Grabbing a PS5 and Xbox Series X has been challenging at best. Demand has been insanely high and it has gotten worse by the fact that scalpers and bots continue to buy the entire stock.
But there is some good news where Walmart promises better ways to identify scalpers that use bots and prevent them from buying more next-generation consoles to resell at outrageous prices.
This news comes from a post by Chief Information Security Officer Jerry Geisler on Walmart’s corporate website. In it, Geisler outlines how Walmart has worked to ensure that people, not bots, get the “hottest gifts they want this season.” Including PS5 and Xbox Series X, several of which will be “coming online soon”.
While it’s probably too late to get a console delivered before Christmas Day, provided Walmart gets new stock to sell, it may be possible to order online and pick it up at your local store. After all, you do not have to wait for the console to be shipped and delivered if you pick it up yourself.
Personal pickup would also be a useful tool in the fight against scalpers. Walmart says it managed to prevent 20 million bots during the first 30 minutes of its inventory on November 25, but it has been clear that more action is needed. The dealer may be using technology to proactively prevent bots from buying stocks, but every time a new measure successfully averts their efforts, scalpers begin to come up with a solution in an endless battle to determine who gets all the PS5s. .
By getting people to pick up consoles in person, scalpers are far less likely to be able to purchase multiple consoles quite as easily. This is especially true if Walmart stores are strict with a “one per customer policy” designed to stop people storing in-demand products.
Scalpers could still visit more Walmart stores to collect their poorly purchased purchases, but the harder it is for them to buy more consoles, the less likely they are to bother.
Of course, the only right way to stop scalpers is to avoid buying consoles from them. As frustrating as it can be to not be able to download a PS5 or Xbox Series X from a legitimate retailer, the more people who resort to expensive scalp consoles, the more likely these scalps are to continue. But if no one buys, it stops being economical to keep consoles in stock, as they have done.
In the meantime, your best tactics are patient, and try your luck the next time a retailer has next-generation consoles in stock. Be sure to check out our guide on how to beat bots and buy an Xbox Series X. We’ve also kept an eye on who has stock and when, so be sure to check out our guides on where to buy a PS5 and where to buy an Xbox Series X. And be ready to jump in anytime, because these consoles will never stay in stock for very long.