PlayStation 5 consoles remain an incredibly hot commodity well over a year after the console’s launch. While new consoles generally face supply issues at launch due to high demand, PS5 supply shortages have shown no sign of letting up thanks to a combination of chip shortages, scalpers, bots buying all the stock, and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. PS5 supply is expected to normalize later this year or in 2023, but in the meantime, one of the only ways that fans will be able to get their hands on a console is by purchasing it from a reseller.
PS5 resellers usually mark up the price of the consoles so they can turn a profit. When the PS5 was closer to launch, it wasn’t uncommon to see people flipping the consoles at double the MSRP, and while PS5 resale prices have gone down recently, they’re still much more expensive than if they were purchased from a store. PS5 reselling is also much more dangerous than buying a PS5 from a store for everyone involved, as is the case whenever people buy anything from an online marketplace and meet with strangers.
As reported by Global News, two individuals in Pickering, Ontario, Canada were attempting to sell four PlayStation 5 consoles to someone that they met through an undisclosed social media app on Thursday, January 6. At 7:45pm, the buyer showed up in a grey Nissan Altima being driven by someone else. The buyer then threatened the PS5 resellers with a gun, robbing them at gunpoint and fleeing the scene with all four consoles in tow.
Luckily no one was seriously hurt in this incident, but that hasn’t been the case in the past. There have been numerous incidents where people have been hurt or even killed when attempting to sell or buy video game consoles from strangers they’ve met online. This has been going on for years, well before the PS5 even launched, but there have been multiple reports of people getting hurt when trying to buy or sell Sony’s next-generation console specifically. For example, back in November 2021, a Texas teenager was shot trying to sell a PS5.
Meeting strangers to exchange items and money is always a potentially dangerous activity, and so it’s necessary for people to exercise caution whenever they do it. It’s best to meet in daylight and in a public setting, and it’s also a good idea to bring someone along for strength in numbers. The best and safest place for people to conduct these kinds of sales would likely be in a police station parking lot.
Source: Global News
Photo by David von Diemar on Unsplash
