As if finding a place to buy a PS5 wasn't tricky enough with low inventory, some Brits who purchased Sony's next-generation console were stuck with consoles that never arrived.

Various Amazon UK customers received random items, including cat food, while others received nothing at all. To compensate for the situation, Amazon announced that affected customers could reorder the consoles by contacting customer service.

Initially, Amazon either refunded customers who did not receive their PS5 or offered them various amounts of credit to make up for it. Under normal circumstances, that would not be so bad, but given how difficult it was to get a PS5, many were not happy. Clearly, shocked customers wanted to get a console without having to re-engage in a battle with bots (and other humans).

Amazon suggested at the time that a new console might be available through customer service, which has now been confirmed, which is good news for those whose PS5 was stolen on its way to their homes, but the best part is that they will receive a replacement within 14 days of ordering. That is, however, if the PS5 does not mysteriously disappear again.

You might think it would be easier if the new console would just ship automatically, but there are other factors to consider: first, refunds have already been processed, and Amazon needs the customer's permission before it can charge them again; second, Amazon has already sent the refund to the customer's address, so the customer has to pay for the new console within 14 days.

Unfortunately, UK customers are not the only ones suffering from lost or stolen PS5s. According to various Reddit and Twitter posts, customers in the US and Canada have confirmed that their consoles never arrived after being marked as delivered.

And it is not only Amazon customers who are affected; there are a suspiciously large number of posts on Reddit mentioning that FedEx lost a PS5 in transit, while also seemingly accusing the shipping service of not investigating the matter thoroughly.

While we have not seen any reports of receiving an air-freighter (which, incidentally, has terrible graphics), like the person in the tweet below, the problem of lost PS5 consoles is clearly a widespread one, exacerbated by extreme demand.

To make getting your hands on the next-generation console a little easier, we've brought you an article on where to buy a PS5, and we've been sporadically tracking retailers with new PS5 arrivals, so check there.

Unfortunately, Amazon UK only honors this pledge if you confirm that you want a PS5 by December 5. Amazon customers in other regions should be able to ask the same thing.

As for those who purchased from other retailers, their best bet is to continue pestering customer service and hope a replacement is arranged. I suggest you do so as soon as you can and pray that your PS5 will indeed arrive this time.

The investigation into the Amazon U.K. incident is still ongoing.