Japanese Store Stops PS5 Scalpers By Writing Names On Boxes
Published
| Last updated
Featured Image Credit: Dennis Cortes via Unsplash, 2K Games
A Japanese store is taking steps to thwart scalpers by writing customers' names on the boxes containing prized PlayStation 5s.
I'm sure you're aware of the supply issues for the souped up console and how they came about as a result of the pandemic. Fortunately, Sony is doing its best to soothe the headaches that both itself and its customers have been feeling over the past months.
"It's difficult for us to increase production of the PS5 amid the shortage of semiconductors and other components," said Hiroki Totoki, chief financial officer for Sony, in an earnings call earlier this year. "We continue to do everything in our power to ship as many units as possible to customers who are waiting for a PS5." With the winter holidays on the horizon, Sony needs to sell as many consoles as possible to capitalise on the rush for Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts.
Watch the trailer for Toem below, one of our highest rated PS5 games of 2021, boasting a charming monochromatic land filled with puzzles to solve!
Loading…
Of course, while there are limited stocks of the sought-after console, there will be scalpers emerging from the shadows to sell PlayStation 5s for an incredibly inflated price. It's never worth the hassle and the risk of opting for a second-hand seller, yet the FOMO can become much too much for us to handle.
Luckily, this retailer is throwing a wrench into scalpers' systems by writing the name of the customer across the box for the hefty chunk of plastic and circuitry. A photo of a poster at Nojima Denki (cheers, gamesradar) shows the shop's policy when it comes to the sale of PlayStation 5s.
LOL wow. Nojima Denki shop is so hardcore about not letting resellers get their PS5 stock they say they will write your full name on the box at time of purchase, and open/dispose of the dual shock controller box as well. https://t.co/mSrcDDGSL4
- Gaijinhunter (@aevanko) October 8, 2021
Translated by Monster Hunter YouTuber GajinHunter, the original tweet says that the store "will write your full name on the box at time of purchase, and open/dispose of the [DualSense] controller box as well." In a follow up to the photo, the poster added that "it seems that the name is written [with] both felt-tip pens and ballpoint pens."
So? The scalper still has the PlayStation 5 - what does writing their name and getting rid of some packaging do? Well, it undermines trust in a second-hand seller if they can't offer the entire PlayStation 5 and its bits and bobs. Moreover, the damage to the box also seems a little sketchy which would turn customers off the possible purchase. To remediate this, the scalper could shave some hundreds of yen off the price, but that's affecting the cushy profit they had in their head.
Plus, it's someone else's name on the box. It's like me opening a present meant for me but addressed to Imogen Mellor. I would feel weird. It's a clever move on the part of Nojima Denki and one that's getting a lot of praise on Twitter.
Topics: PlayStation
