Three things are guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and scalping. Valve's Steam Machine pre-orders have started shipping, and given the much higher demand than supply, the vultures are straight in on the new console. Listings show resales are already happening, up to double the regular price of the box.
Yes, double. Valve is currently selling Steam Machines based on a lottery system, since there's so much interest. People who signed up started being filtered into either the queue to buy this week, with some going there while others were told they're still on the waitlist.
There are four options for the system, each providing different hardware and memory for your buck. The cheapest is the 512GB model, which comes without a Steam controller and costs $1049. The most expensive, then, is the 2TB version, which will run you $1428 with Valve's official joypad. Regardless of the price, these have been unilaterally swept up already, and are going for even more exorbitant amounts on eBay.
One sold listing on the user-based marketplace had the 512GB Steam Machine going for $1,500. A strong markup – the seller made a pretty penny, for sure – but not egregious when you see how high others have gone for.
In one instance, the 2TB option without a controller went for $2,899. That is more than double Valve's asking price for that package. And that's without factoring in shipping, which is a separate amount added afterward for the buyer.
At time of writing, the highest listing I've found is a nice, round $3,200, for the 2TB model with the Steam controller. We're heading toward three-times the money on the second hand market, and this is just the first wave.
The hardware is shipping out as of today, June 29, and presumably these listings will be heading to their original owners first, before then being shifted toward their actual forever homes. The waiting list is back open for sign-ups, but I wouldn't hold my breath for an opportunity to buy for some time given the state of manufacturing right now. Just don't blow your savings on one of the inflated reseller listings in the meantime, your chance to buy will come around – eventually.
