Scalpers have reportedly cleared off fresh PlayStation 5 restock in a U.K. retail store even before they were even placed for sale.
The demand for Sony’s next-gen gaming console is off the roof. There’s truly a big issue right now on its supply and demand. This is why everyone is on the lookout for the next PlayStation 5 restock.
Of course, the playing field for nabbing a PS5 is not totally fair, with alleged scalpers wiping off retailer stores’ inventory before other people even get a chance. This is what supposedly happened recently with Argos in the U.K.
Scalpers found a loophole?
With IGN first to report, it was found out that a few individuals were able to order and purchase PS5 consoles a day (on January 25) before it went live online on Argos’ website and mobile app.
Because of this, so many regular customers faced tons of issue in the early hours of January 26. Both the website and app were “buggy.” Also, there was a lesser stock count than expected.
Yesterday, a UK scalping group used a loophole to buy up stock of PS5 consoles the day before they were meant to go on sale, causing more issues for frustrated shoppers. https://t.co/BOW7dCxOcr pic.twitter.com/Kl8LoWWdM4
— IGN (@IGN) January 26, 2021
AS it turns out, a scalping group, known as Express Notify, found a loophole that enabled the group to obtain shared links where users can order the PS5 from Argos before everyone else — before the sale even went live.
Per the same news outlet, this group is a “paid-for Discord server.” They even publicly took credit for what they have done. In their official Twitter account, they retweeted the gratitude shown by their customers.
Always creating & innovating!😊
Perks of having great inhouse developers! https://t.co/axqHpOOJTY
— Express Notify (@ExpressNotify) January 25, 2021
Argos’ response to the PlayStation 5 restock issue
Per Eurogamer, Argos has already responded to this issue. A spokesperson told the media outlet that they were aware of the situation but “had currently sold out.”
In a statement the retailer chain said:
“It’s clear our customers are excited for the new PlayStation. We released a small amount of additional stock and have seen huge numbers of customers trying to place their orders with us and we have now sold out.”
“Any rogue links” from the said loophole has already been shut down, says Gamespot.
Unfortunately, several of the PS5 units had already been ordered and collected by the time of the loophole discovery.
Scalping PS5 has been rampant since its release. It can be remembered that Sony warned the public that they’ll release a limited number of console units, at first. This led to opportunists to order in bulk and resell the units for a high price.
Featured image courtesy of PlayStation/YouTube Screenshot