Valve rolled out a randomized reservation lottery specifically to curb scalpers after the Steam Controller bloodbath, yet here we are: confirmed queue spots for the Steam Machine are already moving on eBay for $1,700 to $3,200 while the hardware itself hasn't shipped a single unit. The 512GB model starts at $1,049 officially (or $1,128 bundled with the controller), and the 2TB variant at $1,349, but listings show buyers paying double or triple for the privilege of jumping the randomized line. Multiple reports confirm sales have already cleared, including a $2,800 completed transaction and asking prices hitting $3,500.

The system was meant to level the field—sign-ups closed June 25, randomization assigned spots, and winners get 72 hours to buy before the next in queue. Instead, scalpers who lucked into emails are treating the confirmation as a transferable asset, flipping the spot itself rather than the box. This mirrors the earlier Steam Controller scalping wave that prompted the queue in the first place, and community threads on Reddit and X are filled with the usual mix of rage at resellers and disbelief that anyone is actually paying these prices.

Valve's launch window starts June 29 with shipping as units are ready, but limited supply and component costs inflated by AI-driven memory shortages mean the waitlist will drag. The real story isn't the scalping itself—it's that the anti-scalper measures Valve implemented after the controller fiasco have already proven porous when demand outstrips what a randomized email can protect.