Steam Machine Scalpers on eBay Are Selling Reservations at Double the Price Valve Is Asking for
Valve has opened reservations for the Steam Machine, but the highly anticipated device has already become a target for scalpers on eBay, who are reselling reservation spots for more than double Valve’s asking price.
The Steam Machine, Valve’s dedicated gaming hardware, started accepting reservations this week, with interested buyers entering a random lottery for a chance to purchase one of four available configurations. The base model without a controller costs $1,049 for 512GB of storage, making it an expensive piece of gaming hardware with limited availability.
Valve anticipated strong demand and limited stock, which is why the company implemented a reservation system rather than a first-come, first-served model. Users have begun receiving emails notifying them whether they secured a spot in the “reservation queue” for guaranteed purchase access, or were placed on a “waitlist” with uncertain availability.
Despite these efforts, scalpers have already capitalized on the scarcity and high demand by purchasing reservations and reselling them on eBay at significantly inflated prices. This reflects a familiar pattern in the gaming hardware market, where limited-release products frequently attract resellers looking to profit from supply constraints and consumer demand.