Steam Controllers Sold at a Discount Due to Valve Glitch for Early Buyers

If you missed out on snagging a Steam Controller at launch, there’s no need to stress. While resellers are trying to cash in by listing the $99.99 controller for much higher prices on platforms like eBay, Valve has confirmed that they are working to replenish stock. Fortunately, this stylish controller isn’t impacted by the RAM shortage, so there’s a good chance that supply won’t be a major concern. However, latecomers might still feel a twinge of regret for not grabbing one during the initial release, and the reason behind this is quite unexpected.

Shortly after the Steam Controller hit the market, some buyers noticed discrepancies in their bills. It turns out that several Valve customers were not charged the usual sales tax on their purchases. While this fee is relatively minor compared to the overall cost of the controller, in states with higher sales tax rates, like California, it could result in savings of over $7.

This situation came to light thanks to a viral post on the Steam subreddit, where a user shared their conversation with Valve. This helpful individual thought it was best to inform Valve about the missing sales tax.

“Valve would figure it out eventually; I’d rather get it over with now than deal with any consequences later,” the user explained.

Valve responded to the Steam user, acknowledging the issue and confirming that it had been resolved. More importantly, they assured customers that there would be no additional charges, even if they technically purchased the Steam Controller at a lower price. Cue the happy reactions.

While it’s not a huge deal that most of us will end up paying the correct price for the controller, the reactions to the user’s alert about the missing tax have been quite entertaining. “Teacher’s pet ahh post,” one commenter quipped.

“This is the first time I’ve seen anyone, online or in real life, complain about not having to pay sales tax on something and actually reach out to customer support about it,” another user remarked. “What the actual heck is wrong with you, lmfao.”

The announcement of the Steam Machine was a notable success for Valve.