The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are currently sold out. But through resale, the next-gen consoles are finding new owners again and again. And here the PS5 is clearly ahead according to an analysis company.
Current availability status of the next-gen consoles: Just before the launch of the next-gen, the new consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are currently sold out. The demand has been enormous – apparently much greater than the supply. And so, despite several waves of pre-orders, not everyone who wanted to secure one of the new consoles at launch was successful.
What is happening with the black market? Numerous units went to so-called scalpers during pre-orders. These are resellers who managed to secure multiple copies of the new consoles and then resell them at inflated prices – for example on the auction platform eBay. And despite the sometimes exorbitant prices, numerous devices have already found new owners there.
Where does the information come from? The information comes from the site ShelfTrend, an analysis company that specializes in data from eBay. They took a closer look at the eBay resales of the (still unavailable) next-gen consoles in the USA and identified a clear trend.
How the PS5 and Xbox Series X are selling on the black market: On eBay, the resales of the PlayStation 5 appear to be almost twice as good as those of the Xbox Series X. Since September, more than 9,300 PS5 pre-orders have changed hands there. For the Xbox Series X, the figure was just under 5,000.
There were also some other interesting data:
- For example, an average of 17.8 bids are placed on a PS5 auction. For the Xbox Series X, it’s 12.3.
- On average, PS5 pre-orders go for 871 USD. For the Xbox, it’s 720 $.
What about restocking? The outlook for the PS5 is not good. Numerous retailers have already made it clear that their allocations are completely exhausted and they will not be accepting any more pre-orders for the foreseeable future. In retail, there will likely be nothing available at release either.
According to PlayStation chief Jim Ryan, however, Sony is working hard to ensure supply for the shopping season at the end of the year.
The situation looks slightly better for the Xbox Series X. There have been more spontaneous restocks, recently for example at MediaMarkt and Saturn – pre-orders could also be made in-store.
In addition, Microsoft has announced that there will be more consoles available at launch on November 10. This may also be a possible reason why fewer gamers feel pressured to buy an Xbox Series X on eBay for an inflated price. Because of the PS5’s availability, i.e., the poorer outlook, the pressure there could ultimately be higher.
