Customers had been able to sell on imported Japanese stock through eBay until 7.47am this morning, when the firm released a statement to its members. The consoles had been selling for up to £1,200.

The statement reads:

‘We wanted to let you know about some restrictions that will be placed on pre-sales of the Sony Playstation 3 console and games. To protect the whole eBay community, sellers will not be permitted to list PlayStation 3 consoles and games on eBay.co.uk until the authorised European pre-sales period begins in February 2007. Once the official pre-sales period has begun, eBay.co.uk will also be asking sellers to comply with the following requirements:

1. You may only offer one PlayStation 3 console.
2. If you are pre-selling a console, your listing must comply with our Pre-Sale Listings Policy. You must guarantee that the item will be available for dispatch within 30 days of the date it is listed on ebay.co.uk.
3. You must offer PayPal as the only payment option. The item must qualify for PayPal Buyer Protection.
4. You may only offer a PlayStation 3 console that you obtained within the
EU. PlayStation 3 consoles obtained outside of the EU cannot be listed on eBay.co.uk.
5. Your listing must include a photo of your purchase or pre-order receipt.
We recommend that you block out any personal information such as credit card numbers on the receipt to make sure that they aren’t visible on the photo.

Our top priority is to ensure that eBay remains a safe and reputable place to buy and sell. Please be aware that we may take action against your account if your listing doesn’t comply with these guidelines.’

See this Friday’s MCV for a full report on PS3's Japanese and US launches.

See Also:
PS3 sells out, second-hand cash-in begins
Amazon finally announces Wii pre-order campaign