Due to a variety of reasons, it has been exceedingly difficult to get your hands on a PS5 since its launch and the presence of scalpers hasn’t helped at all. Essentially, ‘scalpers’ purchase several consoles with the sole intention of reselling them at a mark-up, and because the issue has become so rampant, Japanese retailers are now using innovating methods to combat it.
Reportedly, several Japanese retailers, most notably GEO and Nojima Denki have begun using innovative tactics to combat PS5 scalpers and resellers. These tactics include writing full name of the buyer on the box at the time of purchase, disposing the Dualsense Controller box, as well as marking it such that reselling becomes an issue.
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Japanese retailers are not playing around with PS5 scalpers anymore
Scalpers have been a major cause for concern for those looking to get themselves a next-gen console as they seemingly off the shelf upon each restock, both offline and online. In Japan, the severity of these issues has reached a point where occasionally, the police have had to intervene in a bid to stop the commotion caused in stores due to the small number of PS5 units available.
Typically, Japanese retailers such as GEO have implemented a lottery system that lets users throw their name in hopes of being selected to buy a PS5 come restock time. This time around, prospective buyers received additional instructions informing them of the anti-scalper methods used by the store. Upon purchase, the PS5 box would be opened up and the DualSense controller pouch will be marked with an “X” to ensure reselling becomes a tad bit more difficult.
It will be interesting to see if retailers in other countries elect to use similar methods to ensure resellers don’t get their hands on the bulk of PS5 stock.
