My advice for PS5/Xbox restock

Please share & RTthis 30-part FAQ

Hi new+old @mattswider followers,

Trusted stores
Can u tip me?
Carting advice
Restock times
Bundlealone
PS5 DiscDigital
Will I do alerts for XYZ?
Do scalpers use this?
Outside?

PLEASE buy from trusted sellers ONLY, not shady Twitter accounts

PS5 Disc ($499)
1. Amazon https://mttswdr.co/ps5-amazon-disc 

2. GameStop https://mttswdr.co/ps5-gamestop-disc

3. Sony Direct https://mttswdr.co/ps5-sony-disc 

4. Walmart https://mttswdr.co/ps5-walmart-disc

5. Newegg https://mttswdr.co/ps5-newegg-disc 

6 BB https://mttswdr.co/ps5-bestbuy-disc

7 Target https://mttswdr.co/ps5-target-disc 

8 Dell https://mttswdr.co/dell-ps5-disc 

9 B&H https://mttswdr.co/ps5-bh-disc 

10 Sam’s https://mttswdr.co/ps5-sams-disc 

11 Costco https://mttswdr.co/ps5-costco-disc 

12 ANT https://mttswdr.co/ps5-ant-disc 

13 Adorama https://mttswdr.co/ps5-adorama-disc

PS5 Digital version ($399)
1. Amazon https://mttswdr.co/ps5-amazon-digital

2. GameStop https://mttswdr.co/ps5-gamestop-digital

3. Sony Direct https://mttswdr.co/ps5-sony-digital

4. Walmart https://mttswdr.co/ps5-walmart-digital

5. Newegg https://mttswdr.co/ps5-newegg-digital

6. Best Buy https://mttswdr.co/ps5-best-buy-digital

7. Target https://mttswdr.co/ps5-target-digital

8. Dell https://mttswdr.co/ps5-dell-digital

9. B&H https://mttswdr.co/ps5-bh-digital 

10. Sam’s Club https://mttswdr.co/ps5-sams-digital

11. Costco https://mttswdr.co/ps5-costco-digital

12. ANTonline https://mttswdr.co/ps5-ant-digital 

13. Adorama https://mttswdr.co/ps5-adorama-digital

Xbox Series X ($499)
1. Microsoft https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-microsoft

2. Amazon https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-amazon

3. GameStop https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-gamestop

4. Walmart https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-walmart

5. Newegg https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-newegg

6. Best Buy https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-best-buy

7. Target https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-target

8. Dell https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-dell

9. B&H https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-bh 

10. Sam’s Club https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-sams

11. Costco https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-costco

12. ANTonline Bundle https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-ant

13. Adorama https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-x-adorama

Xbox Series S ($299)
1. Microsoft https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-microsoft

2. Amazon https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-amazon

3. GameStop https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-gamestop

4. Walmart https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-walmart

5. Newegg https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-newegg

6. Best Buy https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-best-buy

7. Target https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-target

8. Dell https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-dell

9. B&H https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-bh

10. Sam’s Club https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-sams

11. Costco https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-costco

12. ANTonline http://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-ant

13. Adorama https://mttswdr.co/xbox-series-s-adorama

Can you tip me?
No, but thank you. This does take a lot of time & energy, but as a tech journalist, it wouldn’t feel right. TechRadar may make small affiliate revenue off some (not all) purchases, but I don’t get paid extra for this. $ isn’t a motivator. This just feels good.

How you can ‘pay’ me
1) Iseeing ur console-in-hand photos. That’s been so rewarding

2) Continue to follow @mattswider + @techardar

3) Like &RT our quality articles

4) Come back Black Friday if u need help again

Overall, Ithe interactions & my tech-buying follower army

DM vs tweet replies to me
Message me publicly w/ @ or reply to a tweet. My DMs are open for info tips / leaks / private convos, but I get 1,000 DMs a day & it can get lost. I love the follows & community. For a better shot at my reply, do it publicly. Plus it may help others.

Getting it in your cart
Most times you have to refresh even if it says ‘Sold out’. If someone cancels midway, or their credit card is declined, after a few mins, it goes back into inventory and 'Sold Out' becomes 'In Stock'. Swoop in!

