As I'm sure you're all well aware by now, scalpers have been hoarding up PS5s and XSXs in droves, using bots to buy up all the stock literally within seconds and then essentially holding them hostage and selling them off for triple or more their MSRP.

Should this be illegal?

Simply put, yes, it's theft. For anyone saying "the government has no right to tell me what I can't sell/resell items for", we have laws against scalping tickets, I don't see why this should be treated any differently, especially when it fucks you out of a LOT less money than these console scalpers. They're making it to where you literally can't get one unless you pay triple their market value or happen to be one of the lucky few who manage to beat out the bot/customer online hoards (which is what enabled all these scalpers in the first place since there are no in-store drops), that is the literal definition of theft. I honestly don't feel bad one bit for these reported scalpers getting robbed, you reap what you sow, or as Joker famously said:

Rich of ReviewTechUSA summed it up best (which BTW, the fucking scalpers have more bot-hoarded stock than fucking retailers):

These people need to be fried on the chair.

Just like scalping baseball tickets, yes it should be illegal. If it is a legit used device, you can mark it up to whatever you want. But buying up all the new stock just to turn around and sell them for 2 or 3 times market value should be punishable by law Retailers cannot mark them up like that, why should this scum be able to?

No, its a douchebag move don't get me wrong, but making it illegal could very well be a doorway to making other more innocent activities illegal. It's a bit like cheating in that regard, it isn't nice but should not be punishable by law.

Scalping tickets is illegal and it doesn't fuck you out of nearly as much money as these system scalpers currently are. Hell, it's already illegal for RETAILERS to do this, why should these scumbags be treated any differently?

Yees, scalpers should be punished. I have no sympathy for these scumbags.

Probably.

Do I care? No. There's no reason to be in a rush for these new systems, other than getting caught up in the fervour of a new launch and marketing hype. People paying thousands of dollars to have a PS5 this christmas are paying the Stupid Tax.

Why does that matter? Because the only reason these bots are so prevalent, is because they know there's enough stupid people willing to make that deal. So if you're too impatient to simply wait, maybe you're just getting what you deservere.

The games will still be there in 6 months. This isn't like missing your last chance to see Kobe play for the Lakers, or the last tour of Iron Maiden in your country.

Before calling for scalping to be illegal, you should probably decide on an exact definition for scalping first. You wouldn't want to accidently render the entire resale market illegal, now would you?

If we were talking about something like medicine, then fair enough. That would be a problem. I dont know why people are so angry about this tbh. Unless you actually buy from scalpers.

I'm more disgusted with the amount of people wishing death on scalpers because they could not get their hands on a piece of plastic,no one needs to die but you just need to have a bit of patience and without the scalpers you prob werent able to get a launch console either.

If you want to be frustrated at someone then aim it at online retailers and other services that can be missused.(And no, they also do not deserve cancer or being burned at the stake)

The number of players able to enjoy the next gen consoles will be the same.