GAMERS desperate to get their hands on the sold out PlayStation 5 have been left out in the cold AGAIN after scalpers scooped up a restock of the new console before it even went on sale.
A devious online group exploited a loophole on the Argos website to buy up most of the stock before it went live on Tuesday, according to reports.
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The Sun understands that the embarrassing gaffe has now been fixed – but it’s left a sea of frustrated gamers in its wake.
“I’m looking for a ps5 and some people have hacked into your servers and found the checkout link,” one fuming Twitter user wrote in a post directed at Argos.
“What are your thoughts on this? They are purchasing consoles left right and center and normal people don’t have a chance to buy it.”
Another blasted: “PS5 SHAM SHAM SHAM ALL ONLINE RETAILERS ARE A DISGRACE!! THE SCALPERS MUST BE STOPPED!! F**k off @Argos_Online.”
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Scalping groups use automated bots and other underhanded techniques to buy up stock of sought-after items in bulk.
They typically hoard high-priced, low-stock products such as limited edition sneakers or tickets to concerts from the world’s biggest acts.
Last year, the murky groups turned their attention to next-gen consoles hit by a perfect storm of sky-high demand and production issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
One scalper group boasted in November that it had scooped up thousands of PlayStation 5s to sell for profit.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X – when did they launch and how much do they cost?
Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X and its smaller, cheaper sibling, the Series S, on November 10.
The release date covered the UK, US, Australia and a bunch of other countries worldwide.
The disc-free Series S costs £249/$299, while the Xbox Series X comes in at £449/$499.
So how does that compare to the new Xbox’s biggest rival, the PlayStation 5?
The PS5 launch fell on November 12, but not everywhere.
That date only stood for the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
UK gamers had to wait until November 19 to order one of the consoles.
The PS5 proper costs £449.99/$499.99, while the digital edition comes in at £359/$399.
The Sun understands that a technical issue with the Argos website allowed some people to place orders early on Tuesday morning.
Scalpers managed to gain access to product links before they went live to the public, allowing them to purchase the console ahead of time.
It meant that the small amount of additional stock was snapped up by a major scalping group before others could buy a console, IGN reports.
Though Argos began cancelling early orders, pictures shared on social media by members of scalping groups showed them picking up click and collect orders,
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On Twitter, some gamers criticised Argos and other retailers for releasing restocks in the early hours of the morning.
“@PlayStationUK @Sony can you look into why these joke companies keep letting their #ps5 stock go live at 3am so the scalpers can get them and real people can’t,” one Twitter user fumed.
The PS5 sold out within minutes following its worldwide launch in November and has been almost impossible to get hold of since.
Online retailers are sporadically dropping small batches of stock with little warning. They typically sell out at breakneck speed.
Argos customer service reps on Twitter said Tuesday that they have “no confirmed dates” for when new stock is coming.
“We’re working hard to replenish stock of the PS5 at the moment,” the Argos helpers Twitter account wrote on Monday.
An Argos spokesperson told The Sun: “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.”
Retailers such as Game are wising up to scalpers, ensuring that customers can only buy one console at a time and cancelling orders that raise suspicions of bot-like activity.
MPs have called for a ban on scalping after thousands of parents complained of failed attempts to buy their kids a console for Christmas.
Disappointed woman captured how quick Argos’ PS5 re-stock sold out leaving hoards of customers infuriated
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In other news, The Sun’s favourite alternative to a games console is the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset.
Grab a VR headset and you’ll be able to play the legendary Beat Saber – like Guitar Hero, but with lightsabers.
And Dell’s Alienware R10 Ryzen Edition is a gaming PC powerhouse that crushes both the new consoles.
Are you still struggling to get hold of a PS5? Let us know in the comments!
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
