Reddit Thrift Win: PS4 Bought for $4.99 Boots Up After Cable-Free Find
A rare “thrift shop win” story is making the rounds: a Reddit user, narfnerfmods, says he found a fully working PlayStation 4 in a second-hand electronics store for just 4.99 dollars (about €5). The catch—if you can call it that—is that the listing reportedly included only the console itself, with no power cable, yet the system still booted and ran correctly once he tested it at home.
Timing, platforms, and what was (and wasn’t) included
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Console | PlayStation 4 (original model; user’s first PlayStation) |
| Purchase location | Second-hand electronics store |
| Price | $4.99 / ~€5 |
| Included items | Only the PS4 unit (no power cable) |
| Release context mentioned | PS4 launched in late 2013; PS5 released about seven years later at the end of 2020 |
In the post, narfnerfmods describes spotting the PS4 logo among other used devices in the store—something he almost overlooked while browsing near smaller kitchen electronics. What turned the find into a standout deal was the extremely low asking price and the fact that it was reportedly a complete, functional console rather than a “for parts” unit.
For comparison, he notes that working PS4 units typically sell for roughly €80 to €150 on major resale marketplaces, often bundled with controllers and games. In this case, the store offer was only the hardware itself. Even so, the user says it powered up and worked properly at home.
The home test was made possible by borrowing what was missing: he used his own power cable and got a controller from a friend to navigate the system. A screenshot showed the console booting with about 600 GB of free system storage, reinforcing the claim that the unit was not just functional, but in a usable state.
narfnerfmods also explained that he and his family are primarily Nintendo fans, which is why he hadn’t owned a PlayStation before. He said he plans to buy his own controllers and some games going forward. The post further mentions that his son had wanted a PlayStation 5 for Christmas, but the working PS4 still landed as a meaningful surprise—especially since a Spider-Man title exists for the PS4 as well.
The takeaway for players and collectors: deals like this happen, but they’re rare. Still, the story is a reminder that older hardware can occasionally surface in second-hand shops in surprisingly good condition—sometimes at prices that are hard to believe.
Question for readers
Do you still own a PlayStation 4, and are you using it today? And have you ever found an unexpectedly good console or PC hardware deal in a second-hand electronics store?
