With such a growing demand for the PS5, it's not easy to know where to buy one. However, duffers have become a serious problem among fans looking to purchase Sony's new console at a high price.

Duffers have been quick to embrace technology, using bots to buy up as much PS5 inventory as possible and selling the console for high prices on sites like eBay. As the holiday season approaches, these irritating shopping bots have been given a new name: "Grinchbots."

The use of bots to buy up inventory is not new; they have been employed several times in the past to assist duffers in buying up popular items like concert tickets and limited edition sneakers.

More recently, however, its use has skyrocketed after the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Both models were the hottest products of 2020, and duffers saw an opportunity to make money.

Now, real consumers are buying up excess inventory and even using bots to get their hands on consoles without any intention of profiting from selling them. According to the Washington Post, retailers are well aware of this new trend, and there is a constant war between retailers and duffers to sell consoles to legitimate customers rather than resellers.

During the Black Friday sale, Walmart claimed to have blocked 20 million bot attempts within 30 minutes of the PS5 restocking. Target also stated that it constantly tracks and blocks bots attempting to purchase similar high-demand items. British retailer Very went so far as to cancel 1,000 pre-orders placed by bots.

The use of bots is not as simple as turning on a piece of software and leaving it alone. According to one duffer interviewed by The Washington Post, getting around the retailer's defenses requires using proxies to hide IP addresses and tweaking shipping addresses so that orders do not look too suspicious. However, Jerry Geisler, Wal-Mart's chief information security officer, said the retailer is aware of the tactics used by duffers and their bots.

Geisler said that bots are constantly evolving, and so are retailers' bot detection tools. It's a strange cat-and-mouse game, going after PS5s and Xbox Series Xs instead of cheese, but unfortunately it's not always enough, and scalper bots get past the defenses and buy up the consoles.

Geisler insisted, however, that the majority of Walmart's game consoles are bought by real people, and that steps are taken to cancel bot orders if they are bought by duffers. However, Geisler did not have any figures to back up his claim.

Duffers may be controlling the launch of new consoles, but here are some handy tips to ensure you get your PS5 or Xbox Series X before the holiday season.