sell it on illegal.
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Scalpers are essentially reselling products at exorbitant rates meant originally for individuals by retailers via utilization of bots to jam internet traffic and ensure that no person, unless they are very lucky, would be able to get access to any and all available listing. So, let me take a step back and say that while it is
"not illegal"... it is unethtical AF. And there ought to laws to prevent people from employing abusive tactics like this.

We are in the midst of a fucking pandemic where income is already tight AF for a lot of people who were looking to buy the console for the MSRP and they got utterly shafted by these degenerate assholes.
 
ghostcrew

ghostcrew

The Shrouded Ghost
Administrator
Oct 27, 2017
30,351
Tahnit said:
There needs to be legislation against this shit. Enough is enough.
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Other industries (the music industry and the black market of concert ticketing says hi) have trying to get legislation to hinder scalping for literal years. Nobody gives a shit. The government don't care.

A month or two of PS5s being sold at inflated prices isn't going to push the issue on anymore. Estimations suggest that 30-40% of every ticket sold for major touring artists is to scalpers. That's a 24/7 industry. It's been happening every day of the year since forever.

Console scalpers selling a console for double the price once every 7 years is seriously small fry.
 
Shifty360

Shifty360

Alt-Account
Banned
Sep 3, 2020
818
Hey Please said:
Scalpers are essentially reselling products at exorbitant rates meant originally for individuals by retailers via utilization of bots to jam internet traffic and ensure that no person, unless they are very lucky, would be able to get access to any and all available listing. So, let me take a step back and say that while it is
"not illegal"... it is unethtical AF. And there ought to laws to prevent people from employing abusive tactics like this.

We are in the midst of a fucking pandemic where income is already tight AF for a lot of people who were looking to buy the console for the MSRP and they got utterly shafted by these degenerate assholes.
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Agree with everything you said, I was just stating the facts as they stand.
 
Jinaar

Jinaar

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,299
Edmonton AB
If I used USD costs and only put on a $300 increase to each PS5, these blokes make an easy $1,000,000 against 3500 systems.
 
Mr_F_Snowman

Mr_F_Snowman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,879
NAFEDUDE said:
...does the fact they have thousands of members to begin with not concern you?
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My point went completely over your head. This article is this group using this opportunity to pump numbers to their subscription service with free publicity. Sites like hotukdeals, have millions of members (free) and threads about PS4 availability / stock checking are subscribed to by tens of thousands reams of which will be scalpers using it to secure numbers of units that would dwarf this

Why give this group of utter shit heels the publicity is my point when any stock checking site literally performs the same function - the only good that would come from this article is more money for the people doing the most to encourage scalpers - that doesn't bother you? The article should never name these people and advertise their fucking service is my point
 
lostconst

lostconst

Member
Oct 27, 2017
634
Hey Please said:
Scalpers are essentially reselling products at exorbitant rates meant originally for individuals by retailers via utilization of bots to jam internet traffic and ensure that no person, unless they are very lucky, would be able to get access to any and all available listing. So, let me take a step back and say that while it is
"not illegal"... it is unethtical AF. And there ought to laws to prevent people from employing abusive tactics like this.

We are in the midst of a fucking pandemic where income is already tight AF for a lot of people who were looking to buy the console for the MSRP, and they got utterly shafted by these degenerate assholes.
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I mean, price gouging laws exist for essential items (like toilet paper), but a console isn't crucial. Pandemic or not, people don't need one. Don't get me wrong, it sucks and should be shamed, but nothing forces anyone to purchase it. Making it illegal would be silly.
 
Exile20

Exile20

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,054
Hey Please said:
Scalpers are essentially reselling products at exorbitant rates meant originally for individuals by retailers via utilization of bots to jam internet traffic and ensure that no person, unless they are very lucky, would be able to get access to any and all available listing. So, let me take a step back and say that while it is
"not illegal"... it is unethtical AF. And there ought to laws to prevent people from employing abusive tactics like this.

We are in the midst of a fucking pandemic where income is already tight AF for a lot of people who were looking to buy the console for the MSRP and they got utterly shafted by these degenerate assholes.
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So it is not illegal then plus it is a big ticket luxury item, not bread. Chill out.
 
ghostcrew

ghostcrew

The Shrouded Ghost
Administrator
Oct 27, 2017
30,351
Kyonashi said:
And here I am with my box of cat food.
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😔

If it makes you feel any better, my cat would absolutely love you and positively doesn't give a shit about my new consoles. If anything she's annoyed because she would sit on my One X because it was warm but she can't sit on top of the Series X or the PS5.
 
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