What do you think of scalpers / resellers?

In other words, people who snatch limited goods, such as graphics cards or Playstation 5, but also limited items of clothing and shoes from under the noses of regular buyers using bots and then resell them for a surcharge of several hundred euro. Often the profits are not taxed because it is disguised as a "private sale".

One of the biggest scalpers said in an interview that he and many others would do this because they lost their jobs in the Covid crisis and urgently need an additional income. And that they do nothing other than large retail chains that buy goods cheaply and resell them at high prices.

But at the weekend I was a customer of a scalper myself and picked up the goods from his home. He still lived with his parents, in a villa on the outskirts of the city, 2 expensive SUVs in the driveway, some marble sculptures in the garden and he opened the door for me wearing a Hugo Boss shirt. So there was nothing to be seen of "Poor man provides additional income due to lack of money".

I see it this way:

We live in a free economy in which everyone has the opportunity to do whatever they want with their money, with or without a villa. If he has decided in time to take the risk and buy items with his money that are worth more afterwards, then it is deserved. Anyone could have done it. Just like anyone could have bought apple stocks 30 years ago and would have been rich today… These are the free markets. It only becomes anti-social when someone has good connections to someone like Sony and then comes across products that are no longer available for normal people.

Antisocial, greedy bums are. I would wish them that they sit on all the things and go to waste.

Scalpers existed before Covid, the reason is nonsense. And the retail chains offer a certain added value, they just offer things for people like me who don't necessarily want to buy online. With a scalper that just shifts. Or I guess a scalper doesn't sell at the regular price, but at a much higher price.

And yes, before anyone explains that our economy is designed in such a way that you take advantage of all possibilities - yes, you can anyway, you are still an anti-social, money-hungry bum. You don't have to take advantage of every opportunity to get money. As far as I know, their prices are absurdly exaggerated without any added value. Pure greed for money.