Have you ever purchased from a scalper?

Have you ever purchased from a Scalper?

  • Yes

    Votes: 26 14.7%

  • No

    Votes: 151 85.3%
  • Total voters
    177
Gamer79

Gamer79

Predicts the worst decade for Sony starting 2022
I personally never have and never will. I find the whole process very Slimy. I hate the fact that people use internet bots and camp out at stores and prevent passionate users from getting it without their inflated prices.

So you ask, What's the big deal? It is my money and I can spend it how I like. That is 100% true but unfortunately this behavior hurts us all. How you ask

1. Inflates Prices: Remember $1000 PS5's during the pandemic?
2. It is totally unfair. Even if you as a normal user try to get the item when a website goes live, these assholes use bot programs that buy up all the stock and cheat normal people.
3. Shortages: Instead of in users hands, they are in the scalpers stockpiles. If a console maker counts on selling solftware for money it does little good if scalpers are hoarding stock.
4. Companies are catching on Now: This is a big one. Look what MSI and a couple of 5090 makers just did. They inflated their prices because they figure if the market will pay it, then why not. I think MSI went up $400 on it's 5090 overnight. That means we all pay more!

Maybe you feel different about it but I can't stand the whole operation and out of sure principle I won't support it. It isn't because "I'm Pour" or some dumb shit reason like that. Thoughts?
 
Not exactly a "scalper" but I have purchased rare things from resellers. Though I'm not sure where the line is drawn.

For example, I used to buy a lot of Japanese Club Nintendo stuff (like those dope cloth cases in the DS/3DS era), and I paid out the nose for those. But then again, you could only get them with Nintendo points in Japan, so I'm not sure if that counts.
 
Dacvak said:
Not exactly a "scalper" but I have purchased rare things from resellers. Though I'm not sure where the line is drawn.

For example, I used to buy a lot of Japanese Club Nintendo stuff (like those dope cloth cases in the DS/3DS era), and I paid out the nose for those. But then again, you could only get them with Nintendo points in Japan, so I'm not sure if that counts.
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A scalper is someone who buys a hot item for the sheer intent of just a quick flip (resale).
 
Scalpers, no. I don't like them, never have. I get they can jump on the bandwagon for popular items such as the PS5, but they're getting Karma with the Pro.
 
Nope.

If you realize that you would only be buying out of FOMO and how irrational that is, you can pause, take a step back, and practice patience.

This awareness helped me regain control over my impulses and consciously decide not to buy from scalpers; both for rational and principled reasons.
 
Scalpers are the worst, but I hate people who enable scalpers by paying their prices.

I fucking hate them. I hope everyone on GAF who paid a scalper price for a 5090 has it ends up breaking on them.

Ok, maybe that's harsh, but seriously fuck those who enable scalpers.
 
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HeisenbergFX4 said:
Many times for sporting events and concerts so yeah, often
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I'm glad that's still illegal where I am, although Ticketmaster themselves seem to have ways to get around it.

As far as electronics are concerned, even Amazon and Newegg themselves are getting in on the action.
 
daffyduck said:
I'm glad that's still illegal where I am, although Ticketmaster themselves seem to have ways to get around it.

As far as electronics are concerned, even Amazon and Newegg themselves are getting in on the action.
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Heck even the current GPU suppliers are scalping the 5090s to a degree, no way they should be charging their crazy prices.

While I have purchased a few electronics via scalpers my main reason for buying scalped tickets is its almost always a spur of the moment decision to go to an event and I like to sit close and being a large man at 6' 8" usually the better seats are far more comfortable for me
 
No, I'm not usually so desperate for new products that I'll pay above MSRP.
Sony was sort of scalping the Ps5 themselves in my country with some hilariously inflated prices, I just waited a year until they put it "on sale" for $499.
 
Yup. It's how I got my Switch and my PS5 when we were balls deep in COVID. Both were being sold by guys that had families and had lost their jobs. Didnt mind paying the extra.
 
Yes. I needed a new PS5 controller and the 30th anniversary edition looked so good. I tried to be vigilant and order as soon as the controller was available on Amazon but no luck. Every time I had it in my cart and tried ordering I would get an error.

I'd say I payed around double the price of a normal controller. I figured it would only go up in price as time passes so that's why I got it and it being a limited edition.
 
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I said no but that's actually a lie now that I think about it. I traded my tickets and some cash for better ones at Metallica when i was way younger.

I wouldn't do it now though which is ironic as i had no money then but do now lol.
 
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Nope. I'd rather not get fleeced and ripped off by vultures. I hate them with a passion.

When I go to gigs/concerts touts are always outside trying to flog tickets to desperate people but I've never once bought from one.
 
Sadly yes, one of my friends was desperately looking for a ps5 back when they were inpossible to find so i found a new one for $600 on facebook and bit the bullet.
Sintoid said:
I bought PS5 from Gamestop
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My second ps5 was when the october re-release happened. Had to buy my ps5 with a game or controller. Spent $560

The thing is i dont consider that scalping. Its The opposite. Scalpers arent going to buy the system with the extras because they know theyll just break even and comparatively, i got exactly $560 worth of goodies, not some ridiculous upcharge with no benefits.
 
Yes, I couldn't find a PS5 for a year and ended up buying from one of these monster on ebay for 850$CAN

Then I've also got a Modretro Chromatic for 150$ more than msrp.

I only do this on last resort because I trully despice these people.
 
When I'm used to buy physical media, I use my luck and the little knowledge I have about games to pick from stores, when I made the wrong choices, that's basically scalping to me. I'm way better buying from digital stores. But from buying new hardware, not even once.
 
