For the last few months, PlayStation 5 resellers have made life miserable for would-be console owners. As a result, those buying the consoles in order to flip them for much higher prices have received quite a bit of hatred from PlayStation fans, with some even reporting death threats. However, these resellers believe that they are simply misunderstood. In an effort to improve their reputations, a pair of PS5 resellers spoke to Forbes to share their side of the story. The first, named Jordan, attempted to explain why they believe it’s okay to resell the console at such a significant profit.
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“Essentially every business resells their products. Tesco, for example, buys milk from farmers for 26p or so per litre and sells it on for upwards of 70p per litre. No one ever seems to complain to the extent as they are currently doing towards ourselves,” Jordan told Forbes.
Of course, supermarket chains don’t use bots to make sure that they have the exclusive ability to sell milk, which is exactly what resellers like Jordan are doing. In fact, the UK is currently considering an outright ban on the scalping of video game consoles, as they fear it could “grow across other important goods and services this year.” Left unchecked, certain goods could become just as hard to come by.
While some resellers attempt to rationalize the practice by drawing comparisons, others have attempted to showcase the potential benefits. Another reseller by the name of Regan told Forbes that these resell groups “can help people make some extra money for themselves.”
“We do a lot for charity as well. I myself or collectively as a group donate to charity almost monthly at this point,” Regan told Forbes. “Most notably over the past month we donated a large portion of our membership fees to a foodbank local to me.” Forbes notes that Regan did not specify which charities were provided donations.
It will be interesting to see when the situation surrounding PS5 consoles improves. Sony is clearly struggling to keep up with demand, and resellers are exacerbating that problem. In the long run, that’s hurting the PlayStation brand, and it’s hurting gamers that can’t afford to pay what these groups are charging.
Are you still trying to purchase a PS5? What do you think of resellers that are flipping PS5 consoles? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
