GeForce RTX 3000 Remains Unavailable, but Photo Sales Increase
The unavailability of GeForce RTX 3000 series cards leads to increasing numbers of fake auctions on eBay and other auction websites. The sellers publish - allegedly in an effort to fight scalpers - offers to sell, among other things, photos and empty boxes of Nvidia cards.
- More and more fake offers for GeForce RTX 3000 series GPU appear on auction websites;
- On many auctions sellers offer a photo, a box or - less frequently - a plastic model of Nvidia's new chips;
Among the many disadvantages associated with the ongoing pandemic, the players are most affected by gaming hardware shortages. This is particularly noticeable in the case of PlayStation 5 and new GPUs. One of the effects of this state of affairs is the growing popularity of offers of... photos, GeForce RTX 3000 series boxes or a 3D printed model of the card, which can be seen in additional photos (the main graphic shows the actual card).
Similar auctions appeared shortly after the debut of PS5. Some of them (such as this auction on eBay) are supposedly a form of fighting the scalpers scourge using bots to instantly find and buy every cheaper copy of the new GeForce. This is evident in the auction descriptions, where sellers typically urge real users not to buy these "digital works of art". Some also leave wishes for scalpers as a "thank you" for overpriced graphics cards.
It is suspected that a significant percentage of these auctions is not so much aimed at pulling a fast one on scalpers as counting on the gullibility of buyers. These pictures are sold at "attractive" prices in comparison with other offers and thus they can be found by anyone looking for the cheapest option of buying a new graphics card. Of course, it usually only takes a glance at the description to find out what is really being auctioned. However, taking into account the rate of disappearance of successive supplies of GeForce RTX 3000, it is hardly surprising that some people do not waste time on such minor, but important details. The fact that in many cases sellers forget about the message regarding the "war on scalper bots", but remember to inform about their no refunds policy, speaks for itself.
Back in November, eBay representatives announced immediate removal of such "bargains" on PlayStation 5, and - judging by the disappearing auctions - they apply a similar approach in the case of RTX 3000 series cards. Nevertheless, we remind you to carefully read the descriptions of the offers posted on such websites, so as not to fall victim to scammers. Unfortunately, the real solution to the problem will be to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of new GeForce to meet the needs of the market. "Unfortunately", because so far there is nothing to suggest that the situation is going to get better, not worse.
