PlayStation 5 Drops Down to 4th Spot in Scalper Bots Hit List, For The First Time Since its Release
PlayStation 5 was released in 2020; at that time, most consumer electronics were going through a rough time due to the electronics chip shortages amid the global pandemic. The demand for Sony’s next-gen console was insane, and gamers went wild upon the launch of PlayStation 5.
Which also gave rise to the scalping of the PlayStation 5. Scalpers wiped out whole markets, and shortly after the release of PlayStation 5, it vanished from the market. It was sold at an extra premium by these scalpers and retailers associated with scalpers and scalping bots.
For a reasonable amount of time, PlayStation 5 was on the hit list of scalper bots, maintaining its position in the top 3 targets as long as recently. Netacea, a company that helps brands safeguard their website from scalper bots attacks, released a quarterly research report for Q3 2022, and in this report, PlayStation 5 has fallen to the fourth spot in the scalper bots hit list. As mentioned in the report by Netacea:
The PlayStation 5 dropped one place this quarter to fourth. This is the first time it has not made the top three in our Index, a reflection of the slight reduction in bots targeting the console due to stock increases. However, its resale value has remained stable, with only a 2% drop since last quarter.
The poster child for scalping, the PlayStation 5 release was influential in the expansion of scalping from the primary focus on sneaker bots to the adoption of purpose-built retail bots that target non-footwear eCommerce stores.
You can see the list below of the most in-demand products in the market right now targeted by these bots.
- Adidas Yeezy Slide Bone
- Nike Dunk Low Panda
- Panini Donruss Optic Football Trading Cards
- PlayStation 5
- Jordan 1 Retro Low OG UNC
This is mainly due to the excess supply of consoles after the electronics chip market got stable again. However, the noteworthy points in the reports say scalpers are most likely to continue to target the PlayStation 5 as the resale value is still stable; only a 2% drop was recorded in the resale value since last quarter.
PlayStation 5 still holds an average $647 after-market price on a $500 recommended retail price (RRP) which gives the retailers a 29% markup on each sale of PlayStation 5, which is still quite decent.
Not only that but the sales of PlayStation 5 are also on a growth trajectory. Sony’s recent quarterly financial report revealed that 3.3 million units were sold in Q2 of 2022. And it has also surpassed the 25 million unit sales mark as of September 2022.
Unfortunately, despite the drop in the significance of PlayStation 5 for scalpers, they will continue to target the console until it becomes unprofitable for them in the after-market.
It will be interesting to see how the retailers who buy in bulk from these scalpers will sustain when the supply of PlayStation 5 increases and the price declines, ultimately making the margins of these retailers thin. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comment section below.
