Steam Controller pre-orders are reselling on eBay for hundreds of dollars

1 hour ago 3

Published May 5, 2026, 11:26 AM EDT

On websites like eBay, scalpers take advantage of the hype for Valve's new hardware

A Stean Controller lays on a mat with other game controllers.

Valve's new game pad, the Steam Controller, is pretty good, but is it good enough to warrant paying over three times the sticker price? At $99, the luxe controller is already an expensive piece of equipment. As official orders become difficult to nab, the situation surrounding Valve's new hardware has become a scalper's paradise.

While many of us were fruitlessly reloading Valve's website in the hopes of getting a Steam Controller through checkout, some of the people who were actually successful quickly put up eBay listings for the controller. Most of these listings offer the Steam controller somewhere between the $200 to $350 range. And yes, people are actually bidding on these listings!

But with such positive reviews, it's no wonder people are willing to do anything to get their hands on a controller. The two trackpads might make the new iteration of the Steam controller look strange, but the peripheral is shockingly comfortable. The haptic trackpads, which are unique to the controller, arguably justify the price for anyone who already spends a lot of time playing Steam games.

Steam Hardware Announcement 0-53 screenshot

It could be hype, but then again, this is just how things are now. Seemingly, anything with even modest demand tends to get picked up by scalpers who know dedicated fans will shell out to have the shiny new thing. This is how we arrive at boxes of Pokémon Pop-Tarts being sold at a markup. Most modern hardware releases face a similar dilemma, though we typically see this more when it comes to consoles like the PlayStation 5. A controller becoming popular enough for a big resale market is way more unusual.

Fans might be motivated to secure a controller now that there's a rumor that Valve recently imported 50 tons of game consoles that could well be the MIA Steam Machine. Prior to this, Steam Machine was delayed by Valve as the company reconsidered pricing. Given how prices for RAM and other components are skyrocketing, though, fans might not want to blow hundreds of dollars on a controller just yet. Valve hasn't released specifics, but the expectation is that Steam Machine will cost a pretty penny.