Faced with unscrupulous dealers taking advantage of shortages to buy large stocks of items and resell them at a higher price, US politicians are proposing a bill to ban the practice.
If you regularly order items online, you have surely been faced with stockouts preventing you from purchasing the goods you want. High demand, shortage of components … there may be many reasons for the lack of stock of an object.
In addition, there are “scalpers”, people who buy a large quantity of objects as soon as they become available in order to increase their rarity and then resell them at a much higher price. This often happens when a new console is released, such as the Switch or the PS5, for the release of graphics cards or any other “rare” consumer goods. We also find the same problem in the sale of tickets for concerts.
Typically, scalpers use automated bots that purchase items as they become available, leaving legitimate customers no chance. The pandemic has contributed to the scarcity of certain computer articles and has prompted scalpers to step up their activity.
The Grinch must not spoil Christmas anymore
To combat this problem, US politicians have announced a new bill entitled ” Stopping Grinch Bots ActWhich takes its name from the Christmas tale “The Grinch”, where the Grinch steals all Christmas presents to spoil other people’s parties. The bill was proposed by Representative Paul Tonko, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Senator Ben Ray Luján.
The bill targets scalpers who use bots to grab inventory of items online to resell them at significantly higher prices. “These third-party sellers use bots to bypass security measures and manipulate e-commerce systems to purchase toys.Which makes some toys nearly impossible to buy online or in stores at retail prices, exacerbating shortages, caused by strained supply chains“, Explain in a press release the carriers of the bill.
« In an age when families should be able to spend time with loved ones, digital “Grinch bots” are forcing Americans to scour sites online in hopes of finding an affordable gift or paying outrageous prices for a single toy.. »
Finally, politicians say these bots aren’t just a problem for consumers, but also for small businesses, local retailers, and entrepreneurs trying to make sure they have the best items in stock for their customers.
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