eBay UK blocks PS3 auctions

By Ellie Gibson Published 16 November, 2006

Until February, anyway.

First eBay US introduced restrictions on the sale of PS3s - now eBay UK has banned users from offering them altogether.

As of yesterday morning, no auctions for PS3 units or games will be allowed on the site until February 2007 - which is when pre-orders will open in Europe.

Even then, each seller will only be able to offer one PS3, and it must have been purchased within the EU. Sellers must also guarantee dispatch within 30 days, provide a photo of the purchase or pre-order receipt and can only accept payment via PayPal.

In short, if you're looking to buy a PS3 on eBay UK you're out of luck - well, er, in theory, anyway...

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About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (40) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • InfiniteFury #1 5 years ago

    I thought Ebay always stayed out of arguments over "fairness" and scalping letting the market do whatever the market supports.

    Or is this further Lik-Sang fallout?

  • Gurgeh #2 5 years ago

    And in other news...

    "it seems that with certain HD PS3 games on certain HD television sets, there might not be the option for HD at all. Earlier today, posters at the NeoGAF forums, among other internet gaming hangouts, realized that PlayStation 3 does not seem to have an internal mechanism for upscaling 720p to 1080i. Meanwhile, many 1080i-capable HDTVs also lack such an upscaler. This means that a 720p-only PS3 game simply will not sync with a non-upscaling 1080i HDTV, forcing users to play the game in 480p enhanced definition or 480i standard definition."

    [link url=http://www.shacknews.com/
    ]    http://www.shacknews.com/
    [/link]

  • chupachups #3 5 years ago

    Is this legal? Surely you're allowed to sell whatever you want second hand?

    First hand deals, I can see how Sony has stopped them, but they can't stop private individuals selling their own possessions (they've certainly tried to do that in the past and always failed).

    I can't even see why Ebay is bending to Sony, surely times like this are a great advert for Ebay, a place where you can buy stuff that the real shops just can't supply? Has Sony paid Ebay off or something?

    It's not even going to stop the scams, because a total ban means the legitimate and illegitimate sellers are going to be forced to sell through channels where there's no system of checking someone's reputation. The scamming could actually get worse, and the high prices show how desperate people are to buy a PS3 right now.
    Edited by 2 at 16/11/06 @ 12:28

  • pjmaybe #4 5 years ago

    Phew Slurpy got in just in time then

    Peej

  • bigbadbeasty #5 5 years ago

    I find this unbeliveable, and you are right chupachups- Ebay never bend. Sony are doing themselves no favours, but hey, let them continue digging a hole!

  • bonker #6 5 years ago

    They must have been directly threatened by Sony - I'm starting to hate Sony with a passion I usually reserve for companies like BT and High Street electronics price-fixers etc ...

  • #7 5 years ago

    Free market FTW!

  • abigsmurf #8 5 years ago

    Boycott is the word that springs to mind.

    However Considering in todays society boycotts simply don't work (people have weak wills, companies are too prevailant in too many areas), a boycott wouldn't be noticed. I'm definately going to avoid purchasing Sony products wherever I can though.

    I'm tired of their anti-consumer attitude.

  • Pooley #9 5 years ago

    Well it isn't working yet, as there are loads of PS3's still advertised. Some of them even seem to be at fairly decent prices, one 60Gig version is at £435 with only two hours to go.

    Maybe if the resellers have overloaded the market, we might be able to get a bit of a bargain!

  • fizzer25 #10 5 years ago

    if i was sony i wouldn't really care they aren't losing money so why are they bothered as long as the system sells i cant work out their mentality!! ebay auctions will be sold to the hardcore who will in turn buy more games where sony start to make some pennies please if im missing the point someone explain

  • fizzer25 #11 5 years ago

    @ pooley

    have a word mate ps3 will never be a bargain!!!

  • pagedown #12 5 years ago

    The MS FUD spreading campaign is still in full swing I see.

  • The_Foo_Fighter #13 5 years ago

    @fizzer25

    Yes, you're missing the point. And the comma, and the capital latters, grammar etc etc

  • coojam #14 5 years ago

    When selling on eBay, you're selling courtesy of their services, so of course they're allowed to limit what you're allowed to sell and what you're not.

  • Steroyd #15 5 years ago

    However Considering in todays society boycotts simply don't work (people have weak wills, companies are too prevailant in too many areas), a boycott wouldn't be noticed. I'm definately going to avoid purchasing Sony products wherever I can though.

    We'll see how long you last in NOT watching Spiderman 3 next year. :)

  • fizzer25 #16 5 years ago

    ........................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ

  • Grim... #17 5 years ago

    No mention of it on the eBay site...

  • Grim... #18 5 years ago

    ...and I just got all the way to the end of adding a fake PS3 auction (short of pressing the conformation button) and it didn't mention a thing.
    Where did you find this out?

  • coojam #19 5 years ago

    They'd probably shut down the listing once it had been listed.

  • playgen #20 5 years ago

    This is a bit crazy on Ebays part. They dont give a toss about the countless auctions with chipped xbox'x with copied games, and fake Gameboy Advance games. Infact its difficult to buy a genuine GBA game on ebay at all.

  • Psychotext #21 5 years ago

    pagedown: Please explain what MS has to do with this?

  • mankell #22 5 years ago

    Human body parts, babies, pets, weapons and errr playstation 3's all banned on ebay.

