Sony has enabled would-be buyers to purchase a PS5 directly from the company instead of relying on retailers who are vulnerable to scalpers and other supply shortages.
The latest nextgen consoles the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have both been the target of individuals who buy up supply of the console and resell at an inflated price in a practice known as “Scalping“.
Scalping is when retail consumers purchase an item in the hopes of reselling it beyond the MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price). Products with notably limited supplies are particularly vulnerable to this practice.
The supply shortages have created a culture where fans are constantly remaining vigilant about when and where new supplies of consoles will drop, with shipments to national retailers now becoming headlines unto themselves.
Buyers will note that this first party purchasing from Sony is also not without its flaws. Registration will only enable a buyer the “opportunity” to buy a PS5 console, speculatively putting registrants in a lottery pool.
While this method is less stressful, since scalpers can’t simply beat their competition to the store in order to buy their stock, that doesn’t mean the process is immune to them. After all, there’s no way to know if the person buying a console through Sony is a scalper or an innocent buyer.
Supply shortages have wracked much of the technology industry in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Chip shortages have created a bottleneck at almost all levels of manufacturing when it comes to computer parts and consoles.
While this is far from a perfect solution, here’s hoping that more buyers will be able to purchase consoles without relying on inflated second-hand prices.