The UK May Outlaw Scalping With Bots

Could this solve the PS5 scalping crisis?

Bot Scalpers

It's nearly impossible to buy a Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 right now, nevermind sought-after GPUs like NVIDA's GeForce RTX 3080. And that's in large part due to automated bots sucking up available inventories almost instantaneously, before any human is able to enter their credit card information.

Resellers in control of those bots then hike up the prices considerably, selling their wares for a ludicrous amounts of money on marketplaces like eBay.

It's not just gamers who are sick and tired of the scheme — members of the UK parliament recently put forth a motion that calls for the end of automated bots reselling at prices "greatly above" Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), as PC Gamer reports.

The Law

Titled "resale of gaming consoles and computer components purchased by automated bots," the niche motion argues that "new releases of gaming consoles and computer components" should "not be bought in bulk by the use of automated bots which often circumvent maximum purchase quantities imposed by the retailer."

Unfortunately, "early day motions" like these often get drowned out since there are so many of them submitted to Parliament, as PC Gamer points out.

There is however some weight behind it. Fifteen members have signed onto the motion so far — but none of them are Conservative MPs, the currently ruling majority in the country.

READ MORE: UK politicians call for "making the resale of goods purchased using an automated bot an illegal activity" [PC Gamer]

More on automated bots: Walmart Gives Up on Inventory Robots