eBay Condemns PS5 Photo Scammers, Is Taking Action Against Sellers

Auction site eBay has condemned scammers listing photographs of PlayStation 5 consoles, and has vowed to take action against the sellers and to remove listings. In a statement to Eurogamer, eBay said: "We condemn these opportunistic sellers who are attempting to mislead other users. 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.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/playstation-5-review"] These sellers are creating listings that look like they are for PlayStation 5 consoles, but are actually just for printed photographs of a PS5. Listings feature titles like “Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition 1TB Console - White (PHOTO)” and so - while actually disclaiming they are selling a photograph - the bulk of the name appears like a console listing. At time of writing, there are dozens of these listings across UK and US eBay sites. There are listings being actively bid on, with some current bids being in the multiple hundreds of dollars/pounds. These may be inflated by the scammers themselves in order to look more ‘legitimate’ and fool buyers, or simply be genuine bids by fooled buyers. "For any purchase, but especially highly priced or in-demand items, buyers should exercise caution and thoroughly read the listing description,” said eBay’s statement. "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." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] These sellers clearly know the rules of “item must be as described” since every listing has “photo”, “picture”, or “image only” in their description, and often a line in the listing saying that purchasers will only receive a printed picture. So while these listings do ‘technically’ abide by eBay’s rules, it’s good to see eBay planning to take action. The statement is unclear on if those who fall victim can be compensated, but the line stating “an item which is not as described are entitled to a refund” suggests not, as all these listings do state they are photographs. PS5 scams and scalpers have been a major issue since the console launched. For more, take a look at our investigation into how sneaker culture predicted next-gen console scalpers. If you do already have one, be sure to check out our PS5 console guide and 8 hidden PS5 features and settings. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.