Why are original model PS4's selling for so much?

[Craig234]

Years ago I bought an original model PS4. I've never opened it, and I got a PS4 pro I use instead, and want to sell the original. I'd expect it to sell for a lower price - only 500GB, slower, full size. New PS4's seem to be a little under $300 maybe.

So I checked online, and Amazon has ten original model PS4's for sale new, and the price range is $460 to $540! Why are they selling for so much? I'm not sure how to price mine (or where to sell it, tried a year ago on Craiglist I think for $250, no bites).

 

[TheELF]

Years ago I bought an original model PS4. I've never opened it, and I got a PS4 pro I use instead, and want to sell the original. I'd expect it to sell for a lower price - only 500GB, slower, full size. New PS4's seem to be a little under $300 maybe.

So I checked online, and Amazon has ten original model PS4's for sale new, and the price range is $460 to $540! Why are they selling for so much? I'm not sure how to price mine (or where to sell it, tried a year ago on Craiglist I think for $250, no bites).

Pssss don't tell anybody but you can jailbreak (hack) a PS4 with old firmware and getting a old unopened one is the best way to get one.

 

[FaaR]

I assume the high price is because of the cool capacitive touch front buttons...

 

[Craig234]

Well, I was thinking I should sell it now before the PS5. So, you think the reason above justifies a higher price? Any idea of a good place to sell it?

 

[TheELF]

So, you think the reason above justifies a higher price?

Being able to save $60 on each game? Or whatever sale price or second hand or whatever else price.What do you think?Is that worth paying $100-150 more upfront?

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Well, I was thinking I should sell it now before the PS5. So, you think the reason above justifies a higher price? Any idea of a good place to sell it?

Yeah I'd dump it now. Ebay, cragislist, wherever. An unopened new in box OG PS4 is gold right now, it can pirate every game released up until October 2019. That should have great resale value right now. Especially because 6.72 just got hacked a month or two ago, greatly widening the number of games you could pirate on a hacked PS4. Personally I wouldn't hack a PS4 since the games are cheap and there has been a lot of top notch stuff come out since October 2019 (eg Persona 5 Royal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima) but there will probably be a lot of demand for your system if you put it online and don't price gouge too much.

 

[Craig234]

Being able to save $60 on each game? Or whatever sale price or second hand or whatever else price.What do you think?Is that worth paying $100-150 more upfront?

Well, crap. I don't support piracy. So, I should try to sell it for $200-$250 to someone who won't, and eat the $200. But that's not easy. If I get a buyer for $450, it seems there's almost doubt they'll pirate. If I get a buyer for $200, it could be anyone.

 

[Craig234]

No easy answers. Option 1: sell for $450, it's used for pirating. Option 2: sell for $200, who knows. Option 3: destroy it, to guarantee it's not used for pirating.

Option 2 would be something to consider, if it more reliably avoided pirating. That leaves 1 and 3. Losing the entire value just to avoid someone pirating with it doesn't seem really justified.

If I 'knew someone' who wouldn't pirate, that'd be one thing, I don't. I could put it up on this forum, but could I trust a buyer not to resell it for the extra $250? If virtuallarry wanted it, I'd trust him, but I suspect not everyone can be.

It's making me lean toward selling it for $450 as the least bad option. I appreciate the mystery being solved.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'd sell it for 'market value', and not worry about the morality of the buyer WRT piracy. You're not their nanny.

As far as legal liability, as long as it's brand new un-opened pure Sony product, and you haven't opened it or modded it, then I don't see how you could be held liable any more than Sony themselves would be.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

No easy answers. Option 1: sell for $450, it's used for pirating. Option 2: sell for $200, who knows. Option 3: destroy it, to guarantee it's not used for pirating.

Option 2 would be something to consider, if it more reliably avoided pirating. That leaves 1 and 3. Losing the entire value just to avoid someone pirating with it doesn't seem really justified.

