Valve is reportedly cancelling and refunding some Steam Controller orders. This has sparked worry among players that they had oversold stock. However, there is likely another explanation involving scalpers and users breaking terms of service.
Steam Controller Orders Are Being Cancelled
According to users on Reddit, some Steam Controller orders are being refunded. Reports began to pop up on the forum after several accounts posted that their purchases had been cancelled. Before you panic though, it appears that this might be related to Valve clamping down on scalpers, and not overselling its stock.
For example, a Reddit user who reported his Steam Controller was refunded explained that he had “used a VPN” on a new account to make his purchase. The user defended his actions, saying that he lived in a country where the Steam Controller wasn’t being shipped. Although Valve didn’t confirm to the user why their order was cancelled, many agreed it was likely due to the VPN.
The only issue with that though is that some accounts claimed they used a VPN, and their Steam Controller had already shipped. So at this point, it’s anyone’s guess why Valve is cancelling some orders while leaving others alone. However, one interesting theory is that Valve is actually going after scalpers.
Valve Might Be Cracking Down on Steam Controller Scalpers
Again, this isn’t verified by Valve and is speculation. However, many Steam users theorized that Valve might be going through and refunding any “sketchy” orders. After all, there were reports of some scalpers buying as many as 8 Steam Controllers at launch to flip them on eBay for twice the price.
“Wonder if Valve is slowly and secretly evaluating all these purchases that seem sketchy. And they will resell this stock to those that missed it,” one user on Reddit wrote. Another user actually seemed to verify this, as they were able to get the new Valve hardware peripheral after it had initially sold out.
“Honestly would explain how I got mine from a seemingly small stock out of nowhere. If they’re cancelling the orders that were sketchy, maybe some of those eBay listings won’t have their stock.” We can only hope! As we reported previously, there were floods of Steam Controllers listed on auction sites literally minutes after orders went live.
Steam Controllers have been selling on eBay for as high as $250, which is double the price! While not verified, players who missed out on the Steam Controller should keep checking back at the Steam Store. We could end up seeing new stock become available, as certain orders get cancelled for a variety of reasons.
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