Scalpers are attempting to resell reservations for Valve's new Steam Frame VR headset for up to $2,000, significantly above its retail price. Valve recently began sending out reservation confirmations and waitlist notifications for the headset, which is priced at $1,059 for the 256GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB version.
Listings on eBay have appeared with starting bids of $1,700 for the lower-tier model and around $2,000 for the 1TB version. The article notes that the Steam Frame is already considered expensive due to the ongoing RAM crisis, with its price point questioned without OLED optics, despite its potential for open platform and wireless PCVR.
In response to the inflated prices, the gaming community is mobilizing. Users on the /r/steam subreddit are coordinating efforts to report the scalper listings on eBay. One user reported receiving multiple emails from eBay confirming that reported content had been removed, indicating success in these efforts.
Further actions are being taken to deter scalpers. Some community members have identified the Steam usernames of sellers from eBay listings and are reporting them directly to Valve. This strategy aims to impact the scalpers' accounts beyond just the specific resale listing, potentially affecting their ability to acquire future products.
Valve had previously implemented a randomized lottery system for its Steam Machine and initially for the Steam Frame to mitigate scalper activity, replacing a first-come, first-serve model. While this system may have reduced the number of scalpers who could secure reservations, it has not entirely prevented them from attempting to profit from the product's scarcity.