buy low, wait for desperation, sell high — capitalism's fastest morally gray transaction.
means buying limited-supply goods or tickets in bulk specifically to resell them at a markup to people who couldn't get them first.
from the term borrows from 19th-century stock and ticket brokers who worked the 'thin margin' between face value and market price, taking a small 'scalp' of profit off the top of each trade — long before bots made it a full-time job.
taylor swift eras tour — 2022 ticketmaster crash caused by 14 million bot-driven requests
ps5 launch 2020 — resale bots flipped consoles for 2-3x retail within hours
nvidia rtx 3080 — scalpers listed cards at 400% markup during 2020 shortage
nike sneaker drops — limited editions resold instantly on stockx for 10x price