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UK politicians call for action against PS5 and Xbox Series scalpers

ManaByte

ManaByte

Member
www.videogameschronicle.com

UK politicians call for action against PS5 and Xbox Series scalpers | VGC

MPs motion a debate over resale of consoles and automated bots, which they say should be banned…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com

Six Scottish National Party tabled an Early Day Motion on Monday, calling for legislative proposals “prohibiting the resale of gaming consoles and computer components at prices greatly above Manufacturer’s Recommended Retail Price.”

Early Day Motions are motions tabled by Members of Parliament that formally call for debate in the House to draw attention to particular subjects of interest.

Monday’s motion, which has so far been signed by a total of 15 Members of Parliament, also calls on the UK government to make the resale of goods purchased using automated bots – software favoured by scalpers to circumvent retail queues – an illegal activity.
Click to expand...

 
Blood Borne

Blood Borne

Member
Dumbest thing ever.

So they’re proposing price controls on games?
It’s a fuckin game console not essential like healthcare or water. It’s a luxury. Just wait a few months and the thing will be available everywhere. Just because you can’t find it in stores or can’t afford eBay prices doesn’t mean you should run to daddy government. Talk about privilege and first world problems. LOL.
 
nikeboy94

nikeboy94

Member
This has good intentions but I think it conflicts with the idea that in a few years time, if a console becomes "old & rare", then a high price is justified. Or even just a local person selling their console on gumtree for a higher price as opposed to scalpers selling bucket loads on Ebay. They need to think about this in more detail - maybe impose a restriction for a certain period of time. Because this is only being implemented to combat scalpers during that time period when trying to get electronics (at launch) when the demand is high but supply is low.

Imo, these retailers are more at fault. They need to impose 1-per customer policies for these kinds of goods that do checks on payment information before a purchase is approved. Or some kind of anti-bot system.

Edit: If scalping does get out of hand though, government intervention may be our only choice.
 
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Jtibh

Jtibh

Banned
Well. Its been almost 4 months since preorders went up.
In this time noir sony or microsoft did anything about the scalper situation and they wont for sure.
They dont even have any news on restocking units and how many.

Sure we can wait a few months but frankly its been 4 months already.

I dont mind if the gov goes after this scam.
No one had issue with 4 years of russia russia under trump where demonrats spent all that time and money on a lie
 
Imru’ al-Qays

Imru’ al-Qays

Member
Blood Borne said:
Dumbest thing ever.

So they’re proposing price controls on games?
It’s a fuckin game console not essential like healthcare or water. It’s a luxury. Just wait a few months and the thing will be available everywhere. Just because you can’t find it in stores or can’t afford eBay prices doesn’t mean you should run to daddy government. Talk about privilege and first world problems. LOL.
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with price controls on anything.
 
DonJorginho

DonJorginho

Banned
Imru’ al-Qays said:
There's nothing wrong with price controls on anything.
Click to expand...
He is saying this as he was gloating in a PS5 Pre-Order thread about selling PS5s for insane amounts to people who were desperate for them. He needs scalping to remain legal for his own sake.

My opinion on scalping? I don't have a problem with it as long as it is fair (which it rarely is) and if the scalpers don't gloat (which they mostly do)
 
O

onnextflix5

Member
Spukc said:
what kind of fucked up shit is that hahaha
i own the damn product i can sell it for whatever the hell i want for it
Click to expand...
We dont have problem with individuals like urself, but we talking about scalpers that use bots that buy up hundreds of consoles and sell them at double the price. This is wrong and the law needs to do something about it.
 
lock2k

lock2k

Banned
onnextflix5 said:
We dont have problem with individuals like urself, but we talking about scalpers that use bots that buy up hundreds of consoles and sell them at double the price. This is wrong and the law needs to do something about it.
Click to expand...

There is a simple solution: do not buy overpriced shit from scalpers. Let them rot with their consoles and force them to sell them for the same amount they paid for or even less than that. Stupid consumers enable their existence.
 
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Kuranghi

Kuranghi

Member
AjarFakeEasternglasslizard-size_restricted.gif


*looks at IAM8BIT email that says sold out vinyl game OSTs that are sold 2nd hand for £250 will be rereleased tomorrow for £50 including delivery and import tax to UK*

I genuinely want to buy a lot of them for myself but if they are going to be sold out again an hour later I'm definitely picking up extra copies of the Persona 5 Essential Collection 4xLP Set and the SotC OST, if someone will pay £300 quid for them instead of signing up to the email list and waiting for repressing like I have then I will sell it to their lazy bums.
 
