Sony Pushes Back Against PS5 Scalpers – But Only in Japan

If you haven’t heard about PlayStation’s recent 30th Anniversary Collection, we’ll give you a quick recap. You can check out our full rundown here, but the TL;DR is Sony has recently launched a huge set of new consoles and controllers with a retro, PS1-inspired design.

The highlight of the drop were the PS5 Pro Anniversary Bundles. These were limited to just 12,300 units globally, and they sold out nearly instantly when they released through PlayStation Direct on September 26.

However, Sony has confirmed that an additional supply of PS5 Pro Bundles will be supplied exclusively to Japanese customers in November.

Rather than a direct sale, these are available through a “reservation” system on Sony’s website right now. The following information is supplied via machine translation, so some details may be inaccurate.

From what we can tell, Japanese customers interested in a PS5 Pro Anniversary bundle can provide their account information to Sony, and all eligible accounts will be entered into a raffle in November.

There are a few requirements to enter this raffle. The PlayStation account must be registered in Japan, and the consoles will only ship to addresses within the country. Additionally, the account must have registered at least 30 hours of use between February 2014 and September 2024.

This promotion is interesting for a few reasons. For one, it indicates that there are more PS5 Pro Anniversary bundles than those sold last week. Sony has heavily marketed the global quantity limit of 12,300, so it’s very likely that they’ve set aside a significant portion of stock exclusively for Japanese players.

This was not communicated beforehand, and can at least partially explain why those initial consoles sold so fast and are reselling for so much.

But it also raises a good question: why is Sony only using this system in Japan? It’s actually a pretty great way to cut down on console scalping and give average gamers a fair chance at getting the consoles they want. Why do only Japanese gamers get that privilege?

Well, there are two obvious answers. One, Sony developed this new system after seeing the tremendous aftermarket for PS5 Pro bundles, and decided to take steps against it. It’s possible, but unlikely considering how fast they’ve developed the system following the global launch.

Or two, Sony just doesn’t give a shit about console reselling. Or rather, they only care about whether their Japanese customers are getting scalped. This combination of a lottery system and minimum use requirements is actually a pretty good way to curb reselling, and there’s no reason for it to be Japan-exclusive.

But a fast sellout of their products and a lively aftermarket for them is prestigious. It’s certainly good for their bottom line, and is probably impressive to shareholders.

Like most businesses, Sony might act like they don’t like resellers, but we make up some of their best customers. Obviously, bad news for Japanese resellers, but maybe an upside for gamers looking to snag something special.

If you’re a Japanese reader (ohayo), or you just have a Japan-registered PSN account with the requisite playtime, it’s worth signing up for the raffle. These consoles are still reselling for more than $3,000 at a time, and Christmas is just around the corner.

Bagging one would be a very welcome gift for any gamer or reseller, and you at least have a fair chance on this drop.

Make sure you check out our full guide to buying a PS5 Pro Anniversary Bundle, and take a look at our coverage of the resale market for them when you’re done. We’re always plugging away at something new, so subscribe to our newsletter if you want to stay updated.