<PS5 high resale problem> Comparing weekly sales numbers and "resale market" Mercari sued for information on resellers

It's been four and a half months since Sony's home video game console "PlayStation 5 (PS5)" went on sale on November 12th last year, but its weekly sales are higher than before. There are also reports that the digital edition, in particular, has been "seen for sale in stores (at the suggested retail price)." Therefore, we made a list of the number of weekly sales of PS5 after its release and the purchase price (resale market price) of the same machine.

◇Increase in weekly sales from mid-February

Regarding the “purchase amount” when a reseller sells off a PS5, although the price rose at the end of the year, basically the number of PS5 sales decreases as increases. The only exception was the beginning of the year (early January), when it was extremely volatile. The reason is guerrilla sales of major home appliance mass retailers. It seems that the store that buys PS5 decided that "the supply of PS5 may have increased" and changed the purchase price significantly each time.

Weekly sales were sluggish from December last year to January this year, and neither reached 20,000 units. However, since mid-February, we have maintained 20,000 units and now maintain 30,000 units. It took eight weeks to reach 200,000 to 300,000 units, but three weeks to reach 400,000 to 500,000 units.

A month and a half ago (February 11th), we published an article stating that the resale price (market price) of PS5 may collapse in February. The reason for this is that we have learned that the number of PS5 shipments per week will increase. Looking at the number of weekly sales since the end of February, you should be able to think "I see."

◇Digital version price collapse

There are two types of PS5: the regular version (49,980 yen, tax excluded) and the digital edition (39,980 yen, tax excluded). The ratio is roughly 5:1, and many regular versions are on the market.

And now, the "purchase price" of the digital edition has been declining significantly since mid-March. Even home appliance mass retailers have "in stock" status, which coincides with the decline in the market price. Even if there are conditions such as possession of a credit card to prevent purchases for the purpose of resale, it has reached the point where it is possible to buy at the suggested retail price.

On the other hand, the purchase price of the regular version has a gradual decline. However, the number of lottery opportunities has increased, and people around me have said, "I finally got it."

From the psychology of resellers, "The resale price of PS5 has fallen, but you can still make money. The Nintendo Switch is selling around the suggested retail price, and the PS5 won't drop below the suggested retail price, so it's the worst. , plus or minus zero.” But there is no such guarantee.

And PS5 will be released in China from April to June. It is believed that some of the PS5s released in Japan have flowed to China. The Chinese market changes rapidly, so there are many uncertainties, both good and bad. And there is always the possibility that the Chinese release date will suddenly be decided and the purchase price will drop all at once.

◇According to KADOKAWA Game Linkage, which publishes the game magazine "Famitsu", there is also a lawsuit seeking information disclosure of resellers

By the way, as far as I could find, the number of PS5 shipments was higher than expected (about 500,000 units). In order to prevent resellers from buying in bulk, it is necessary to have time to check the purchase history of prospective purchasers, but I am concerned that the "difference" between the number of sales and the number of shipments is surprisingly large.

In addition, I asked a person with sales experience at a major game company, "Is there a possibility that a malicious distribution company is 'dividing' popular products like PS5 and selling them at high prices?" However, he said, ``I think there is.

In the 1980s, there was a "tying-in-selling method" in which popular products and unpopular products were combined and sold at game stores. Even now, there are still acts that infringe on copyright on the Internet. There are some people who say, "If it's profitable, I'll accept a few problems," and that's also a troublesome place.

And new products/popular resales and soaring prices aren't just for the PS5, they're hurting a lot of different people. Some of them have filed lawsuits not only against resellers, but also against Mercari, which operates flea market apps. It seems that the reseller's information disclosure request to Mercari was lost, but depending on future developments, it is possible that there will be a precedent that will be useful for reselling measures. In addition, I would like to expect the pressure and deterrent effect on resellers by going to court.

At this rate, every time a popular product comes out, it will continue to be resold at a high price. Even if there are no legal issues with reselling, it infringes on the interests of consumers. It is effective to keep thinking about countermeasures and at the same time to make a steady effort to ignore malicious resale that greatly exceeds the suggested retail price. And many people's voices against reselling put pressure on those who make reselling a business.

And personally, I think that if politicians tackle the problem of high resale, they will get the support of quite a few voters.