Nvidia RTX 5090 eBay Price Soars to $9,000 as Users Revolt With Framed Photo Listings to Trick Bots and Scalpers

The long-awaited RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs have finally hit the market, sending ripples of excitement and frustration through the tech community. These high-performance, high-cost graphics cards have sold out almost instantly at retail outlets, leaving many eager buyers disappointed and turning to resale markets in desperation.

Unfortunately, the RTX 5090, in particular, has become a prime target for scalpers, with prices on sites like eBay soaring to extreme heights. Initially, these GPUs were being resold for over $6,000, and now, prices have escalated to a staggering $9,000—a 350% markup over the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,999.

But why are people willing to shell out such exorbitant sums for these GPUs? The answer lies in their versatility. The RTX 5090 is not only a powerhouse for gaming but also excels in handling AI workloads. This makes it an attractive option for startups and AI businesses looking to run models locally. With Nvidia's Datacenter GPUs often out of reach due to their cost and availability, the RTX 5090 emerges as the next best alternative, despite the inflated resale prices.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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In response to the supply shortages and scalping, the gaming community has taken a creative, albeit sarcastic, approach to the situation. eBay is now flooded with fake listings designed to trick potential buyers into purchasing a mere image of the RTX 5090 instead of the actual GPU. One such listing humorously warns: "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 dimensions are 8 inches by 8 inches, I got the frame from Target. DO NOT BUY IF YOU’RE A HUMAN."

Another sold listing for $2,457 reads: "Geforce RTX 5090 (read description) Picture Only - Not the Actual Item," with a similar warning about no refunds for the image, which is not the RTX 5090 itself.

The core of this issue stems from the lack of competition in the high-end consumer GPU market. With AMD's RX 9070 series unable to challenge Nvidia's performance dominance and Intel trailing behind, Nvidia maintains a firm grip on the market. The scarcity of these GPUs, coupled with their high price points, creates a bleak outlook for high-end PC enthusiasts and builders.