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TechRadar
TechRadar
Hamish Hector

Scalpers are ruining the Internet, and in 2026, I hope their reign of terror comes to an end

Retail store websites display queue numbers of over 128,000 and "out of stock" holding pages as the PS5 goes on sale in the UK, on November 19, 2020.

If Santa and his elves are the light that brings us goodwill and cheer, scalpers are the darkness ripping any happiness away – and I’m once again hoping the coming year will be the year they stop ruining the internet.

I’m sure you’ve all had a bad experience wrought by scalpers – folks using an army of bots or simply sheer will (and maybe other tricks) to buy up something in high demand but short supply, only to resell it at a massive markup.

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