Air conditioning customers in Britain have reacted angrily after a much-anticipated restock of cooling units from manufacturer Meaco sold out almost instantly during the latest heatwave, with automated "scalper bots" widely blamed. Many shoppers who had been waiting on the maker's website for the promised restock found the units vanished in under 30 seconds, only to reappear on eBay at up to six times their original price, highlighting how bot-driven reselling can shut ordinary buyers out of high-demand goods during extreme weather.

Scalpers reportedly share tips on profiting from in-demand items and use bots that scan websites for hidden product pages or restocks, then auto-fill payment and delivery details to check out within milliseconds. One post appeared to show them sharing a direct "add to cart" link that places a product straight into the basket before the general public can see it, while the bots further speed the process using rotating IP addresses and fake accounts to avoid detection. The frustration comes amid a prolonged heatwave, with temperatures around 32C, a hosepipe ban affecting millions more people and the country nearing official drought conditions.