Selling things through online marketplaces and meeting up with strangers can be a dangerous venture, with many stories of people getting robbed or attacked when trying to sell their items. That’s exactly what happened this past Sunday, November 28 in Harris County, Texas, as a 19 year old man was shot trying to sell aPlayStation 5console.
According to a report by ABC13, the 19 year old listed aPlayStation 5console for sale on an online marketplace. The 19 year old was then contacted by a potential buyer, and the two agreed to meet at 1:30pm that Sunday. During the meetup, the buyer pulled out a gun in an attempt to rob the 19 year old of their console. The ABC13 report doesn’t clarify exactly what happened next, but ultimately the 19 year old was shot in their side and the buyer fled the scene without even taking the PS5 console that they were trying to steal. The 19 year old is reportedly in stable condition at the time of this writing.
This isn’t the first time that someone has been attacked when attempting to sell or buy a video game console. In 2019,16 year old Johnny Peluyera was shot and killedin front of his father while trying to sell his Xbox One console. In 2018, 20 year oldDanny Diaz-Delgado was killed when trying to buy a PlayStation 4 consolefor his younger brother. There have also been numerous instances of someone being hurt when trying to buy or sell non-video game items through online marketplaces, and so when doing business through services like that, it’s always best to meet in a public location, with one of the safest places being a police station parking lot.
Acquiring a PlayStation 5 console is an extremely difficult endeavor right now, thanks to a combination of scalpers and bots buying up all the supply as soon as it’s available. The ongoing chip shortage and supply chain issues have exacerbated the problem, making it nearly impossible for most consumers to buy a PS5 directly from a store. The latest reports make it look like thesePS5 supply issueswill persist through 2022.
Until the PS5 supply issues are resolved, most consumers will have to rely onPS5 re-sellersif they hope to get their hands on a console. Anyone doing so should keep this situation in mind and practice extra caution whenever meeting a stranger to buy or sell a highly sought-after item like a PS5.
