The PS5 has been available for almost two years, and yet it is still just as complicated for players to get their hands on it. Blame it on the shortage of components which limits Sony’s production capacities of course, but also on the scalpers who resell the machine at exorbitant prices and… on professional footballers.
As you know, the PS5 became a rare commodity from its launch in November 2020. The machine arrived in a particular context, with an industry slowed down due to the pandemic and a burgeoning shortage of electronic components. Fact, Sony had been unable to meet the high demand.
Very quickly, scalpers threw themselves on the consoles available to resell them at exorbitant prices on eBay or other e-commerce sites. Thanks to algorithms, a group of scalpers had even managed to buy an entire stock of PS5 even before it went on sale. But you should know that speculators were not the only ones to jump on the copies available at launch.
Some professional footballers did not hesitate at the time to order dozens of consoles. In any case, this is revealed by a rather fascinating survey carried out by our colleagues from Vice on the concierge desks. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, concierge services are businesses that provide personalized services to the world’s wealthy, whether they’re top athletes, industry moguls or otherwise.
Also read: PS5 – Sony is fed up with speculators and wants restocks to end up “in good hands”
A footballer who orders a dozen PS5s… for decoration
The Vice paper describes in particular the daily life of Mickael, founder of Elysée Conciergerie. The manager talks about his work, especially with professional footballers, often at the origin of extravagant demands. He compares some of them to teenagers with an unlimited budget. To illustrate his point, he evokes this anecdote: “I have a client, when the PS5 was launched, he ordered ten, while there are six TVs at home! I asked him if it was to offer, he replied: No it’s not for me, it’s to have one on TV and also on display on the wall”.
If the Vice investigation does not specify whether other footballers have made “group purchases” of the same kind, we can however point the finger at this behavior, especially at a time when ordinary mortals are experiencing the greatest difficulties. to get next-gen consoles like the PS5.
Anyway and two years later, the situation has rather calmed down on the side of scalpers even if the PS5 is still just as difficult to find. Lately, Sony tried to be reassuring by promising more stocks to come for the end of 2022 and the approaching Christmas period. An announcement, however, offset by bad news. Due to rampant inflation, the manufacturer has increased the price of the PS5 by €50.