Imru’ al-Qays

Imru’ al-Qays

Member
DonJorginho said:
He is saying this as he was gloating in a PS5 Pre-Order thread about selling PS5s for insane amounts to people who were desperate for them. He needs scalping to remain legal for his own sake.

My opinion on scalping? I don't have a problem with it as long as it is fair (which it rarely is) and if the scalpers don't gloat (which they mostly do)
Click to expand...

Rofl too good
 
Rolla

Rolla

Banned
Blood Borne said:
So they’re proposing price controls on games?
Click to expand...

How did you get from the actual information posted to that? Here in the UK the use of bots in retail purchasing is an illegal act. They're just combining legislation but somehow you got "Price Control on games."

Slight tidbit, in the UK the price of games is in many ways influenced by this retailer.

1-xnrZpc.jpg


Outside of RRP that is set by the publisher.
 
GametimeUK

GametimeUK

Member
It's been happening for years and businesses like StockX are booming because of reselling of sneakers and clothes which are basically scalped items that leave many genuine customers disappointed. What makes the PS5 so special to make this a thing?
 
Iamborghini

Iamborghini

Member
I don’t know if this is a good idea but something need to be done.

With scalpers the first victims in line are gamers, and second it’s the manufacturer. (Because the consoles are not making money with selling game if the console is not used) the only winner I see are the scalpers right know and it’s not good.

For the law they just needs to separate scalpers high priced consoles and legit rare consoles.
 
nyr88nyg

nyr88nyg

Banned
Are they going to ban everything that’s sold for more than it was bought? Because that would be almost everything.
 
Blood Borne

Blood Borne

Member
Imru’ al-Qays said:
There's nothing wrong with price controls on anything.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Government should might as well force everyone to sell their products and services for £1. 🙄
Rolla said:
Here in the UK the use of bots in retail purchasing is an illegal act. They're just combining legislation but somehow you got "Price Control on games."

Slight tidbit, in the UK the price of games is in many ways influenced by this retailer.

1-xnrZpc.jpg


Outside of RRP that is set by the publisher.
Click to expand...
“prohibiting the resale of gaming consoles and computer components at prices greatly above Manufacturer’s Recommended Retail Price.”

That is the textbook definition of price control
 
MrS

MrS

Banned
Should be focussing on getting a trade deal with the EU sorted, not this bullshit. Absolute state of our government is woeful.
 
AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
I'm sure this'll get as far as their proposed porno ban.
 
baphomet

baphomet

Member
Not only can that not ever happen. It will not ever happen.

If they wanted to actually do something they would target the bots and the way purchasing things online works.
 
W

wolywood

Member
Blood Borne said:
Dumbest thing ever.

So they’re proposing price controls on games?
It’s a fuckin game console not essential like healthcare or water. It’s a luxury. Just wait a few months and the thing will be available everywhere. Just because you can’t find it in stores or can’t afford eBay prices doesn’t mean you should run to daddy government. Talk about privilege and first world problems. LOL.
Click to expand...


This. I made a couple of attempts to order a PS5, didn't get one, was kind of disappointed. But I have plenty of other games to play over the holidays so I don't mind waiting a couple of months or whatever until the demand subsides and/or the supply catches up. These are luxury toys and not life essentials, like you said.
 
Last edited:
D

dave_d

Member
It's ironic that these guys, who are economically illiterate, come from Scotland which is the birth place of Adam Smith.
 
Genx3

Genx3

Member
It's not the governments job to control prices.
It's the consumers job by showing self control and not buying things at exorbitant prices.
More so when you're talking about non essential items like video games.
 
lock2k

lock2k

Banned
Genx3 said:
It's not the governments job to control prices.
It's the consumers job by showing self control and not buying things at exorbitant prices.
More so when you're talking about non essential items like video games.
Click to expand...

This. Exactly.

I can understand when people buy tickets to events that are unique and will never happen again like a concert or a sports match. But a console that will be available for years and years to come? Bunch of morons.
 
J

JimmyRustler

Member
onnextflix5 said:
We dont have problem with individuals like urself, but we talking about scalpers that use bots that buy up hundreds of consoles and sell them at double the price. This is wrong and the law needs to do something about it.
Click to expand...
I agree. Free market and all. People can buy and resell all they want. But the usage of bots should be made illegal. Give everyone a fair fair chance.
 
D

dave_d

Member
Genx3 said:
It's not the governments job to control prices.
It's the consumers job by showing self control and not buying things at exorbitant prices.
More so when you're talking about non essential items like video games.
Click to expand...
I would state it more to the point that generally speaking the government can't really control prices and any attempt to do so ends up incurring side effects that often make things worse.
 
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