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PS5 scalpers "just try and help others" and "do a lot for charity" as UK politician calls for a scalping ban

Apparently, some of the money made from PS5 scalping goes to charity. (Image source: VGC/Similar png - edited)
Apparently, some of the money made from PS5 scalping goes to charity. (Image source: VGC/Similar png - edited)
PlayStation 5 scalpers have made a misjudged effort in regard to changing the gaming public’s overwhelmingly negative opinion of their activities. Those involved with PS5 scalping have claimed that the bad press surrounding them is unjustified. A British politician has put forward a Private Members’ Bill to ban retail bot use and console scalping.

An article from Forbes has given PS5 scalpers the opportunity to try to do something about their overall negative image. While it seems many see them as profiteering anti-gamers who are simply taking advantage of the popularity and scarcity of Sony’s new console, the scalpers themselves would rather be portrayed as offering a much-needed service. The co-founder of a scalping group called The Lab, who was only named as Jordan, said that “all we are acting as is a middleman for limited quantity items”, while completely ignoring the fact that a gamer should be able to buy the PS5 directly from Sony or an official retailer without having the price tag doubled by such an ultimately unnecessary “middleman”.

Further pleas for understanding the complex world of the PS5 scalper are given later in the article, with the interviewee claiming “I mainly just try and help others now, that’s all that really matters to me”. It appears scalpers are making so much money from snatching up so many PS5 consoles with cutting-edge bots such as Velox that they can give some of their profits back to charity: “We do a lot for charity as well. I myself or collectively as a group donate to charity almost monthly at this point.” So next time a gamer gets so tired of being beaten to a PS5 purchase by an automated bot and has to resort to buying from a scalping group, at least they can feel some small measure of content that part of the 100% or so mark-up they are paying out is going to a good cause.

There’s even some blame going from the scalpers to the retailers because the latter “release stocks at stupid times” – so the PS5 scalpers are letting gamers enjoy a few more hours in bed and only asking for a few hundred $/€/£ in return. Unsurprisingly, the situation has reached the halls of government, with the British MP Douglas Chapman putting forward the Gaming Hardware (Automated Purchase and Resale) Bill 2019-21. This bill’s goal is “to prohibit the automated purchase and resale of games consoles and computer components; and for connected purposes,” which would make scalping illegal if it was passed. But it must be remembered, it’s uncaring retailers releasing stock at the worst times that makes the PS5 scalper’s service an “incredibly valuable industry”, at least according to those offering the console for twice its MSRP.

Check Amazon for PS5 stock

Scalpers use bots like Velox for consoles and other goods. (Image source: Forbes)
Scalpers use bots like Velox for consoles and other goods. (Image source: Forbes)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 02 > PS5 scalpers "just try and help others" and "do a lot for charity" as UK politician calls for a scalping ban
Daniel R Deakin, 2021-02-12 (Update: 2021-02-12)