Here are tips for specific retailers…

Restock times
"Do you know what time..." It's unpredictable at most stores. There are patterns: (times EST) Target's done ~8am, Walmart & Best Buy ~midday, GameStop noon or night, Amazon random or 3am EST. Sony Direct ~9am-7pm (recently 6pm-7pm)

Mostly... wait for my tweet

Walmart tips
The hardest, but don't give up. It tells u a time, u refresh and it SAYS sold out. Refresh again, u'll see ‘Add to cart’. The site is slow; use a computer, mobile browser AND >app<. Orders open at, say, at 3pm, then shift to 3:10pm, then 3:20pm until all is clear

GameStop tips
GameStop = tap ‘add to cart’, get denied, refresh page, ‘add to cart’, get denied, repeat. Web > their app. Bundles last longer than standalone consoles. Don’t give up until 30 - 45 mins after console drop. I usually know 1hr ahead when a GameStop drop will happen

Best Buy tips
Best Buy is the opposite. It requires you to wait on the page when it says “Please Wait” in a gray button after you tap the yellow ‘add to cart’. The button will turn back from gray to yellow; THEN checkout. Don’t navigate away from the page unless it feels broken

Target tips
Target likes early morning drops, and it's one of the few retailers with nationwide in-store pickup. This means you could get it TODAY; some cities sell out faster than others. Followers have told me about driving 2hrs to get their console. YMMV – literally.

Sony PS Direct tips
Sony’s official store, & purely a lottery. Don’t use multiple tabs (it won’t help) but u can use multiple browsers/devices. It tells EVERYONE “more than 1 hour wait”. Lucky people THEN see 22 min wait, 12 min, 5 min etc. If this happens early, you’ll get in.

Note: Sony Direct walk of shame
Like a walk of shame, when Sony Direct sells out, they STILL make you go through the countdown (but sped up): 1 hour to 1 min just to see 'Sold out', and this fools people who @ me “I was so close”. But the consoles were already gone.

Is StockX trustworthy?
Mostly. But prepare to pay! It’s a resale startup like eBay with inflated prices if there’s demand (surprise, there is). But it’s not a scam site. Other sites have sprung up recently; please don’t trust them, especially if the price is too good to be true

How about CheapGameCenter, Tech Inn, etc?
If the PS5 / Xbox is readily available for MSRP, it’s too good to be true. Don’t deal with sites you don’t know and aren’t on my list of 13. This includes foreign-owned CheapGameCenter and Tech Inn.

Should I trust a random Twitter reseller?
What? No! Don’t pay ANYONE on Twitter for a console. You will be without a PS5 and without $500+. People *have* fallen for sob stories because they’re desperate – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

My order delayed/canceled?
You got it! You beat MILLIONS to buy PS5/Xbox, so natch. millions of order emails backup, U never get GameStop tracking #, it shows up early from Walmart, $ gets taken first even from the reliable 13 stores. It's messy! Cancellations happen but r rare

Bundlestandalone: which should I buy?
Bundles (that are face-value for everything) are if you were going to get those games or extra controller anyway. Why? They sell out less quickly. Scalpers can't resell games easily. GameStop bundles are a net plus – they last longer.

Warning on bundles
1) If you don’t want i.e. NBA 2K21, don't get the bundle

2) If it's $20 cheaper alone ($50 @ https://mttswdr.co/nba-2k21-ps5-amazon ) & still worth $70 in bundle, don't get the bundle

3) If the bundle $ is grossly inflated, don't get the bundle

Otherwise get the bundle

PS5 DiscDigital
Buy PS5 Disc version. Digital is $100 cheaper, but disc games price drop more quickly vs PS Store (Sony monopoly). Discs (sold @ GameStop, Walmart, BB, Amazon) = competition. Also opens you up to used games & trading w/ friends. You save $100++ in the long run

Don’t scalpers use this?
Not really. Resellers use the same complex tactics as me, but hoard consoles for profit.

I’m taking the same info & blasting it out to you on Twitter & @techradar so legitimate gamers can get them first. Following me would be a step behind for them.

Will you do restock alerts for other things?
Maybe. PS5 accessories, GPUs and Zelda Joy Cons are all impossible to find, too, and I’ve been getting requests. I’m willing to add to the list if you have suggestions (and there’s demand). Please drop me a line if you have requests

Do you do restock alerts outside of the US?
Here’s the list

USA: Matt Swider @mattswider – if you haven’t followed me by now
UK: Adam Vjestica @ItsMrProducts – my coworker over at @techradar
More to come? Who wants what?