Why Scalping Isn't Illegal | By Jayven Knight | Jan, 2022 - Medium

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Why Scalping Isn’t Illegal

And why you can’t be mad about it.

Jayven KnightJayven Knight3 min readJan 24, 2022

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Press enter or click to view image in full sizePhoto of a PlayStation 5.
Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash

If you have a PlayStation 5, you might be able to count yourself among the lucky — depending on how much you paid for it.

When the PS5 first dropped in late 2020, something happened that caught the attention of scalpers. Pre-orders sold out.

There were signs that this would happen because the Nintendo Switch was sold out even before quarantine started.

Between the lockdown and supply shortages, the PS5 was bound to follow in the Switch’s footsteps, becoming a scarce luxury for those with enough luck and money.

The Perfect Storm

Forced restrictions brought on by the pandemic caused many people to get laid off, but our government kept the money flowing.

With stimulus checks and workers’ compensation being handed out like candy, many people had plenty of disposable income…and lots of time on their hands.

People also knew that with our government printing that much currency, the value of the dollars they already had was diminishing.

So it only made sense to buy a commodity that would appreciate 50–150% of it’s retail value and sell fast. The same thing is happening with graphics cards.

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