The Steam Deck is Already Plagued by Scalpers!

Following the official announcement of the Steam Deck last week, the demand for the handheld system has been surprisingly high, with even Valve themselves confirming that not only did their website temporarily shut down due to an overwhelming amount of traffic but that shipments for the system have now likely been delayed into Q2 2022 to ensure that there is enough on release to satisfy the orders already placed. – If you were, however, hoping that the Steam Deck was going to be immune to scalpers, then a quick check of eBay has already proven that not only are they all over this, but the prices they’re asking for it are completely insane!

Steam Deck Struck by Scalpers

Although some people are selling their ‘reservation’ for the system at something approaching a reasonable price, a quick check shows that a significant number are already looking to flip systems for at least double and even triple their actual MSRP value. It should be noted that many of these scalpers could potentially be pulling a scam on consumers here.

Although the system itself costs (officially) between £349 and £569, to order a Steam Deck, you have a £4 deposit, with the full balance being due for payment immediately prior to the system being shipped. The main concern is that some of these eBay scalpers only sell access to a Steam account with an order in reserve. In other words, although asking for upwards of £1,000, if you pay this fee to the scalper, all you might actually be getting is a Steam account which has the £4 deposit paid with the remaining balance still owed.

What Do We Think?

With this in mind, the advice is straightforward. DO NOT buy a Steam Deck from an online scalper. Not just from the point of view that you’re perpetuating a business that has practically crippled console and GPU stock for the last 9 months, but also the sheer fact that even if you’re willing to pay over the odds, there is literally NO guarantee that you’ll get anything other than a Steam account and an MSRP balance to pay off there!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!