Tesla reinstates Cybertruck ‘flipper’ policy, reservations listed for eye-watering sums

After flip-flopping on issuing Cybertruck ‘scalpers’ with financial penalties, Tesla has once again threatened to sue owners of the electric pick-up who attempt to sell their vehicle within a year of taking ownership.

US electric-car giant Tesla has completed another U-turn on its controversial policy aimed at preventing Cybertruck owners from ‘flipping’ their vehicles for a profit – amid prospective buyers listing their spot in the queue for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Last month, online users shared a Tesla order agreement document that included a clause which prevented owners of the Cybertruck electric pick-up from selling their vehicle within 12 months of taking delivery, or face a $US50,000 [$AU78,400] penalty from the company.

Less than a week later, the controversial policy was reversed, effectively allowing the practice to take place and letting owners of the highly sought-after Cybertruck to list their pre-owned examples on the market for any price.

However, US publication Electrek reports Tesla has once again moved to block flippers and scalpers from selling the Cybertruck for a profit, reinstating the same financial penalty for owners who attempt to sell their examples of the first-of-the-run ‘Foundation Series’ model.

As before, there are provisions which include owners being able to write to Tesla to request an exemption or for the car maker to purchase the vehicle back – though if it does not do so, they are allowed to sell their Cybertrucks on the open market.

Despite facing a financial penalty, future Tesla Cybertruck owners who have accepted their orders and agreed to pay for the electric pick-up are already listing their vehicles on online marketplaces such as eBay – for eye-watering sums.

Cybertruck reservations on eBay asking as high as $350,000! Pure insanity. pic.twitter.com/RM7i7awRnG

— Greggertruck (@greggertruck) December 10, 2023

In a post on social media platform X – formerly known as Twitter – user ‘Greggertruck’ shared multiple eBay listings for the Tesla Cybertruck, ranging from built slots with ‘Buy It Now’ prices starting from $US25,000 ($AU38,000) to bidding wars which reached $US350,000 ($AU530,000).

For context, the Tesla Cybertruck is priced from $US60,990 ($AU92,000) in entry-level guise to $US119,990 ($AU182,000) for the flagship Foundation Series.

As previously reported, the Tesla Cybertruck is not currently planned for sale in Australia, as Drive understands a right-hand-drive version has not been engineered.

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