In the face of stock shortages, the just-launched Xbox Series X is predictably already selling on eBay for hundreds of dollars and pounds more than it's worth. The console's official launch was disappointing in terms of available stock, following a frenzied pre-order period, and now some customers are resorting to paying over the odds just to guarantee getting one this year.
One listing on eBay UK – with 35 watchers at the time of writing – is selling the console at a Buy It Now price of £899. The console's official retail price is $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$749. On the lower end, there are Buy It Now listings on eBay UK for over £700 – and fierce competition for those being auctioned off.
In the US, the situation is arguably worse. $849.99 is the lowest Buy It Now price we've seen at a glance – and those on auction are already creeping over $700. Some listings are selling the console for more than $1000.
It's bleak stuff – but inevitable when stock is so hard to get of. Yesterday, we saw Walmart's entire stock of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X sell out in around two minutes.
Our advice? If you can't get one yet, it's worth waiting for stock, even if that takes until next year.
Were Sony and Microsoft ready for launch?
The next-gen console launch has been messy – some level of complexity is inevitable in a pandemic year. But it's been exacerbated by stock shortages, retailers dropping their stock at seemingly random times and Microsoft's own store displaying stock depending on how lucky you get when you refreshed your browser.
All of this, combined with an overall spike in demand for games generally this year, has meant that finding a console has been trickier than expected.
From a consumer perspective, it's just not a happy experience. And it makes you wonder if both manufacturers should've waited to launch until they had more stock – and in Microsoft's case, some new next-gen games.
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