Steam Machine Reservations Are Being Scalped for Triple the Price on eBay Ahead of Launch

Steam Machine reservation spots are already being resold on eBay for staggering prices — sometimes nearly triple Valve's official MSRP — even though the device itself has yet to ship. Instead of offering physical consoles, sellers are flipping confirmation emails that grant a spot in Valve's randomized queue, with completed sales reaching as high as $2,899 for the 2TB model. For comparison, Valve's official price for the 2TB Steam Machine with Steam Controller is $1,428, and $1,349 without the controller.

The situation is particularly absurd: buyers on eBay are paying thousands of dollars just for a chance to purchase the Steam Machine from Valve, not for the hardware itself. Each reservation email gives the holder 72 hours to buy the console directly from Valve, after which the spot passes to the next person in line. This means the eBay buyer still needs to pay Valve's full price on top of the markup paid to the reseller.

The inflated prices aren't limited to the top-tier model. Reservations for the 512GB Steam Machine, officially priced at $1,049 ($1,128 with the Steam Controller), have been listed for $1,950 without the controller and up to $3,200 with it — an increase of over 150% above MSRP. Some buyers have already paid these inflated prices, fueling the secondary market.

Valve attempted to curb scalping by introducing a randomized queue system rather than traditional preorders. To reserve a Steam Machine, users needed a Steam account in good standing, at least one purchase before April 27, 2026, and there was a strict one-system-per-household limit. While these measures made mass scalping more difficult, dozens of listings still appeared on eBay within hours of the first reservation emails going out.

Part of the reason for the high prices is the device's limited supply. Valve has only been able to produce about two-thirds of its intended quantity due to shortages of key components like RAM and SSDs. The company has acknowledged that the starting price of $1,049 is higher than originally planned, citing increased hardware costs across the industry. Steam Machine shipments are set to begin on June 29, 2026, but Valve has not announced when the next batch will be available, adding to the uncertainty and demand.

With resellers cashing in on reservation spots and official supply limited, do you think Valve's restrictions will be enough to rein in scalpers — or will the gray market only grow as launch day approaches?