What was claimed
The retailer Argos is selling PS5 games consoles for £1.78.
Our verdict
This is not a genuine Argos offer.
Argos is not selling PlayStation 5 consoles for less than £2
24 November 2023
A post on Facebook has falsely claimed that the retailer Argos is selling PlayStation 5 (PS5) games consoles for £1.78.
The text of the post says the consoles are “PS5 leftovers on sale for £1.78”, and adds: “Argos are offering to purchase sample display cases that have been used at trade shows or in our shops as advertising. These items may have minor box damage, but all equipment is in perfect condition and has a 24 month manufacturer’s guarantee.”
The text accompanies an image featuring what appear to be electronic items, such as TVs, on shelves in a room resembling a storage facility. In the foreground a display of Sony PS5-branded boxes is clearly visible.
A man is holding one of the consoles and stands beside a sign that features what appears to be the Argos logo, and reads “PlayStation 5 (PS5). Home video game console. £1.78”, with the price in large red font.
A spokesperson for Argos confirmed to Full Fact that “this is not a genuine offer”.
The Facebook post also encourages people to “Click the button and visit our website to place your order”. The ‘book now’ link directs people to an article on the site Euronews from August 2023, titled “E-commerce wars: Could Temu overtake fast fashion giant Shein?”
We checked a similar Facebook post also claiming Argos was selling PS5 consoles for exactly the same price—£1.78—last month, and another earlier this year.
Posts offering deals which are not what they seem are very common on Facebook. We have fact checked them many times before, with recent examples including supposed offers for airfryers, mattresses and laptops—none of which, despite claims to the contrary, were anything to do with Argos.
It is always worth checking posts sharing offers that seem too good to be true. One way to verify this is to see whether the offer has been shared by the company’s official page—this will often have more followers, a verified blue tick on platforms like Facebook or Instagram and a longer post history.
