Most PS5 dealers in the US have taken a laissez-faire approach to duffers and bots buying up their inventory It is unfortunate, to be sure, but as long as the console sells, that's all that matters Not so for South Korean game store Game Woori If the company finds a PS5 resale, it cancels reservations and sells it to the general public instead

This information comes from Kotaku, which learned about the process from one of its readers; Gamewoori posted on Instagram that its employees were looking for overpriced items being resold online Upon discovering a duffer, the employee cancels the pre-order, even if the duffer has already paid in full (This is a relatively merciful measure, since the duffer will probably be refunded)

It is actually not that difficult to find scalpers, especially those who purchased from Gamewoori Among the scalpers who actually sell PS5s (as opposed to scalpers who simply accept the money and run away), it is common for them to show a receipt, which proves that a real game console is involved in the transaction If a duffer shows Gamewoori's receipt, the company will cancel that pre-order Therefore, the company urges its regular customers to be wary of such malfeasance After all, for every PS5 that leaves the hands of a duffer, there will be one more legitimate buyer

Nevertheless, there is one major drawback to this plan You could spend all day scouring for duffers and you would never find an underground site where they congregate or a business they conduct via private message But Gamewoori's direct involvement is at least symbolic Just because the company cannot catch all the crooks is no reason not to try

At this point, Gamewoori seems to be the only retailer taking such extreme measures, but there is no reason why Western companies can't follow suit eBay and other sites often use the same "use receipt as proof of purchase" strategy that Western duffers use Companies like Best Buy have introduced rudimentary anti-scalping measures, such as emailing codes to customers However, the general rule of thumb is that systems that rely on automation are vulnerable to bots, and scalpers tend to catch up sooner or later

Gamewoori does not have a US presence, and no US companies currently take such an aggressive anti-scalper stance However, if this idea gains traction, it may make it easier for regular customers to find PS5s until their inventory stabilizes