• dustyData@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    I agree in like 99% of the times there’s no scarcity and scalpers cause the scarcity artificially via wholesale of the entire stock. But this is not what is afflicting Valve. They have a supply chain issue, high problems with scarcity and scalpers are exploiting that. Blaming the buyers is akin to blaming individual torrenters for piracy. It is a service problem.

    • Ismay@programming.dev
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      6 days ago

      Just like for any product… Give me one awaited product that didn’t get recked by scalpers.

      Ps5, switch 2, … Hell even ram…

      When you have enough money, scarcity is easily created. What would you want ? To have businesses to have production lines that can handle release volume? What do you do with them after, when the demand is slowing, it’s faaaaaaarrrr from free.

      • dustyData@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Agreed, the point is that this applies to launch windows specially, but afterwards it is a supply and demand problem. Scum scalpers manufacturing scarcity by buying stock. It affected the PS5 launch. 6 years later, the PS5 is everywhere in brick and mortar shops. I can go buy one right now, no problem, even online if I wanted. At official prices and through legitimate channels. The Switch 2 was available in my country on launch day, Nintendo has that kind of supply chain today. Valve’s Steam Deck, 4 years later, I cannot buy it, nowhere. Valve won’t sell it to me. If I go to eBay, any reseller will ship it to my doorstep right away. This is an indication that Valve’s problem with hardware goes beyond typical scumbag scalping. They have a supply chain problem. It is because of OEM cartels and a lack of reputation as a hardware manufacturer, perhaps. But it is there. I have never seen Valve’s hardware in person, and probably never will, unless I go to the resell market.

        • Ismay@programming.dev
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          5 days ago

          I see your point. It’s evident valve don’t have the production power of a Sony (even if they got absolutely destroyed for months for each release) or Nintendo.

          I don’t know if it’s really a “problem” per se. They’re a lot smaller as a hardware builder so they can’t have the same infrastructures,I don’t think the demand would be strong enough. But that certainly makes them an easier target for scalpers