Reseller Group Claims It's Bought 3,500 PlayStation 5s To Sell At Inflated Prices

A reseller group in the UK claims to have accrued around 3,500 PlayStation 5s to sell on at inflated prices.

A manager at CrepChiefNotify has revealed the group got its hands on just under 1,000 of the consoles during pre-sales in September, and a load more since they went on general sale last Thursday (19 November).

Speaking to Business Insider, he said: "Our total collective number is 2,472 PS5 consoles across all of our members."

Added to its presale purchases, that takes its total haul to just short of 3,500.

PA

So, how did they do it?

The manager, named Tom, explained that the group 'knew where to go before they announced it', and were 'watching all the sites for when they drop stock' and 'running bots for members to almost 100 percent guarantee at least one PS5'.

He added: "Bot developers have seen the demand rise for next-gen consoles and have changed their focus from being sneaker-focused bots into multi-use bots for electronics too."

CrepChiefNotify is run by 12 employees and charges members a subscription for access to its services, which make it easier to purchase in-demand products, which can then be sold for inflated prices.

One such reseller boasted on Twitter that their bot had 'come through', sharing a photo of more than a dozen of the consoles.

The PS5s subsequently went on to be listed for $1,100 (£823) - more than double the RRP.

PA

But PS5s aren't the be-all and end-all for the group.

Tom said: "During the first Covid-19 lockdown, we noticed a huge shift in products that people were buying.

"The focus shifted towards the most ridiculous things, like outdoor hot tubs. We noticed that these began selling out in stores, and reselling on eBay for a profit.

"So our developer wrote some site monitor software, and we tracked the stock of the sites selling hot tubs! Every time they pinged into stock, we would notify our members to buy it all."

Getting your hands on the new console is proving very difficult, with some Amazon customers receiving pet food instead.

Kirsty

@oopssimafan

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Thanks @AmazonUK for sending me this instead of the ps5 I ordered. And then telling me sorry, we can't send you the item you actually ordered because we ran out. So you're gonna have to wait over 10 days for a refund. Absolute shambles

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An Amazon spokesperson told LADbible it was investigating the matter.

Topics: PlayStation 5, GAMING, UK News, Technology

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey