Never wanting to miss out on a good grift, Ebay scalpers have returned in force for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 launch. The new GPU is already in high demand after its first day on shelves resulted in sellouts across the board. This was expected, as Nvidia even warned of "stock outs" before the release.
We recently tested the new flagship for our Asus with its $3,000 variation. As these cards sold out as fast as lightning, Ebay s have gathered and the grift is real.
GPU launches such as these RTX 5090 and 5080 are often followed by a quick sellout, and then s will line up Ebay searches with overpriced options to bank on the fear of missing out. One scam that usually finds its way into this is the legendary hustle of hiding the fact that just a picture will be sold, rather than the actual graphics card. This is detailed in the description, but it's being used to combat those intending to rip people off.
In multiple listings, descriptions contain pushback against those using bots or buying up stock quickly to resell again. These fake GPU listings are also priced significantly under the retail price, or hovering around MSRP, luring in potential frauds.
You can spot them a mile away too, with titles ushering s to the description. One description simply reads, in all capitals, "This is not a real card, this is only for bots." Another says, "Let's make these scalpers get scalped by purchasing a picture of the RTX 5090!" A third mentions that "human" buyers should avoid this listing.
This doesn't mean that Ebay s have collectively come together to fight back against the bot infestation that has taken over online buying. One has listed a 5090 at a starting bid of $6,499.99, with a straight buyout priced at $9999.99. Some others have simply posted screenshots of their orders through Best Buy and Newegg.
There are also some prebuilt PCs that have landed on eBay too. Of course, the pricing is unreasonable, with one listing reaching nearly $10,000.
The best graphics card options on the market, but pricing remains incredibly expensive. Some 5080s are currently priced at $2,000 or above, with one seller proving authenticity by showing themselves holding the box outside the store.
If you're looking to buy an RTX 5080 or 5090, then we're here to help. Check out our RTX 5080 stock page, for up-to-date news on where you can buy the new graphics cards.