PS5 Pro scalpers are losing money but they’re still scamming fans elsewhere

PS5 Pro console — PS5 Pro doesn’t enhance scalping (Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Sony’s PS5 Pro has been a failed endeavour for scalpers trying to profit from the console, as an accessory becomes more sought after online.

The PS5 Pro might have been met with an understandable sea of negativity when it was announced with a £699.99 price tag, but the console is still expected to sell well to its niche audience.

Sony’s previous mid-generation upgrade, the PS4 Pro, only accounted for around 14% of PS4 sales overall, with the PS5 Pro expected to work out the same. At the time of writing, one day after the console launched, it is still widely available across Amazon and other retailers.

As is the case with every console launch these days, scalpers try to buy consoles and sell them at an inflated price to capitalise on the high demand. In the case of the PS5 Pro, however, they clearly haven’t read the room.

A handful of sellers on eBay have consoles listed under ‘Buy It Now’ for less than the retail price, ranging from £680-700.

While these listings appear to have been snapped up, there’s still one going for the retail price of £699.99, while another under auction is currently at £650. It’s likely that number will increase before the auction closes, but it’s hard to imagine it going beyond the retail price considering the console is still widely available from normal retailers.

It seems like this is the case in other countries too. As reported by Otaku Research Institute, sellers on Japanese resale site Mercari are apparently only selling the console for ¥10,000 – ¥20,000 (around £50-£100) more than the retail price.

The publication notes, however, that Mercari takes a 10% cut from resellers and there’s shipping costs to consider as well, so many are still apparently either losing money or only breaking even.

PS5 scalpers on eBay — PS5 Pro’s aren’t fetching much profit (eBay)

It isn’t all bad news for scalpers though (sadly), as demand has intensified for disc drives. The PS5 Pro is a digital-only console, with Sony selling external disc drives for an additional £99.99. At the time of writing, however, there is no stock across the UK and US PlayStation Direct stores, with many now going for inflated prices elsewhere.

On eBay, PS5 disc drives are currently selling between £155-£210, which will likely only soar upwards until it’s restocked by Sony.

When you combine all these high prices, it certainly makes the PS5 Pro’s limited appeal seem even more dubious. Just don’t mention having to buy additional faceplates too.

As for the console’s positives, Sony recently revealed the improved specs, including 2TB of internal storage, and outlined all the games which will be compatible for enhanced upgrades at launch.