This blog is for my opinion on the act of scalping and how you should go about buying manga/light novels knowing scalping probably won't stop anytime soon.
What is scalping?
By definition scalping in the manga world is when someone buys a volume for the usual price then sells it for a higher price when it becomes difficult to get. For example currently popular series such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man are getting scalped. MSRP for these series are $10 for a single volume but scalpers will sell them for upwards of $20+ per volume.
Why is scalping prevalent
Simply put scalping is prevalent because demand highly exceeds the stock of manga/LN recently. Scalpers use the limited amount of books available to increase the prices since eventually everything on market sells out. My advice is to wait for reprints. Set notifications for when something you'd like is coming back into stock and pick it up then rather than paying the ridiculous premium from these scalpers that control the market. Scalpers are encouraged to keep scalping because of consistent traction, people being impatient continues to net them money.
Personal Issue with Scalping
My personal issue with scalping is that these books aren't rare and are still being printed. Similar to Xbox's or PS5's they take advantage of the limited stock to make money on those who missed out on the limited stock release. I personally think it's wrong for them to take advantage of people's impatience. You're effectively paying for time, would you rather wait the extra month-3 months or pay $15 extra per volume. Having to force a customer between a decision like this will never be on my agenda.