AN SNP MP is calling for measures to be introduced to prevent unfair “scalping” in the games console marketplace.
Douglas Chapman, the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, has written to the Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, to propose a debate on appropriate legal options to ensure that console and computer consumers are not prey to bad cyber practice, or short-changed by automated bot bulk buying.
Chapman said: “Certain vendors have been making themselves vast profits by the resale of new games consoles and computer components with the use of automated bots to bulk-buy new stock.
“Many of my constituents have written to me to complain about waiting eagerly for the release of these new products only to find they have been ‘scalped’, with automated bots buying up these goods in huge number to sell on at greatly inflated prices. This has caused a lot of disappointment in the wider gaming community among children and adults alike, with customers unable to purchase or enjoy as a gift a long-awaited console or upgraded computer component this Christmas, at the end of what has been a particularly hard year for everyone.”
The practice of “scalping” has been a bone of contention in the gaming world for quite some time now, with “scalpers” manipulating the supply-and-demand chain to create an unfair advantage in the marketplace.
This year it has come to a head with a combination of limited stock and the popularity of online sales. The digital edition of the PS5 has been a particular target, with eye-watering mark-ups of 170% on their original price in some cases.
The motion has attracted the support from MPs across the four constituent nations of the UK, with the SNP, Labour, Plaid Cymru and the DUP all adding their names.
Chapman added: “There are parallels here with successful legislation brought in on secondary selling of tickets, which prohibits resale at amounts that far exceed the original price, or ticket-touting as it is often called. 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.”
“Unfortunately, it is too late for this Christmas shopping season. But I am pleased to join with my cross-party colleagues to push for a change to the law and look forward to hearing Oliver Dowden’s response. We must deter this hunt for profit to the detriment of the consumer and ensure that their purchasing power is on a level playing field.”
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