Potential UK console scalping ban is gaining momentum

Politicians are stepping up plans to ask the UK government to consider a ban on scalping consoles (or introduce other protective laws) to prevent the high levels of resale seen for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S. At the end of 2020, a group of British MPs filed an Early Day Motion to discuss the ban on scalping and the use of automated robots for “game consoles and computer components”. The motion, led by MP Douglas Chapman, has now collected 32 signatures members of several parties.

In a statement to IGN, Chapman said he now intends to delve into the matter further: “As cybernetics industry experts now predict that the scalping problem will expand into other goods. and important services this year, we plan to introduce a bill to Parliament so that we can further explore legislative options to protect consumers from this unfair practice. “

Motions at the start of the day are routinely used to highlight topical issues, but rarely result in meaningful debate in the House of Commons. Introducing a bill, as Chapman currently sees it, would be seen as an escalation of the process and an attempt to pressure the government to consider formal legislation.

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When asked why Chapman started this process, he explained that the impetus to start debate in parliament came directly from his constituents in Dunfermline and West Fife:

“The issue of scalping was first raised by voters who contacted me to explain their frustration at not being able to get some game consoles or computer components before Christmas. During the investigation, we uncovered more details about the unscrupulous practice of “scalping” by automated robots to wholesale these products and resell them at inflated prices. “

The issue of scalping has reached new levels of recognition after the release of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, as well as new graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD. In the USA, at least 10% of the PS5 would have been resold, on average about double the recommended retail price on eBay. Part of this has been the use of bots to secure units before regular consumers can, a tactic popularized by sneaker culture.

The UK has seen huge demand for next-gen consoles, and scalping has become a recurring story amidst this demand. Scalping chains have been claiming a large number of consoles, even using loopholes to buy stocks before they are officially available. Next to supply shortages, this is a trend that has led to repeated disappointments for normal consumers, and even potentially stimulated criminal activity.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s News Editor. Follow him on Twitter. Any advice to give us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.