Scalper bots grab the most desirable merchandise, such as limited Adidas sneakers or PS5, to resell them for a much higher price.
You don’t need to be an experienced hacker with access to the dark web to deploy scalper bots. They are increasingly available to the public as an off-the-shelf solution and cause a major headache for exclusive item hunters.
Bot management company Netacea named the five most popular items hunted by the scalper bots in Q2.
1. Adidas Yeezy Slide Onyx was one of the most heavily targeted items this quarter, with some resellers checking out hundreds of pairs. First released in early March, they were restocked in May. Frequent restocks typically reduce the aftermarket price. However, scalper bots grabbed most of the restocked inventory. Resellers ask $145–216 for a pair, compared to the original $60 price.
2. Adidas Yeezy Foam Runner Onyx, released worldwide on 8th June, Kanye West’s birthday, cost $80 while resellers ask twice as much – $172-179 a pair.
3. Sony Playstation 5 has been the fastest-ever selling console since its release. Sony is suffering from its own success – resellers heavily target PS5 due to its widespread popularity and media attention. It’s being resold for $618 -702, compared to an official $500 price.
4. Crocs x Salehe Bembury Pollex Clog is another desirable item. The Pollex Clog was released this May in three colorways: Stratus, Urchin, and Crocodile, and is unique as it modifies the Crocs’ silhouette shape, rather than simply colorways or graphics. Bulk buyers resell the item for $126-199, while its original price is $85. Netacea noted that scalper bots struggled to purchase a sizeable portion of the stock, meaning legitimate customers can still purchase the item from official buyers. As a result, the aftermarket demand and price for the Pollex Clog are lower.
5. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Founders Edition Graphics Cards costs $564-800 in the aftermarket ($500 in legitimate stores.) Netacea said the aftermarket keeps crashing. With the Ethereum Merge, pundits expect a large influx of second-hand graphics cards as the popular cryptocurrency moves away from mining. As a result, gamers should start seeing less competition for graphics cards.
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