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Scalper group says it has ‘no regrets’ over reselling 3,500 PS5 consoles
- Thread starter CenturionNami
- Start date
This is a reductive representation of people's arguments and only belittles the folks presenting legitimate takes on why they have a problem with scalping.
There is an emphatic difference between profiting off enthusiast's lack of patience and impulse control and 'taking advantage of them.' Taking advantage would imply the buyer has zero control over their decision to buy or not buy the console. This is not an essential item, even if you're a video game enthusiast. More PS5's will come, will be available with more games to play, and chances are high they'll be less likely to have defects. You do not have to buy one now. The fact that game enthusiasts feel this unnecessary obligation to have new consoles at launch is what spawns scalpers like this.
Does it suck for those who won't have one? Absolutely. But those who pay these prices are not "being taken advantage of," they are showing an unwillingness to concede that supplies are dry and they would be better off waiting.
We all want not to be part of the problem, But the reality is there are >>>>>>>3500 rich parents round the world alone who will buy this for their kid, who just needs to have it at any cost. Let alone anyone else who simply can't handle the fomo. It is not fair. Oh well.
this is how I feel about it too, consoles are way too cheap but that's part of the hype yet there's an demand for paying twice the price. Maybe retailers should offer scalp level prices and half or some of it goes to charities or to the workers who assembled our beloved toy.
They didn't buy them, they sell a bot that people subscribe to use.
Yeah what else are they going to say?
Sorry we feel bad we going to give them away?
If they are making these purchases manually and flipping them in the resale market then kudos to them for understanding supply/demand. However these guys are all using bots so f em
Oh fuck that food on the table horseshit. If you could splurge on PS5 consoles, you sure as hell can afford groceries.
"You don't understand, we had to spend $1,750,000 buying PS5s for resale so that we could put food on the table."
Fuck off with that bullshit.
Fuck off with that bullshit.
this. If they are playing the game legit, then kudos. But they aren't so fuck em.
If eBay and others would restrict resale to no more than retail prices this shit would stop.
So wait, is this an actual incorporated business? If they're still operating under the heading a "group", they're going to be in for a rude awakening with the taxman isn't entertained with them operating as retailers.
So I guess I've been meaning to ask in previous threads because I don't really understand: how exactly do bots work in this case if they didn't buy them?
I find this also to be quite a reductive take, if not hyperbolic. We're not talking about a hedge-fund manager playing games with people's pensions or a maniacal corporation running wild on smaller businesses. Those are true, detrimental consequence of unfettered capitalism that affect innocent people. What we're talking about here are exploitative practices that ask enthusiasts to either wait on a new console are pay above market price. Indeed, the PS5 itself is a by-product of capitalism. The thing exists to make money. Because demand is so high along with a target demographic not known for patience, more people are going to be leeching off those profits.
I support your viewpoint, I just worry that these comments can contribute to watering down legitimate criticisms of capitalism as a system. This situation is more representative of the gaming demographic's extreme lack of impulse control than mustache-twirling capitalist fat cats exploiting the little man.
And what has conditioned consumers to have such little impulse control?
I worry that this is a loaded questions but I'll bite:
The individual consumer is solely responsible for their impulses and decisions when it comes to luxury items like a video game console. Adults with the means to afford such an item need to posses the willingness to withstand extreme advertising and community-driven hype, or people will take advantage.
And please note that I'm only talking about luxury items. Those hoarding and scalping essential supplies during a pandemic are horses of a different color.
Pretty sure scalpers still scalped pre-coronavirus. Wonder what their defense was then.
I'm slightly less annoyed by people doing shitty things than I am by them doing shitty things and then being unwilling to admit they're doing shitty things. It's like when people pirate games and then give some long winded response about how they're doing it for some greater good.
I'm slightly less annoyed by people doing shitty things than I am by them doing shitty things and then being unwilling to admit they're doing shitty things. It's like when people pirate games and then give some long winded response about how they're doing it for some greater good.
I guarantee you my flippant dismissal of capitalism towards an issue where flagrant capitalists are lying about their motives on a video game forum that a hedge-fund manager is not even going to read is not fucking "watering down" the issues with capitalism as a whole. Sorry, but a person doesn't always need to be talking about eating billionaires to criticize our shitty system or how awful gaming culture's blind consumerism is.
Same mentality corporations like Apple, MS, Sony etc employ when they overcharge for products simply because they love profits. Expecting them to feel bad about making a profit isn't going to go how you want it to go. If they truly want to be like corporations though, they need to drop the stupid excuses and just be more blatant about wanting to make as much money as they can.
You know that credit cards are a thing, yes?
I'm unemployed at the moment. I've now bought and flipped 4 consoles this month. It's absurdly easy money, and the extra $1200 or so is incredibly helpful as SC unemployment provides a painfully low amount of support.
I agree that they need to figure out ways to stop hoarding but to say they don't benefit anyone is a little narrow minded. They benefit themselves. It's a "job" at the end of the day at the end of the day. It's a dog eat dog world out here. No one is going to hand you anything so if you go out and invest thousands of dollars and people are willing to pay then I literally see no issue with it. It sucks for sure but once again I can't hate the hustle
It's one of those things where I understand why people are upset, people hoarding items in order to resell them for huge profit. But if we're going to go after people for gaining huge profits from questionable ethics, I think there are places where you could make a much bigger dent. Ultimately, these people are small fry even if they're assholes.