Families face spending up to £1,000 for a PlayStation 5 this Christmas as online vultures continue to cash in.
A shortage of new consoles means many will have to use re-sale sites to get one.
With 34 days to Christmas they are going for 50% more than the £450 RRP – and that is set to soar as the big day looms.
A global lack of microchips has left Brits scrambling to find stocks of Sony’s console and its Microsoft rival, the Xbox Series X.
To make things worse, dealers – known as scalpers – wipe out online stocks before ordinary shoppers get a chance, then sell them at a huge profit. Some retailers limit orders to one console per user and run payment checks to prevent multiple buys.
More than a million PS5s have been sold in the UK since last November.
While they were back in stock last week at Argos, Curry’s and Smyths Toys, other retailers such as Amazon and Tesco had sold out.
Andy Robertson, editor of the askaboutgames website, urged PS5 fans not to panic-buy.
He said: “I appreciate it’s the ‘must have’ gift. But you take a risk when you buy on an auction site because it’s not an official retailer.
“I suggest parents either go for the cheaper PS4 option or just bide your time.”
