Scalpers Are Struggling To Resell the PlayStation 5 Pro Because It's in Stock at Most Retailers 47
Scalpers attempting to profit from Sony's new PlayStation 5 Pro are struggling to sell units above retail price, as widespread availability dampens resale prospects. The $699 console, launched this week with enhanced graphics capabilities, remains in stock at major retailers across the United States and Europe. eBay listings show PS5 Pro units selling below the manufacturer's suggested retail price, with some auctions starting at $640.
While isolated listings reach $2,300, most hover near retail value. UK scalpers face similar challenges, offering units at or below the $900 retail price. Even in Sony's home market of Japan, where availability is tighter, resellers on Mercari barely break even after platform fees and shipping costs. The situation marks a sharp contrast to the original PS5's 2020 launch, when widespread shortages led to significant markups. Only the console's external disc drive, priced at $79.99, commands premiums up to $130 on secondary markets.
While isolated listings reach $2,300, most hover near retail value. UK scalpers face similar challenges, offering units at or below the $900 retail price. Even in Sony's home market of Japan, where availability is tighter, resellers on Mercari barely break even after platform fees and shipping costs. The situation marks a sharp contrast to the original PS5's 2020 launch, when widespread shortages led to significant markups. Only the console's external disc drive, priced at $79.99, commands premiums up to $130 on secondary markets.
Obligatory ... (Score:5, Funny)
... HA-ha [tenor.com]
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Which part did you like the best?
Scalpers are scum (Score:2, Interesting)
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It's easier to get a quick buck if you go hunting in the forest during buck hunting season.
"Make money fast" (Score:2)
I tell everyone who wants to "make money fast" to get a job with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing [bep.gov].
RIP Above-MSRP (Score:2)
Ah, nothing says fiscal recovery quite like a market unable to push consumer crapware above MSRP.
Wait until Black Friday hardly represents its fiscal namesake by December, and they start cutting prices further just in time for Christmas despera, er I mean season.
Re:RIP Above-MSRP (Score:4, Interesting)
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I think you're reading into this way too much when the more simple explanation is that the PS5 Pro is perceived as a poor value and that there aren't enough customers who want to buy one at the $700 MSRP much less at a price above that. Had it been priced at $500 or had more demand among consumers, then you could expect to see people paying the scalpers markup. Trying to tie this to some larger point about financial recovery comes off as misguided to me.
Its hardly misguided or even unexpected when this kind of new-console-release scalping crap has literally turned into tradition.
Yes. We can tie it to the bigger picture of fiscal conservatism. Otherwise explain why this aftermarket console re-sell tradition is quite dead. Along with the above-MSRP car market. Hell yes it needed to die. Not everything needs to be hawked, sold, re-sold, and scalped as some kind of “limited” availability no matter what COVID supply chains taught Greed.
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Otherwise explain why this aftermarket console re-sell tradition is quite dead.
A supply and demand surplus
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Otherwise explain why this aftermarket console re-sell tradition is quite dead.
Simple: Sony priced the PS5 Pro on the high end this time around, so the number of people willing and able to pay it is low.
This does not show fiscal recovery - It shows consumers who want the unit don't have enough money or Sony got too greedy in their pricing and set the price of the good far too high and then produced so many units the scalpers are not able to burn through the supply on their own.
I would bet even the purcha
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I think the explanation is simpler: people are happy with the PS5 and don't see any need for a Pro version. Unless you have an 8K TV and hate having to settle for upsampled 4K graphics, there just isn't much benefit.
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People who wanted a PS5 bought one already. People who were looking at the PS5 being too expensive were hoping for the PS5 Pro to push PS5 prices downward so they could buy a PS5.
Unfortunately, this isn't happening, and it's resulting in PS4 sales being quite strong as the affordable option.
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Why would I need a PS5 Pro? I already have a PS5, and PS5 Pro barely adds anything.
PS5 Pro actually takes something away, namely a built-in optical drive. So a user pays more up front for the console, and then another 80 bucks after the fact if he or she needs a drive. So I'm with the folks who think the Pro is rather pointless.
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They took the most failure prone part of the device and made it an optional attachable part instead of a built in part. You're not losing anything.
And of course you pay more up front. That's the whole point. This isn't the mass market product, it's a higher end product for people willing to pay more.
We're gonna need a smaller violin... (Score:5, Funny)
We're gonna need IBM scientists to fashion a tiny violin out of Zenon atoms.
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No, we don't have to feel sorry at all.
For now... Re:We're gonna need a smaller violin... (Score:1)
... this artistic rendering [reddit.com] and this working-but-not-microscopic micronium [gizmodo.com] will have to do for now.
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"fashion a tiny violin out of Zenon atoms."
There is an element called Xenon but since its a noble gas, you're not going to make anything out of it.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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The key to maintaining a Xenon violin is to keep it in a cool, dry place.
As in 5 degrees Kelvin.
Oh no. (Score:2)
Oh no.
fuck humans (Score:1)
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BTC sellers are eating well right now. Unlike console scalpers.
Good. (Score:3)
This is what it's going to take for scalper dipshits to stop hoarding launch supply and jacking up prices - actually having sufficient quantity of product available at launch rather than artificial scarcity.
I hope they all lose shitloads of money on their blind speculation and think twice next time.
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This is what it's going to take for scalper dipshits to stop hoarding launch supply and jacking up prices - actually having sufficient quantity of product available at launch rather than artificial scarcity.
I hope they all lose shitloads of money on their blind speculation and think twice next time.
I'd wager that it's more a case of the PS5 Pro not selling. The demand for an overpriced minor update to a console just isn't there.
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More like an overpriced minor update to a console that just isn't selling too well anymore - PS4 sales are still robust and most people have trouble justifying a PS5 - there aren't many PS5 exclusives and most don't provide tremendous update value.
A lot of people are sticking with the PS4 - they were hoping the PS5 Pro would push PS5 prices down so they can go out and buy a PS5
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I hope they all lose shitloads of money on their blind speculation and think twice next time.
They won't. They will return the consoles to the retailers they ordered from before the return window closes.
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This is the part that a lot of people miss. They lose nothing but time and maybe delivery costs. And that's what's adding to current surplus. Scalpers see that product doesn't sell, and return it early. Voila, supply available at the retailer.
FTW (Score:3)
disk drives for the FTW, o wait
Food (Score:2)
60% of households are having trouble affording groceries.
This ain't 2019 anymore. Still 79 days until the wars end.
Re: Food (Score:2)
In other words... (Score:2)
Good (Score:2)
These assholes are a plague.
Huh (Score:1)
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I rarely spend $700 on a multipurpose desktop computer.
Yeah, but it won't play "new" games well either. (Have APUs caught up in performance enough to justify not spending on a nominal video card?) On the cheap 1080p monitor. Or transcode rapidly. Or do 3D modeling rapidly (if you're into 3D printing).
lol. (Score:2)
reminds me of all the covid scalpers who tried to return sheds full of TP and hand sanitizer to stores when they couldn't resell them.
Stores told them to pound sand.