A Group Of British Politicians Want To See Console Scalpers Banned

Great news, likely the largest scalpers are organized crime anyway so I see why they are interested.

This would be fantastic, as it may get the U.S. government to actually get off their @$$?! to do it too. 👍🏻

Just limit it to one per customer. Easier to track if you have to log in like amazon

Part of the solution would be to limited the number people can pre-order and also, after release, allow people to order the item and add themselves to a waiting list/queue for when stock is out.

This completely neutralises the bots. They can’t order up all the stock at 3am when everyone is asleep and those waiting for stock don’t have to keep trying and being disappointed because they can’t click fast enough to order when limited stock is available.

I’d much prefer to place an order now and get my Xbox guaranteed in March than keep trying and failing until then. That’s why I’m not bothering until there is enough stock. I’m too old for this sh...stuff.

@CrazyJF we generally have anti-scalping rules in place for ticket sales in the UK.

It still happens, but they passed some laws a few years back to help reduce it.

@CrazyJF limit it based on an address.

Scalpers can create thousands of emails, they can’t created thousands of addresses.

@CrazyJF it’s been proposed by the SNP. They jump on any bandwagon going.

So an MP can't get a XSX for thier kid/grankid and now they get involved lol

This seems like a silly knee jerk. If I have $700 and want an Xbox then leave that arrangement between me and whomever I choose to do business with. If retailers wish to garner goodwill, they can (will) implement fixes on their end. What a goofy priority.

@CrazyJF yeah that’s true I guess. Maybe people should just be patient until there’s a full restock that way the scalpers would have wasted their own money and be lumbered with an abundance of consoles.

@Zochmenos Nobody's legislating against being able to privately sell a product between two parties at a negotiated price. What they're talking about banning is the bot software that's designed to circumvent regular store limits and accounts and mass-purchase dozens or hundreds of a product. Thus removing them from the market and driving up prices, artificially. It wouldn't affect the people that manage to buy 5 of them in different stores and hulk them on ebay for $1k. It would affect the scalper rings that buy large quantities via automated software that can continuously monitor retailers and make purchases under numerous accounts faster than a human can even refresh the page.

Dollars to donuts most of these bot suites come from the same places producing pirated rips, cracking software, and/or actual network attacks, to begin with. It's all tied to cybercrime. It's different than Joe Blow that manages to get a few and sell them at a profit.

These people have organized groups to coordinate the scalping - and the Amazon delivery theft ring in the UK is tied into that. They got their start with the odd, limited edition shoe/sneaker scene and moved to electronics and collectables from there.

@WesEds Most retailers already limit one (each SKU) per customer. Doesn't help, the bots generate hundreds of accounts and/or real/fake addresses.

@GunValkyrie @NEStalgia

While I'm obviously sympathetic to the normal "scalper on the street", you both are probably right. The "mass" aspect has to be skirting the law or company TOS somewhere. I'm gotta reevaluate my take on this.

@Kefka2589 If they banned the artificial inflation of market prices by monopolizing at much inventory of as limited market as possible they'd have to outlaw the entire commodities and futures markets, though!

I'm fine with this.

Honestly I wouldn't have a problem with this, scalpers are a terrible thing that throws off the whole market, benefiting nobody and nothing besides themselves.