eBay warns of fake PS5 stock as buyer receives a concrete block

(Image credit: Sony)

With PS5 stock still in short supply, eBay has issued a warning to PS5 scammers who are putting up misleading listings on the popular auction site.

It seems that fake PS5 listings are rife, as a man from Utah received a concrete block after paying $878 (around £660 / AU$1,180) to secure Sony’s new console, which arrived inside a genuine PS5 box.

According to Fox News, the man informed police and was told to contact eBay’s buyer/seller protections, but warned that users should proceed with caution when buying items from sellers who have zero feedback.

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This isn’t the first erroneous PS5 listing on eBay, of course. The company recently issued a statement to Eurogamer, condemning sellers who were attempting to scam users desperately searching where to buy PS5.

"We condemn these opportunistic sellers who are attempting to mislead other users," eBay said in its statement. "We are in the process of removing all listings for photos of PS5s from our marketplace and will be taking appropriate action against the sellers.

eBay stressed that users should take care before ordering “in-demand items” from sellers, and to read the listing carefully. Some users have fallen into the trap of buying pieces of paper with the word “PS5” written on them, for example.

"For any purchase, but especially highly priced or in-demand items, buyers should exercise caution and thoroughly read the listing description. Buyers who receive an item which is not as described are entitled to a refund via our eBay Money Back Guarantee, provided they completed the transaction on the eBay platform."

PS5 in a haystack

PS5 stock continues to be scarce, though Sony has promised more units will arrive before the end of the year. The situation hasn’t been helped by PS5 scalpers, who managed to secure over 1,500 consoles in the UK alone so they can be sold for an extortionately high price.

We're keeping track of any new PS5 stock updates at TechRadar to help you secure Sony's console without paying over the odds.

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Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.