If I 'knew someone' who wouldn't pirate, that'd be one thing, I don't. I could put it up on this forum, but could I trust a buyer not to resell it for the extra $250? If virtuallarry wanted it, I'd trust him, but I suspect not everyone can be.

It's making me lean toward selling it for $450 as the least bad option. I appreciate the mystery being solved.

Whatever you do, I'd do it soon, because if you wait much longer the only people who'd be interested in your PS4 will want it for piracy. Because PS5 will play PS4 games and we saw how much the PS1's value tanked when PS2 with full PS1 BC
came out.

If you don't want people to use your system to pirate just set the system up, connect it online, and install the newest firmware. Then it's just another PS4 and there is (as of now) nothing anyone can do to put custom firmware on it once you install a firmware of version 7.00 or later (I think 7.51 is the current firmware). Just don't call it a new system any more, because you could get it returned for a refund if you sell it to someone thinking he has a PS4 he could have put CFW on because it was supposed to be new, never used.

 

[Craig234]

Whatever you do, I'd do it soon, because if you wait much longer the only people who'd be interested in your PS4 will want it for piracy. Because PS5 will play PS4 games and we saw how much the PS1's value tanked when PS2 with full PS1 BC
came out.

If you don't want people to use your system to pirate just set the system up, connect it online, and install the newest firmware. Then it's just another PS4 and there is (as of now) nothing anyone can do to put custom firmware on it once you install a firmware of version 7.00 or later (I think 7.51 is the current firmware). Just don't call it a new system any more, because you could get it returned for a refund if you sell it to someone thinking he has a PS4 he could have put CFW on because it was supposed to be new, never used.

I see.

Ya, that is an option - but it would drive the price down not only from 'pirate' to 'non-pirate' price which is over half already, but to 'used' price, which seems like it must be in the $100-$150 range, compared to the $450. Quite a price for keeping it from old game piracy.

 

[Craig234]

I'd sell it for 'market value', and not worry about the morality of the buyer WRT piracy. You're not their nanny.

As far as legal liability, as long as it's brand new un-opened pure Sony product, and you haven't opened it or modded it, then I don't see how you could be held liable any more than Sony themselves would be.

Oh, this is strictly morality, not legality.

And I think we are each other's nannies, to a point. Whatever choice here, there's a cost.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

I see.

Ya, that is an option - but it would drive the price down not only from 'pirate' to 'non-pirate' price which is over half already, but to 'used' price, which seems like it must be in the $100-$150 range, compared to the $450. Quite a price for keeping it from old game piracy.

Personally I'd just sell it specifically advertising it as a new unopened system on a hackable firmware. Kind of surprised you got no bites offering that system at $250 brand new in box a year ago, because it your firmware on the system would still be less than 5.05 and 5.05 was hacked in May 2018.

 

[TheELF]

Well, crap. I don't support piracy. So, I should try to sell it for $200-$250 to someone who won't, and eat the $200. But that's not easy. If I get a buyer for $450, it seems there's almost doubt they'll pirate. If I get a buyer for $200, it could be anyone.

If you sell it for 200 it will most probably be resold for the profit.
If you don't have any relative, friend or something like that to sell it to at 200 then go for the average price maybe a little lower.

 

[Craig234]

Personally I'd just sell it specifically advertising it as a new unopened system on a hackable firmware. Kind of surprised you got no bites offering that system at $250 brand new in box a year ago, because it your firmware on the system would still be less than 5.05 and 5.05 was hacked in May 2018.

I had a bit or two, it was on Craigslist, but they were scammers who quickly went away when forced to not scam.

 

[Aikouka]

Sounds like a somewhat hard choice, and I can certainly applaud your desire to take the high road. I think I would strongly consider this thought... not selling your system isn't likely to stop someone who wants to pirate from pirating. Even if you do help put a small dent in it, you run into the age old conundrum in regard to anti-piracy efforts... just because they're forced to buy it doesn't mean they'll actually buy it (i.e. piracy doesn't necessary equate to a lost sale).

