Cold Irony As PlayStation 5 Scalpers Slash Prices In Desperate Bid To Unload Consoles

Now that the modern gaming console shortage is effectively over, won't someone think of the poor scalpers? Hopefully not—if they get stuck with thousands of dollars in unsold inventory, well, that's just too bad. Of course, that's easier said then done if you happen to stumble upon a particularly good deal and are in the market for a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S.

They're out there, as a user on Reddit recently highlighted. The user posted a couple of mobile screen grabs of a listing titled "CHEAP PS5 SALE!!" that shows the price having been reduced from $450 to $400. That's presumably for the Blu-ray model, given the claim that the seller is letting the systems go for less than their retail value.


"Had ordered a lot of PS5s but now I need to get rid of them due to I need to pay off my University tuition and residency. Just letting them go for below retail," the listing reads.

All we have to go on are the screenshots from a Facebook Marketplace listing rather than the actual listing itself. One of the pictures shows both the Blu-ray and disc-less versions, with the former carrying a $499.99 MSRP and the latter priced at $399.99 by Sony.

We took a look on eBay and prices are all over the place, depending on the condition (new, used, refurbished, and/or partially broken). Several of the listings also carry inflated shipping fees, which is a common way to dodge part of eBay's commission on the selling price.

The best deal out there right now is the PlayStation 5 - God of War Ragnarok bundle. Normally priced at $559.99, you can snag it for $509 on Amazon right now. That's only $9 more than the standalone console and it comes with a game worth $69.99 (though you can find it for $46.33 through Amazon Warehouse).

Here's a snapshot of the current console landscape...

• PlayStation 5 + God of War Ragnarok Bundle: $509 at Amazon
• PlayStation 5: $499.99 at Amazon
• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition + God of War Ragnarok Bundle: $459 at Amazon
• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: $399 at Amazon
• Xbox Series X: $499.99 at Amazon
• Xbox Series X + Forza Horizon 5 Bundle: $559 at Amazon
• Xbox Series X + Diablo IV Bundle: $559.99 at Amazon (preorder)
• Xbox Series S + Redfall: $369.98 at Amazon (preorder)
• Xbox Series S + Fortnite & Rocket League Bundle: $259.99 at Dell
• Xbox Series S Holiday Console: $249.99 at Target