PS5 scalpers buy most Argos stock before it even went on sale

UK retailer Argos is the latest victim of scalping groups.

Argos, one of the biggest retailers in the UK, brought in new PS5 stock yesterday for a big drop. The available stock was depleted shortly after it went live, but not because of the usual reasons.

The main problem, according to IGN, was that scalpers managed to get into Argos' systems and snag a bunch of units before the lot even went on sale.

Sources told the site that scalpers managed to get theirs one day before the drop was meant to go live. One group, who's gloated in the past for snatching up multiple PS5s, identified a breach in Argos' systems, which essentially allowed its members to buy the console legitimately before links were live on the website.

Some reportedly even received their consoles through the store's pay and collect service. Though Argos said it plugged the loophole, it did not say how many were sold through those links ahead of the stock going on sale.

Outside of scalpers, Argos' systems didn't seem to hold out well in the face of increased demand from people trying to buy a PS5 once stock actually went live. Argos' app reportedly showed the PS5 in stock, but it went down seemingly at random in different parts of the UK.

Last week, UK retailer GAME ran into a similar problem with PS5 scalpers, after a certain scalping group claimed to have scooped up 2,000 units in a day, something GAME later responded to by saying that their orders won't be verified.