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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.