NVIDIA RTX 5090 eBay Pricing Skyrockets
The highly anticipated RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs have launched, creating a frenzy in the market. Their high performance and price tag have resulted in immediate sellouts across most retail channels, leaving many potential buyers disappointed.
Consequently, both cards, particularly the RTX 5090, are experiencing significant price gouging on secondary marketplaces like eBay. Shortly after release, RTX 5090s were fetching over $6,000, a figure that has since escalated to a shocking $9,000 – a 350% markup from the MSRP of $1,999.
This exorbitant demand stems from the RTX 5090's suitability for both gaming and demanding AI workloads. Startups and businesses involved in AI are actively seeking these chips for local model processing, making the RTX 5090 a desirable alternative to Nvidia's more expensive datacenter GPUs.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Images
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The gaming community's response to the scarcity and price manipulation is noteworthy. eBay is now flooded with fraudulent listings designed to deceive buyers. These listings offer a photograph of the RTX 5090 instead of the actual product.
One such listing explicitly states: "Bots and scalpers welcome, do not buy if you are a human, you will be getting a framed photo of the 5090, you will not receive the 5090. The photo detentions [sic] is 8 inches by 8 inches, I got the frame from Target. DO NOT BUY IF YOU’RE A HUMAN.”
Another completed listing, sold for $2,457, clearly indicates: “Geforce RTX 5090 (read description) Picture Only - Not the Actual Item,” with a similar disclaimer regarding non-refundable image purchases.
The core problem is the lack of substantial competition in the high-end consumer GPU market. With AMD's RX 9070 series seemingly unable to rival Nvidia's power, and Intel trailing behind, Nvidia maintains a dominant position. The current shortage and inflated prices present a bleak outlook for high-end PC builders and enthusiasts.