Sony’s PlayStation 5 (SNE) and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X (MSFT) are incredibly hard to find, thanks to the pent-up demand for next-generation consoles and the global scarcity of semiconductors brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
But you can take steps to increase your chances of stealing one of these coveted consoles, including tracking retailers ‘supplies, setting up user profiles for those retailers’ websites, and following inventory trackers.
The most important thing, however, can be to keep a cool head and prepare to break the buy button at any time.
Visit retailers and sign up for alerts
The best place to look for a PS5 or Xbox Series X will be the retailers where you usually shop – be it Walmart.com, Amazon.com, Target.com or GameStop.com. But there are some that you might not want to check. Sony and Microsoft sell their systems directly through their respective websites, making prospects attractive to purchase one of their consoles. And niche sites like Newegg.com also offer systems, when available.
The question is, how do you know when these sites will have consoles in stock? It’s not like you can sit in front of your computer or hold your phone all day, updating site after site. I mean, you could, but I don’t recommend it.
Instead, you can set up product alerts on these sites and receive notifications when the console of your choice is in stock. It is a better use of your time and gives you the opportunity to find out when you should go online and buy.
Follow inventory tracking accounts on social media
I have been monitoring the availability of the PS5 “for a friend” since the console’s launch in November and found that social media alerts are among the most useful ways to get updates on inventory.
Several Twitter accounts provide the latest information about the availability of the console at any time. Some of the main ones are from Sony @PlayStation account and Microsoft @Xbox account, as well as a number of third-party trackers, including @ PS5StockAlerts and @XboxStockAlerts.
But you need to be prepared to jump to an immediately available console. For this purpose …
Make sure you’re ready to buy when you access the site
When you’re getting ready to win a new console, you’re not just trying to overtake other buyers eager to get their hands on the latest system – you’re also fighting bots built to vacuum consoles so that resellers can sell them online at prices high. Now, you can go on eBay and find a $ 499 PS5 being sold for a ridiculous $ 1,399. Others can be found for anywhere from $ 580 to $ 1,000.
To be sure that you will be able to beat your competition online, create a user account for the sites you are likely to shop for. This way, when a console is available, you don’t have to worry about entering your user or location information, and you can quickly login and buy the system you are looking forward to.
There is also the added benefit of not having to enter your credit card information, which is a big pain anyway.
Avoid resellers
I know you’re dying to get your hands on a PS5 or X Series, but retailers out there are buying consoles and raising their prices to hundreds of dollars. It’s certainly not worth paying a huge premium for consoles that are already expensive enough, especially when there are no super mandatory games that you can only buy yet.
Paying resellers only encourages them to go out and buy more consoles, perpetuating the cycle of inventory limitations. In short, just wait. You can score a console before it is available, or you can buy one in the second half of the year, as the scarcity of processors decreases and more systems hit the market.
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Do you have a tip? Email Daniel Howley at [email protected] through an encrypted message in [email protected]and follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
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