24 million euros: this is what speculators have earned in two weeks thanks to the resale of PS5 and Xbox Series X and S on eBay. An impressive figure, while anger still roars on the side of players who have not yet had the chance to get their hands on the consoles. Despite everything, the practice is not about to stop, as it seems popular with customers.
Since their releases, the prices of PS5 and Xbox Series X soar on eBay. The fault of the speculators who pre-ordered the consoles en masse to be able to resell them at a higher price in the midst of a shortage. This practice grinds the teeth of players, most of whom have yet to get hold of the machines. But just as much as it generates animosity, it is still very popular. Michael Driscoll, data engineer, was able to trace the activity of these resellers thanks to a program designed by him.
The results are clear: since their release until December 3, speculators have earned almost $ 30 million, or 24 million euros with their business and this, only on eBay. We understand better why most of them say they have no regrets. Some even take the practice to the extreme, for example by buying 221 consoles thanks to a bot and then reselling them. We let you take a look at the inspiring data compiled by Michael:
PS5 and Xbox Series X speculation is making huge amounts of money on eBay
They are therefore almost $ 20 million that speculators earned from the sale of PS5, about 54% of total sales made on the auction site. These figures are not really a surprise, given the consoles offered for more than 1000 € on eBay. On the Xbox Series X side, the finding is similar: a little more $ 10 million of profit, either 43% of transactions registered on the platform. We note at the same time the impressive gap between the PS5 and Xbox Series, which can be explained by the delay in production of the latter.
eBay said it is doing its best to fight against speculators. The platform thus hunts for crooks who resell pictures of consoles without being able to avoid scams 100%, such as this buyer who received a concrete block instead of his PS5. The point is that the site does not have high interest to ban speculation, given the commissions it receives on sales. In addition, users themselves do not seem ready to boycott the practice, according to the figures.
Source: PCMag
