Steam Machine reservations are already flipping on eBay before the hardware even ships

Valve hasn't shipped a single Steam Machine yet, but scalpers aren't waiting — confirmed preorder reservations are already listed on eBay for roughly double the retail price.

The Steam Machine itself isn't cheap to begin with, retailing between $1,050 and $1,430 depending on the model. The eBay listings GameSpot spotted are all for "confirmed reservations" — meaning sellers received Valve's queue confirmation email, not just a waitlist spot. Prices range from $1,363.70 on the low end (already sold) up to $3,200, with one listing sitting at $2,600 and pitching the device as "a piece of gaming history." Sellers are promising to forward the unit as soon as Valve ships it to them, which could be as early as July.

This is the standard scalper playbook — it happened with the PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and the Steam Deck. What makes the Steam Machine situation slightly stranger is that buyers aren't even getting a guaranteed unit, just a reservation in a queue that Valve itself has been communicating about in confusing terms. Early hands-on impressions have called the hardware compact but surprisingly capable, which is likely fueling some of the hype.

Whether any of these listings actually close at those prices remains to be seen. The Steam Machine is shaping up to be one of the more closely watched hardware launches of the year, and if Valve's supply is tight at launch, expect the eBay market to get even messier.