If you want to buy a PS5 console on eBay, you have to dig deep into your pockets. Prices from €700 to €1,000 are not uncommon.
What’s going on eBay? Currently, many players are looking for deals to purchase Sony’s new PlayStation 5. Here and there, new consoles are arriving at retailers again. As on December 3rd in the 4th wave of the PS5.
However, the offers are limited and sold out within minutes.
The unfortunate part? People who managed to grab one of the coveted game consoles during the console shortage are selling them on eBay. They take them away from those who simply want to play and hold them out for sometimes more than double the purchase price.
Thus, the PS5 was offered on eBay for up to €2,500, five times the original price. Many gamers and also readers here on MeinMMO demand therefore that these traders put a stop to the gouging prices.
What do the offers look like?
This is what eBay shows: If you simply search for “PS5” on eBay, you will find numerous offers there. If you sort by “newly listed”, you’ll see consoles that were bought today, on December 3rd, and are already being put “in the bay”.
Some of these will only be available for delivery from December 19th.
In these offers, there is no secret that the consoles are still in their original packaging and even sealed. It is often clearly stated that the buyers are still waiting for the arrival of their order and want to resell it directly.
In the auctions, you can read sentences like:
“Bought at a well-known electronics retailer. Delivery is scheduled for December 18th. Shipping will occur no later than the next working day after receipt of payment via DHL.”
“The PS5 has just arrived, so NOW available”
“The delivery date confirmed by the Expert online shop is in KW 51. Therefore, this is the last opportunity to get a PS5 before Christmas.”
“The PS5 was only unpacked and tested for functionality – immediately available!”
For many people who simply want to play PS5, this is a problem. Because these “resellers” buy the console just to sell it at a higher price. Since they are unavailable from the big retailers, they exploit the scarcity.
What does eBay say about it? These “problems” surrounding the trade of the PS5 are not new. We already reported on this on November 25th. At that time, players were already calling on eBay to ban the gouging prices.
Subsequently, we from MeinMMO inquired at eBay and asked for a statement on the matter. They told us on November 25th that eBay had already responded this year with a new guideline regarding price gouging. However, this only applies to necessary items or things for daily needs.
We place great emphasis on reasonable pricing and ensure that current developments are always in line with eBay policies. Where this is not the case, we will take appropriate action. This year, we have introduced a guideline for price gouging.
This guideline applies exclusively to items considered necessary or items for daily needs, and only these items can be reported as price gouging. Since the PlayStation 5 does not meet the necessity of daily needs and no emergency is being exploited, this guideline does not apply here.
Response from eBay to the inquiry from MeinMMO
Those who were lucky enough to snag a console during the 3rd wave of the PS5 on Amazon may now have an email from the retailer in their inbox. Amazon brings good news about the delivery date of ordered PlayStation 5 consoles.
