eBay has told Snopes in a statement that it has been actively removing fraudulent and misleading PlayStation 5 listings.
$1,000 consoles aside, sellers on the website have been advertising empty PS5 boxes, giving birth to rumors that some gullible folks fell for the scam and parted with thousands of dollars. eBay acknowledged that there were listings for empty console boxes, but none of those transactions actually went through.
eBay’s statement reads:
We have been taking action to remove fraudulent listings from our marketplace. For any purchase, but especially highly-priced or in-demand items, we recommend that buyers exercise caution and thoroughly read the listing description. Buyers who receive an item which is not as described are entitled to a refund via our eBay Money Back Guarantee, provided the transaction is completed on the eBay marketplace. eBay is committed to providing a safe, secure online shopping experience to millions of people globally; our protections include state-of-the-art detection tools to monitor listings on the site and robust systems to screen and verify new members.
eBay also confirmed to Snopes that selling photos of consoles or empty boxes is against its rules. Although such listings have received bids in the past, many of them turned out to be pranks concocted on social media, and none of them ended in a transaction.
As for scalpers, eBay can’t do anything on that front. As annoying as it is, the practice isn’t illegal. Additionally, scalpers thrive because there are people willing to fork out the cash to purchase items from them.
