The release of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs brought unfortunate news of exceptionally high prices to the market. Customers need to allocate $2000 for the RTX 5090’s base price, while third-party versions of the graphic cards easily go beyond $3000.
The worst part of its release lies beyond the premium pricing problem. The launch turned intolerable because professional market speculators along with dishonest individuals have exploited the situation.
- Scalpers Adopt Fresh Trick on eBay
- The Fake ‘Anti-Bot’ Scam Explained
- eBay Scammers Are Cashing In
- How to Avoid Being Scammed
- 1. Beware of ‘Read the Description’ Titles
- 2. Watch Out for Strange Fonts and Formatting
- 3. Don’t Trust Feedback Scores Alone
- 4. Read the Full Description Carefully
- 5. Report Suspicious Listings
- Nvidia and eBay Must Do Better
Scalpers Adopt Fresh Trick on eBay
RTX 5090 Scam Alert: eBay Sellers Trick Desperate Gamers With
Nvidia
Scalpers have taken over the market by purchasing all available RTX 5090 units to sell them on eBay with exorbitant price tags. This latest scheme employs deceptive marketing which targets hopeless shoppers in the market.
When GPUs became scarce during the height of the COVID pandemic, consumers witnessed obvious price gouging through scalpers. The market featured sellers who openly sold GPU devices at higher costs despite GPU stock increasing over time.
Scammers now use deceptive consumer activism pretenses to trick people into their fraudulent schemes.
You can find advertisements on eBay for “Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 32GB (Read the Description)” products. The small text reveals the complete truth because these vendors do not offer real GPUs for sale despite them presenting the picture as their product for sale.
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The Fake ‘Anti-Bot’ Scam Explained
Digital Trends investigated the situation to discover that scammers explain the deceptive listings as countermeasures against scalping bots. Scammers argue that bots will buy any item with “RTX 5090” text in its title, leading to their automatic purchase of photos instead of actual GPUs which results in bot money wastage.
There exists a harsh truth regarding this practice that proves it is not activism. It’s a scam.
The real goal is to trick human buyers who don’t read the fine print. A desperate gamer might glance at the title, see positive seller feedback, and hit “Buy Now” without realizing they’re only purchasing a printed image of a graphics card for $2,000.
eBay Scammers Are Cashing In
Sadly, this scam is working. Many buyers are falling for these fake listings, thinking they’ve finally secured an RTX 5090. A quick search of eBay’s sold listings reveals dozens of transactions where people unknowingly paid thousands for a worthless photo.
While eBay may refund the buyers and punish the sellers, the fact remains that this scam is raking in easy money for fraudsters.
How to Avoid Being Scammed
If you’re looking to buy an RTX 5090 (or any high-demand product), follow these steps to protect yourself from fraud:
1. Beware of ‘Read the Description’ Titles
If a listing includes “Read the Description” in the title, that’s a massive red flag. Honest sellers don’t need to use vague warnings: they simply list their product as it is.
2. Watch Out for Strange Fonts and Formatting
Scammers sometimes manipulate text in their listings by using weird fonts or symbols to evade eBay’s automatic scam filters. If a title looks unusual, be extra cautious.
3. Don’t Trust Feedback Scores Alone
A high feedback rating doesn’t always mean a seller is legitimate. Some scammers build up their ratings by selling cheap items (like trading cards) before switching to fraudulent GPU listings.
4. Read the Full Description Carefully
Always check the entire product description. If a deal looks too good to be true, make sure you’re not accidentally buying a photo or an empty box.
5. Report Suspicious Listings
If you see a listing that seems deceptive, report it to eBay immediately. The faster these scams are flagged, the fewer victims they’ll claim.
Nvidia and eBay Must Do Better
With the recent RTX 5090 scams, it is evident that tech companies and online marketplaces arenot doing enough to protect buyers. If legitimate customers can’t purchase GPUs before scalpers grab them all, and if eBay allows misleading listings to thrive, the system is broken.
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