As with any free-market system, the law of supply and demand will drive prices up when supply is short and demand is high. The Oculus Rift DK2 is a hot commodity, and even with the company pumping out the popular VR headset as quickly as possible, some folks are willing to pay a huge premium to get one without waiting.
The Oculus Rift DK2 became available for pre-order in March for $350. Units began shipping at the end of July. Oculus VR says they’ve received 60,000 DK2 orders as of last week and have shipped out around 20,000.
See Also: DK2 Shipping Update – 60,000 Orders, More than 20,000 Units Shipped, New Orders Ship in October
An analysis by Road to VR of nearly 270 sold listings on Ebay for ‘Oculus Rift DK2’ shows a top selling price of $2,000, with prices stabilizing around an average of $855 with a downward trend. In total over $227,000 worth of Oculus Rift DK2s have been sold through Ebay in less than a month since the headset began shipping. The Oculus Rift DK1 also found its way onto Ebay when it became available last year; the site currently lists some 520 ‘sold’ listings for ‘Oculus Rift DK1’.
In the official Oculus Rift DK2 FAQ, the company notes, “We do not allow resale of our development kits for any reason as they are meant for developers and are not consumer products.” Oculus VR’s Community Manager, Andres “Cybereality” Hernandez writes on the Oculus Developer Forums that the company “also [doesn’t] provide warranty on second-hand sales, so if you buy on ebay you are on your own.” The company declined to make an official comment for this article.
Back at the beginning of July, a member of the Oculus Developer Forums pointed out a listing for an Oculus Rift DK2 on Ebay, nearly a month before the first units would begin shipping. After attention was brought to the listing, Hernandez says the company sought out the pre-order and cancelled it. Although reselling is against Oculus VR’s policy, it isn’t a legal offense.
