UK Parliament are now calling for political action against turn ridiculous profits in the early days of the new console generation at the expense of those who wish to acquire one from a legitimate outlet for the actual retail price.
Some of the larger-but-equally-shady scalping operations have even landed bigger stocks than most genuine retailers, which proves to be a headache for consumers since these groups tend to resell their PS5s and Xbox Series X/S consoles at over double the already hefty price that retailers are asking for. Additionally, some players are reporting getting something other than the new gaming system they wanted if they do decide to go with these less-than-reputable markets, and muggers are even using claims of selling new consoles as bait to lure robbery victims.
Now, it seems that things have escalated to the point where world governments in places like the United Kingdom are stepping in and calling for action to deal with this growing issue. According to VGC, six Scottish National Party MPs have brought forward an Early Day Motion to address video game console scalpers to the UK Parliament yesterday. This motion would suggest introducing legislation to prohibit the reselling of systems like the PS5 and Xbox Series X “at prices greatly above Manufacturer’s Recommended Retail Price," as well as banning the resale of goods purchased through the use of automated bots. So far, this motion has been signed by nine MPs, who have noted the similarity between the measures being called on to those employed to prevent the scalping of venue tickets.
Some of the online scalping groups that this Early Day Motion would address have tried to defend their actions by claiming that their are just “trying to put food on the table” in these difficult financial times, though this has been met with a healthy dose of skepticism due to the large about of money one would need to be able to purchase such a large number of new consoles in such a short time. Meanwhile, some players have been taking their own actions against scalpers as far back as the pre-order phase of the new console generation by posting negative reviews and warnings on their websites alongside some humorous fake listings.
It isn't yet clear how far the UK government's proposals will go in combating online scalpers, but it does give players some hope that the ongoing problem of new gaming consoles being snatched in bulk and resold for ridiculous prices might be reduced in the near future. In the meantime, players should be advised not to purchase PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X consoles from these secondhand retailers, not only for fear of a broken or outright missing product without a warranty, but to avoid ing the people who perpetuate these potentially soon-to-be-illegal operations.
Source: VGC