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Bought a game once above the retail price. It was a limited edition of course, so I was never going to get the retail price more than a year after release.
 
Not really. I purchased a Wii from a would-be scalper who was too dumb to scalp correctly. I missed out waiting in line on launch day so that weekend I checked eBay and found one listed in the wrong category with a starting bid of MSRP. So I bid and won with no other bids. I think the guy lost money because he offered free shipping. But he shipped it all the same. Fair play.
 
A few times for concert tickets but nothing gaming related. I especially don't understand why people will pay twice as much for consoles or PC components that they'll be able to get at MSRP if they just wait.
 
No.
The exception has been sneakers. It can be a crap shoot acquiring certain shoes and have had to resort to Goat/StockX - glorified scalpers.

Anything else i usually plan accordingly and am able to get things retail. Got three PS5s and a Series X at launch cause i stalked preorder times, anticipated listings etc. Most people that get sucked into hype dont do the prework and are more reactive.
 
Screenshot-2025-02-07-112644.png
 
Funny thing - the thing I bought from scalpers was XSX :messenger_tears_of_joy:
Gamer79 said:
So you ask, What's the big deal? It is my money and I can spend it how I like. That is 100% true but unfortunately this behavior hurts us all. How you ask
1. Inflates Prices: Remember $1000 PS5's during the pandemic?
2. It is totally unfair. Even if you as a normal user try to get the item when a website goes live, these assholes use bot programs that buy up all the stock and cheat normal people.
3. Shortages: Instead of in users hands, they are in the scalpers stockpiles. If a console maker counts on selling solftware for money it does little good if scalpers are hoarding stock.
4. Companies are catching on Now: This is a big one. Look what MSI and a couple of 5090 makers just did. They inflated their prices because they figure if the market will pay it, then why not. I think MSI went up $400 on it's 5090 overnight. That means we all pay more!

Maybe you feel different about it but I can't stand the whole operation and out of sure principle I won't support it. It isn't because "I'm Pour" or some dumb shit reason like that. Thoughts?
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You just don't understand the basics of economics.
If demand overweight supply and supply fix their price, shortages bound to happen, and it's *always* will be a middleman who get to buy at lower price to sell at "up-to-demand" price (price-fixing is very situational and super-hard to implement strategy, and it's usually a failure)
The proper solution (and this is how fully market economy goes) - is to temporary increase price to cut-off poor and weak, and when demand or supply catch-up, lower price back. But it paints company in a bad way, so they avoid that, leaving market balancing to outer forces, like scalpers.
 
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I voted no, because I've never resorted to buying from a reseller - just the thought of trying to deal with a return if something went wrong has always been enough to put me off.

But... I feel like I have. Effectively the same result, rewarding similar shitty behaviour. When I promised my son a ps5 as reward for completing a 50-day running streak I had to resort to buying a load of shit games I didn't want and already owned thanks to shopto's forced bundling wank. Something like £200 "worth" of old crap they had clogging their warehouse, still all sat sealed in a box gathering dust. Only thing I've bought from them since is PSN credit because it's the cheapest place around that's not shady af, but won't ever buy hardware/peripherals there again.
 
Microcenter sold me a 3060ti for $649.99 on 02/20/2022
"The MSRP of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at launch was $399. It was released on December 2, 2020. "
 
No piece of technology, or any item in fact, would force me to pay a ridiculous amount over its value. People who do are bonkers. Or have more money than sense.
 
Felessan said:
Funny thing - the thing I bought from scalpers was XSX :messenger_tears_of_joy:

You just don't understand the basics of economics.
If demand overweight supply and supply fix their price, shortages bound to happen, and it's *always* will be a middleman who get to buy at lower price to sell at "up-to-demand" price (price-fixing is very situational and super-hard to implement strategy, and it's usually a failure)
The proper solution (and this is how fully market economy goes) - is to temporary increase price to cut-off poor and weak, and when demand or supply catch-up, lower price back. But it paints company in a bad way, so they avoid that, leaving market balancing to outer forces, like scalpers.
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I 100% understand. Because of the insane scalping as of last few years with every single piece of high demand tech, the retailers are saying Fuck that and now even in retail spaces they are going over MSRP.

Side note: anyone waiting on a 50 series cards at retail are going to go through long shortages. Nvidia makes $400 Billion from Ai and $4 billion from the PC graphic card gaming market. Yes $4 billion is a ton of cash but it's a drop in the bucket compared to their main business. Who do you think they are going to give priority too?
 
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No but I don't blame anyone for doing it. I mean since I've actually taken econ 101 I recognize that scalping is the result of demand outstripping supply and the market correcting itself. (Thinking scalpers cause increases in prices is like thinking wet streets cause rain.) I think I've mentioned that if you go to college/university you really should take econ 101.(But I'm still against requirements in college.)
 
dave_d said:
No but I don't blame anyone for doing it. I mean since I've actually taken econ 101 I recognize that scalping is the result of demand outstripping supply and the market correcting itself. (Thinking scalpers cause increases in prices is like thinking wet streets cause rain.) I think I've mentioned that if you go to college/university you really should take econ 101.(But I'm still against requirements in college.)
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The issue is they swipe up all the little supply and become the new middle man. It's not economics 101 it's common sense 101.
 
Gamer79 said:
The issue is they swipe up all the little supply and become the new middle man. It's not economics 101 it's common sense 101.
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No it's econ 101. It's literally an example of a supply and demand curve. There's numerous videos going over what happens when demand outstrips supply.(IE there's more people wanting a good at a given price than there is a supply of said good.) The market adjusts and the price goes up. I mean complaining about it not being available at the MSRP is basically saying you've never seen what a price ceiling does when said ceiling is below market price.
 
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