Steam Machines are appearing on reseller sites and successfully selling for insane mark-ups, with some of the units going for double the standard price or more. While scalping isn’t unusual, none of these sellers actually have a Steam Machine in hand, as they haven’t gone up for sale yet from Valve.
Valve Explains Why the Steam Machine is Priced So High
Valve officially explains why the Steam Machine is so much more expensive than typical game consoles and how parts demand impacted the price.
Steam Machines Are Being Scalped Before They’re Even Secured
Steam Machine listings have been appearing on eBay, with most of the listings being priced at $1,000 or more over the cost of buying one directly from Valve. While there are many still listed, several have already sold. For example, one listing of the cheapest Steam Machine sold for $2,000, which would normally sell for $1,049 direct from Valve. A pair of 2TB Steam Machines sold for $2,700 and $2,900 respectively, with it normally costing $1,349 solo or $1,428 with a controller. Perhaps the most mind-boggling price belongs to a 512GB Steam Machine with a controller that sold on eBay for $2,800, which would normally cost $1,128. The most shocking part of the sales, however, is that none of the sellers have made a purchase yet, as sales have not officially opened with Valve. Instead, these sellers only have emails confirming they’ve been selected to buy one once the consoles are actually put on sale.