The PS5 and Xbox Series X are the newest consoles you can buy from Sony and Microsoft. If you can find any stock around, that is. The two gaming rigs hit stores in late 2020, but you still can’t find them in most stores. The PS5 is especially difficult to find, with Sony struggling to keep up with the massive demand. It doesn’t help that sophisticated bots help scalpers hoard the consoles so they can resell them at premium prices. But Amazon wants to help prevent such issues with a brand new invite-based order system for in-demand devices like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X.
The two consoles are routinely available from various retailers, including Amazon. But supply is limited, and the consoles often sell out. Plenty of products see shipping delays these days due to the lockdowns in China impacting production and supply lines.
With such issues in mind, Amazon decided to launch a new invite-based order system for products that are in high demand and have low supply. According to TechCrunch, Amazon wants to prevent inventory shortages and price gouging with the initiative. One of the side effects will be reducing robot traffic for high-demand devices like the PS5.
The program will be available in the US at first, starting with the PS5 and Xbox Series X that Amazon sells and fulfills.
How Amazon’s invite orders work
The best part about the new program is that Amazon will not charge more for the products. Nor will you need to have an Amazon Prime subscription to take advantage of the new invite-based order system.
All you need is an Amazon account to access the listing of product pages, like the PS5 seen in these screenshots. The product pages will have a notice telling buyers that the devices are “available by invitation.” They’ll also inform them the product is a “high-demand item with limited quantities” and that Amazon “won’t be able to grant all requests.”
Buyers can request an invite to place the order from the page, and Amazon will then review it. The retailer is looking to prevent bot actions, so it’ll check out various factors. Amazon will look at the account’s purchase history and when it was created before granting an invitation.
Once a customer gets the invite, they’ll receive an email with instructions on how to place the order. They’ll also get a link to the Amazon page that lets them complete the purchase. The invite-based order system comes with a timer. You’ll have a limited time to press that “Buy now” button, after which the invitation expires.
Amazon will then continue to issue invites as more stock comes in. If you’ve submitted your request and haven’t received an invite to order, you’ll have to keep waiting.
The invite order system is available starting Thursday for the PS5, as seen in the screenshot above. You can request an invite at this link. The Xbox Series X invite system will be available soon.
