PS5 eBay scams include photos of the console and empty boxes

PS5 eBay scams have been rife since the console's launch, with misleading listings featuring photos of the console for sale or empty boxes, but the auction site has announced plans to tackle the problem.

Checking on eBay now on November 30, you can see a multitude of suspicious listings, including photos of the console, as well as empty cardboard boxes. There are even listings attempting to get donations towards purchasing a PS5. While posts do state in the description what you would receive, it's not clear if bidders are aware they're spending £6000 on a photo of a PS5.

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"We condemn these opportunistic sellers who are attempting to mislead other users," eBay said in a statement provided to Eurogamer. "We are in the process of removing all listings for photos of PS5s from our marketplace and will be taking appropriate action against the sellers." It's a positive step that eBay is taking relatively swift action against scammers, although there are still several listings up at the time of publication.

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With PS5 stock in such scarce supply around the world, it's easy to see why sites like eBay have been home to a litany of scams involving the new console. Just last week, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan revealed that "absolutely everything is sold" in relation to PS5 stock, but Sony more recently assured customers that more PS5 stock would be available before the end of the year.

Despite a shortage of stock for the new console, Sony is expecting big things for the PS5 sales figures. The company is aiming for the new console to surpass 100 million sales over the course of its lifetime on the market, and Ryan has predicted that the new console will beat the PS4's launch figure of 7 million units sold by April 2021.

If you're still trying to get your hands on Sony's next-gen console, you can head over to our PS5 deals guide for a list of official sources with projected stock of the new console.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.