    It must be sooooo good.

    /Wants one even more.

  • Mart #23 5 years ago

    "...and can only accept payment via PayPal."

    Hmm, that's convenient.

  • pagedown #24 5 years ago

    "pagedown: Please explain what MS has to do with this?"

    Nothing to do with this. I was referring to some of the comments in this thread.

  • kangarootoo #25 5 years ago

    @chupachups

    "Is this legal? Surely you're allowed to sell whatever you want second hand?"

    eBay small print says that they can pretty much cancel whatever they want, for whatever reason they want.

    As for the Sony threat situation. Do eBay really get threatended by anyone? Anyone have any facts on that?

  • Psychotext #26 5 years ago

    "As for the Sony threat situation. Do eBay really get threatended by anyone? Anyone have any facts on that?"

    "We did it to lik-sang, we'll do it to you..." =)

    Honestly though, I can't see what Sony could possibly hold over eBay to get them to comply. Though why just here? All the other worldwide eBays allow imports to be sold.

  • Cappy #27 5 years ago

    It probably has nothing to do with Sony. eBay have been complete tits about import and region free consoles for years without any outside help.
    Edited by 1 at 16/11/06 @ 14:05

  • Muddtallica #28 5 years ago

    That's not very good. I didn't think you were allowed to stop people selling stuff second hand...I know eBay are within their rights to stop people from selling, but I would have to agree that they ought not to have bowed to Sony's restrictive sales tactics in the first place...

    But I have to agree with AdamOfEternia, on the other hand. I don't have much time for these people who go along on console launch day and buy up ten units to make a quick buck, thus stopping actual punters who actually want to, you know, USE the machine from getting it. The thought that one of these mercenary types might have bankrupted himself buying ten PS3s, only find out he can't actually sell them, does make me laugh...:p

  • Ryan121 #29 5 years ago

    I'm glad eBay have done this as the amount of scams would be crazy!

  • chupachups #30 5 years ago

    "As for the Sony threat situation. Do eBay really get threatended by anyone? Anyone have any facts on that?"

    Ebay wants these sales (it gains them lots of cash and publicity), the sellers want these sales (it gains them lots of profit), the buyers want these sales (it gains them a console they can't buy locally for another six months). The only people who want to stop PS3s being sold by import are Sony themselves.

    Can you think of a good reason why Ebay would put a stop to these PS3 auctions without any pressure from Sony? Might Sony have threatened them with a lawsuit similar to the one they successfully brought against Lik Sang?

  • UncleLou #31 5 years ago

    First sensible thing eBay ever did.

  • Toothball #32 5 years ago

    I wonder who would win in a fight between Sony and eBay.

  • thinktank #33 5 years ago

    I have six pre order at gamestations main regional store, i they say i can only sell 1? if bought them i can do what ever the hell i want with them.

    There mine a fucking bought them!

    /Rant over goes back to gears

  • RevanEleven #34 5 years ago

    that'll stop a few people from making a buck or two, i love the smell of comunism in the morning!

  • Horstachio #35 5 years ago

    Sony vs eBay. That would be like Godzilla vs Superman.

    Superman might eventually win, but Godzilla will cause widespread destruction before leaving the scene.

  • bonker #36 5 years ago

    Come on guys, it's obvious that Sony's lawyers put the frighteners on Ebay, there's no possible other reason for Ebay to stop this as it generates cash and tons of great publicity for them. Forget any morality-based bollocks, companies make decisions based on finance alone. If they've stopped doing PS3 sales then there was obviously a clear financial threat to them if they continued and I can't see how that could come about other than them getting a back-channel nod from Sony's briefs ...

  • DanMW #37 5 years ago

    Blah, blah, blah, like you can have multiple eBay accounts (I have a few...)

  • MrFlintBlackman #38 5 years ago

    Too people who only bought a PS3 to sell it, HA-HA!

  • thinktank #39 5 years ago

    "Too people who only bought a PS3 to sell it, HA-HA!"

    I think you mean 'two' right

  • penhalion #40 5 years ago

    Doesn't look like anyone is interested in the PS3 auctions anyway. None seem to have gone above 510 quid apart from the odd obvious fake listing. Most are simply sitting at 0.99p Hmmm just a thought Sony but, maybe the price is a bit too high even for the normally gullible early adopters.

    It's Ironic that even in Japan. The country the sony fanbase calls home. A lot of People seem to have only purchased PS3 to sell on to desperate westerners.....what does that tell you....

    I also now know two japanese guys who have purchased PS3 (one bought Gundam!) and both are looking to sell them. I kid you not. They were that un-impressed with the games and simply want to get a Wii now. I've never seen such a reaction from them before.

  • bonker #41 5 years ago

    It really wouldn't surprise me at all to see the PS3 get off to an awfully slow start, especially as it's missing Xmas here in Europe - surely the vast majority of consoles are sold at Xmas, right?

    Never mind the legendary negative press that Sony have had and the alienation they've generated with consumers everywhere this year and the fact that side-by-side comparisons are starting to appear with 360 games that show the PS3 in an extremely bad light (considering the extra 50% of cash you've gotta find to buy one!) - this will be the killer, the initial games have gotta be not just as good as the 360 but CLEARLY better in terms of gameplay and graphics and I just can't see how that can happen with a brand new console vs one that's similarly powered and just entering its 2nd year (and gear) of s/w development ...