Someone is trying to disrupt scalpers from capitalizing on Nvidia’s RTX 5090 by flooding eBay with fake listings for the newly released GPU.
“THIS IS NOT A REAL CARD, THIS IS ONLY FOR BOTS. YOU WILL ONLY RECEIVE AN IMAGE OF THE CARD VIA EMAIL,” said a now-deleted eBay listing.
The tactic might work since the fake listings appear by the dozen on eBay when you search for the RTX 5090. Each sale carries a photo of the coveted GPU, making it look legit. But if you go to the product description, you’ll realize the listing is part of a ploy to hit back at resellers.
(Credit: eBay)
“DOING THIS TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST BOTS!” the mysterious seller wrote in another listing, which also now says it was “ended by the seller.”
The listings promise to only ship a photo of the RTX 5090, rather than the actual GPU. They are coming from a variety of users, suggesting that some consumers are banding together to bombard eBay with fake sales.
(Credit: eBay)
To avoid ensnaring actual consumers, the listings warn: “If you’re a human buyer, please do not buy!” Still, we’ve seen a few of the postings being updated to say the item had sold.
Although eBay will likely crack down on the tactic, the fake sales have elicited some support from consumers. “THANK YOU! We need more of these!” wrote one user on Reddit who is tired of scalpers using automated bots to snatch up GPU supplies on launch day. “Maybe if we screw the botters over enough, they’ll stop after too many times of getting screwed.”
Recommended by Our Editors
Retailers immediately sold out of the RTX 5090 and 5080 on Thursday morning, disappointing numerous consumers. As a result, some are cursing scalpers for potentially taking inventory away from PC gamers. That said, supplies for the RTX 5090 were apparently extremely low, with many Micro Center stores in the US only receiving fewer than 10 units.
If you look hard enough, some of the eBay listings for the RTX 5090 and 5080 are legit resales, but the merchants are demanding inflated prices of $6,000 or more for the RTX 5090.
Get Our Best Stories!
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links.
By clicking the button, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy.
You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
