Xbox's Priciest Console Ever Sells Out in Minutes—Scalpers Already Cashing In

Remember when you could just walk into a store and buy a console without breaking a sweat? Those days feel like ancient history, especially after Microsoft's latest drop. The 25th-Anniversary Xbox Series X—the most expensive Xbox ever made—went up for preorder, and within 60 seconds, it was gone. Poof. Just like that. If you blinked, you missed it.

Now, you might think that's just the natural excitement of a limited edition. But here's the twist: scalpers have already swooped in, and they're not messing around. A quick scroll through eBay shows dozens of these rare consoles listed for jaw-dropping prices. We're talking $2,200 to start, and one seller in Australia is asking a whopping $27,426—probably just to grab the top spot in search results. The original price? A cool $900. That's a serious markup.

And here's the kicker: people are actually biting. Several units have already sold on eBay for between $1,900 and $2,300 each. That's over double the retail price. For an Xbox. I get it—it's a collector's item, but still, that's a lot of cash for a gaming console.

This whole situation feels like a flashback to the early days of the current console generation. Remember when the Xbox Series X and PS5 were impossible to find? Thanks to a semiconductor shortage, restocks vanished in seconds, and scalpers with bots were the only ones getting their hands on them. Eventually, supply chains caught up, and things got easier. But now, with prices surging again, it's like we're back in the wild west.

It's not just consoles either. Scalpers have been ruining hobbies left and right. The Pokemon Trading Card Game? Every restock gets wiped out by resellers. Even Pokemon donuts—yes, donuts—from the Krispy Kreme collaboration attracted folks looking to make a quick buck. It's frustrating, to say the least.

So, what's the takeaway here? If you've got deep pockets and missed out, you might still snag one—if you're willing to pay the scalper tax. But for most of us, this is just another reminder of how tough it is to get limited-edition gear these days. Will you be picking this up, or are you waiting for the hype to die down? Let us know in the comments!