Risks of buying graphics cards online

High demand and tight supply have made the GPU market the target of a variety of scams targeting both buyers and sellers.

Buying graphics cards online is risky. Photo: Bloomberg .

The graphics card market is witnessing an explosion of sophisticated scams as GPU prices remain high and demand is high. From food to non-functioning cards, buyers and sellers alike can fall victim.

“This is not a market for GPU buyers. That’s why scams are so rampant,” said one buyer, who said he regularly sees new scams targeting both those looking to buy high-end GPUs and those trying to sell them.

Accordingly, some people ordered the RTX 5090 card line but when they opened the package, they found rice, instant noodles or even a backpack inside.

“I’ve seen listings for RTX 5090s on eBay for MSRP, but the seller is actually just shipping a printed photo of the graphics card, for up to $2,000 ,” he added.

This situation is not limited to less-known e-commerce platforms. According to Tom's Hardware , an Amazon customer who ordered a Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5090 received a box full of food and a dusty old card. Meanwhile, at Micro Center, another customer received a box full of backpacks instead of the expected Zotac Gaming RTX 5090.

Hardware repair shops are also seeing a more sophisticated form of the scam, with graphics cards stripped of their cores and memory. Northwest Computer Repair, a repair shop, says it’s been seeing a steady stream of RTX 5090 cards that have been turned into “empty shells,” which look real but are completely unusable.

A Chinese hardware repair YouTuber encountered a similar situation. He received four broken RTX 4090 cards but was surprised to find that they were repaired RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 graphics cards. Of these, three were beyond repair.

What is worrying is that many of these incidents occurred on platforms that are considered trustworthy, such as Amazon or Micro Center. Therefore, consumers are advised to be cautious when purchasing electronic components online.

“Buying used stuff can be a nightmare these days. Even in person, you can’t guarantee you’ll get a working GPU. The safest bet is to buy through a platform that offers buyer protection and film yourself receiving and opening the product,” one user shared.

Source: https://znews.vn/rui-ro-khi-mua-card-do-hoa-tren-mang-post1564666.html