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If you want a PlayStation 5 this holiday, scalpers seem to be holding all the stock

If you can wait, don’t support this practice.

Playstation 5 console on table
Image: Sony

If you’ve been anxiously waiting for the PlayStation 5 to get back in stock at MSRP, it’s time for a bit of bad news. Sony doesn’t have any new stock, and won’t have any for some time. Your best bet to get one before the year’s end? Scalpers, who have thousands on-hand, to capitalize on the inflated prices.

Business Insider spoke to one scalper group, which said their members had roughly 3,500 consoles for sale. That group is called CrepChiefNotify, and they “knew where to go before they announced it,” basically saying that insiders at retail outlets are informing them ahead of time when stock is coming in.

Against that level of organization, how is any individual purchaser going to be able to buy one of the popular consoles, like the PlayStation 5? A few retailers have taken steps to limit scalpers and their bots purchasing inventory, but clearly, they’re still beating the system.

It makes sense from the retailer’s side, the cost involved in putting bot-prevention methods is high, with the only benefit being unhappy customers who couldn’t secure their own console in time. The retailer gets paid either way, so they don’t have much incentive, if any, to stop the systems from being gamed in this way.

Groups like CrepChiefNotify use the same methods and subscription models as the “hypebeast” outlets that scalp hard-to-find sneakers and resell them. Purchasing a membership from one of these scalping groups provides benefits like access to the purchasing bots, or preferential purchase spots near the top of the line. They’ve been tracking everything from hot tubs to consoles since the COVID-19 lockdowns started earlier this year, presumably making bank in the process.

If you can wait, don’t give your money to the scalpers, they don’t deserve the huge profit margins. Not to mention that you may end up without a warranty on your new console purchase.

What do you think? Have you managed to secure a PlayStation 5? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.

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