I guess one other thing you can consider is this... most main PS4 games have already come out, and the PS5 is on the horizon. Even if someone does pirate some games using the console, they're not likely to hurt the developers who have already seen the vast majority of their sales.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand the morality of the issue here. If someone is looking to buy a console to mod it and download free games, they'll buy it from you or someone else. If you choose to sell the system, what they do with it is completely out of your hands. For all you know, they could use it to murder someone or they could just use it as a Blu-Ray player. The only thing here you can be certain of, is if you don't sell it, you don't get any money. If you do sell it, you get money. As others have pointed out, you cannot control what other people do so there's no point in worrying about what someone will use it for once it's left your hands. You're not responsible for other people's actions nor can you police them.

That's just how I see things.

 

[Craig234]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand the morality of the issue here. If someone is looking to buy a console to mod it and download free games, they'll buy it from you or someone else. If you choose to sell the system, what they do with it is completely out of your hands. For all you know, they could use it to murder someone or they could just use it as a Blu-Ray player. The only thing here you can be certain of, is if you don't sell it, you don't get any money. If you do sell it, you get money. As others have pointed out, you cannot control what other people do so there's no point in worrying about what someone will use it for once it's left your hands. You're not responsible for other people's actions nor can you police them.

That's just how I see things.

Well, consider an analogy. Some local criminal kids said they want a handgun for crime and offered me $400 for mine. I said no. They said they'll just buy one from someone else, so I said, well ok. I can't decide what they do with it or police them.

 

[TheELF]

Well, consider an analogy. Some local criminal kids said they want a handgun for crime and offered me $400 for mine. I said no. They said they'll just buy one from someone else, so I said, well ok. I can't decide what they do with it or police them.

Eh,your situation is more like selling a bar of soap and worrying that the buyer might carve a pistol shape out of it and try to rob someone with it.
A sealed original PS4 is also a very nice collectors item,I mean go on to ebay and look for 'original sealed console' prices are crazy.

 

[Steltek]

Well, consider an analogy. Some local criminal kids said they want a handgun for crime and offered me $400 for mine. I said no. They said they'll just buy one from someone else, so I said, well ok. I can't decide what they do with it or police them.

It is overblown analogy at best. Last I heard, a PS4 isn't a weapon (unless you happen to sell it and drop ship it to Kim Jong-Un). Not likely to happen - he probably already has a room full of them.

If you are so worried about it, just hook it up and run a firmware update to v7.51. Moral dilemma solved. You won't get anywhere as much for it when you sell it, but your conscience should be clear. Unless, you consider that at some unknown point in the future the v7.51 firmware will get hacked as well.....

Personally, the way I look at it is if you spend your life worrying about what somebody else might do in any given circumstance, you might as well go hide from the world and live in a dark cave somewhere.

 

[Craig234]

It is overblown analogy at best. Last I heard, a PS4 isn't a weapon

No offense, but you don't understand analogies. Analogies have something in common, and something not in common.

 

[Steltek]

No offense, but you don't understand analogies. Analogies have something in common, and something not in common.

If it makes you feel better to think that, feel free. I stand by my statements.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I heard BLM is now protesting because of PS4 piracy. You didn't hear that from me, though.

Remember kids, PS4 piracy kills~!

/s

Edit: And isn't this really just a thinly-veiled price-check thread?

 

[Craig234]

Edit: And isn't this really just a thinly-veiled price-check thread?

Well, since I brought all the prices, and asked for none maybe that's not a good question?

 

[WhiteNoise]

I like owning the games. I like seeing them on the shelf, which is why I hate buying games for consoles in digital format.

$250 is a fair price for a used PS4. For a brand new PS4 in the box? I'd keep it. I'd keep it in a closet for another 10+ years. Then i would sell it for more money. Collectors love new items in boxes.