A player gets the PS5 Pro really cheap. There is a sales practice of large retailers behind it. And the player benefits from it.
A player reports on Reddit that he purchased the PS5 Pro for only $524. As proof, he shows not only a photo of the MSRP of the PS5 Pro but also his receipt. And indeed, he is correct that he only paid the equivalent of 500 euros for the PS5 Pro. The user uploaded the receipt as proof on Imgur.
Broken seal on the packaging makes PS5 Pro cheaper
What is the “trick” behind it? The original packaging of the PS5 Pro is sealed. If the seal is already broken, it means the package has already been opened.
When opened packages are sold in stores, they are usually checked returns: The manufacturer/seller has checked the console once and then returned it to the market. In Germany, warranty and liability remain unaffected by this.
Some companies, in this case Walmart, offer a discount on such returns because they are no longer considered new goods in the true sense. For this reason, the user had to pay only $524.25 on Reddit for the PS5 Pro. This translates to approximately 500 euros. The user explains himself (via Reddit.com):
The manager [of the store] adjusted the price and put on a new sticker when I pointed out that the seal was broken. The sale sticker was printed on the device that his phone was plugged into. But hey, feel free not to believe me. I’m playing the cheapest PS5 Pro in Missouri tonight.
That sounds very cheap at first, but one should consider that the console is sold in the USA with significantly lower taxes. In Missouri, the sales tax is 4.225%. In Germany, the price would therefore be around 600 euros. However, that is still 200 euros less than the PS5 Pro officially costs in Germany or Europe.
The community reacts cautiously: Some congratulate the user on his good luck in getting the PS5 Pro so cheaply. Others claim that the whole thing is just made up. However, the user tries to refute this by uploading not only a picture of the reduced price but also the receipt. In general, receipts can also be forged, but for a Reddit post, that would likely be too much effort.
PS5 Pro seems cheaper in the USA because of missing taxes
Is it worth ordering a PS5 Pro in the USA? No, not really. At first glance, the PS5 Pro seems cheaper since it costs $700 in the USA and that translates to only 628.51 euros. However, this price does not include taxes and other fees.
MeinMMO has calculated for you what it would cost in total to order a PS5 Pro in the USA. With customs and import fees, you will end up paying more than if you simply ordered the PS5 Pro from Amazon or another retailer: Is it worth buying a PS5 Pro in the USA, which costs 170 euros less there?
