It’s way past Christmas and almost three months since the PlayStation 5 was officially released. People are, however, still struggling to secure the console due to stock shortages, and most importantly, scalping. An MP of the UK, however, is trying to put a full-stop on the same.
Douglas Chapman, a member of parliament of the United Kingdom has proposed a bill called the Gaming Hardware (Automated Purchase and Resale) Bill 2019-21. To understand it roughly, it’s a bill that aims at banning hardware scalping and putting it in the same category as ticket touting.
“We’ve proposed that a similar legislative process be brought forward to ensure that consumers can purchase gaming consoles and computer components at no more than the manufacturers’ recommended price and that resale of goods purchased by automated bots be made illegal,” he said.
This could mean the end of not just scalpers and their practice, but also the bots and software sold by stock groups that facilitate auto-buying options for certain products.
Mr. Chapman believes scalpers ultimately “disappoint consumers in the wider gaming community among children and adults alike”. Although he assumes the chances of the bill becoming a law are low, he wanted to do everything within his power to force the government to “take responsibility” on the issue.
“We know that bulk purchasing through automated bots is a concern for some of their members who we understand are currently looking at any further actions they can take to prevent these behaviors and are working with their retailers to improve experiences for customers,” said Caroline Dinenage, DUP – minister of state for Digital and Culture.
To end the practice of scalping and making the gaming community a little better, Mr. Chapman wants Sony and Microsoft to come together to fight against the issue. So far, both the companies have been silent about the issue of scalping and there’s no official comment or related.
If you haven’t secured a PlayStation 5 yet and are still looking out to secure one, do follow us on Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/spieltimes, where we’ll constantly update you about future restocks and drops. We also post out links immediately as they go live.
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