After nearly a year on the market, the Xbox Series X remains a difficult item to come by, and there are multiple reasons for that. Part of the problem has been the secondary market, where resellers are using bots to sell the console for several hundred dollars over asking price. This is an unfortunately normal sight on eBay, but users are also reporting seeing these prices from Amazon, as well. It's not unusual to see this from individual sellers on the platform, but it seems Amazon is directly charging prices much higher than MSRP for the next-gen console.
As first reported by Kotaku, Amazon Warehouse is currently selling refurbished Xbox Series X consoles for $984.36, which is nearly double the console's suggested retail price. As of this writing, the retailer has 17 consoles in stock at that price. Typically, refurbished items are offered on Amazon Warehouse at a discount, but that's clearly not the case for the latest Xbox. Kotaku suggests that this could be a "coding error," as opposed to an act of greed on the part of Amazon. Kotaku reached out to Amazon about the pricing, so hopefully those interested in buying a refurbished Xbox Series X can get an answer soon.
Pricing on next-gen consoles has been a sore spot for a lot of gamers over the last year. Microsoft and Sony have been struggling to meet demand thanks to the global chip shortage and other issues related to marketing and distribution. Consoles have barely been offered in physical store locations, forcing consumers to act quickly when stock becomes available online. Unfortunately, bots have made the process nothing short of a nightmare, scooping up product as soon as it becomes available, and allowing resellers to charge outrageous prices on the secondary market.
Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon. In an interview with The Wrap published yesterday, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said he expects these issues to continue "into the next calendar year," so those interested in an Xbox Series X will have to keep waiting patiently.
How do you feel about Amazon charging more than MSRP for these consoles? Have you gotten an Xbox Series X yet? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
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