Man who paid $900 for a PS5 on eBay claims he received a concrete block instead

A man who paid almost $900 to win an eBay listing for a PlayStation 5 has claimed he received a concrete block instead of the console.

The Orem, Utah-based man thought he’d managed to obtain one of the sought-after consoles by paying well above its retail value, Fox13 reports.

But rather than getting the console after winning the eBay listing, the 38-year-old victim claimed he received a new PS5 box containing a chunk of concrete.

The Orem Police Department said it expects the man to get his money back due to eBay’s buyer protections.

While PS5 normally costs $499.99, lack of supply coupled with strong demand has led to the product being resold at inflated prices on auction sites and at second-hand retailers.

eBay recently issued a warning to con artists selling photos of PS5s rather than the consoles themselves. Misleading product listings such as these often only reveal in the item description that successful buyers will receive a photo rather than the product people believe they are purchasing,

“We condemn these opportunistic sellers who are attempting to mislead other users,” eBay said in a statement issued to Eurogamer last month.

“We are in the process of removing all listings for photos of PS5s from our marketplace and will be taking appropriate action against the sellers.

“For any purchase, but especially highly priced or in-demand items, buyers should exercise caution and thoroughly read the listing description.

“Buyers who receive an item which is not as described are entitled to a refund via our eBay Money Back Guarantee, provided they completed the transaction on the eBay platform.”

In a statement released in November, Sony suggested PS5 had enjoyed the biggest console launch in history following “unprecedented” demand.

Supply issues are expected to continue for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X this year, due to the impact of Covid-19 on shipping times.

Further reading

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A Microsoft exec recently said the company expects Xbox Series X/S shortages to continue until April 2021, while PlayStation has said that demand for PS5 has been “unprecedented”.

With console availability failing to satisfy launch demand, PS5 scalpers are currently seeking to cash in by selling them at extortionate prices on marketplaces like eBay, where a significant number of consoles have already been sold for more than double their retail price.

More PS5 and Xbox Series X/S stock is expected to be made available in the run-up to Christmas, but Microsoft has suggested it could change how future consoles are pre-ordered, to avoid the sort of chaotic online retail experiences seen this month.