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Since the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S, stories of third-party scalping groups and outrageous pricing have made headlines, and it is often felt that little has been done to prevent this practice. But today’s scalping story ends somewhat differently, as a group that boasted of having secured 1,000 Xbox Series X orders found them all canceled.
The scalping group, the same one that claimed to have ordered 2,500 PS5s at launch, posted on social media yesterday that it had secured “over 1000+” Xbox Series X consoles from a “well-known online retailer.” The scalping group charges a monthly subscription of £ 29.99 (or a lifetime membership of £ 399.99) for its members to obtain information on how to carry out the scalping themselves and reportedly uses bots to automatically find cheap prices. and complete bulk purchases. The group claimed to have notified its members of a replenishment at the retailer and urged its followers to purchase a subscription for the information.
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Can anything be done to stop PS5 and Xbox Series X resellers?
The retailer in question was apparently Very, which typically limits console purchases to one per address. It seems likely that the reseller group was able to find a way around this restriction – but unfortunately for the resellers, the company has now canceled all orders.
“As a result of a technical error, some people were able to place orders for the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles for a short time on Sunday,” Very told Sky News. “However, these items are not for sale and affected customers have received notice that orders have been canceled. We apologize for the confusion caused.”
A couple of legitimate customers claim to have been swept up in the confusion, but Very has promised a refund for most customers within 48 to 72 hours.
According to Sky News, Very did not confirm if it currently has next-gen consoles in stock. Even if the massive order was only possible due to a technical slip, it’s quite fun to see the scalping group defeated at their own game. This time, at least.
Retailers are often reluctant to discuss the issue of scalping, but you may recall that Currys used its own unique brand of anti-scalping measures by temporarily raising console prices by £ 2,000 and giving customers a voucher of £ 2000. It was probably used as a way to allow legitimate customers to complete their purchases without the website being invaded by bots. Talk about a bot rescue mission.
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