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

The highly anticipated RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs launched yesterday, immediately becoming a hot commodity and selling out rapidly at most retailers. This scarcity has fueled a surge in scalping on resale markets like eBay.

The RTX 5090, in particular, has seen its price inflate dramatically. Initially listed for over $6,000, it has reached a shocking $9,000 – a 350% markup from its $1,999 MSRP. This exorbitant price is driven by demand from AI startups and businesses seeking a powerful, locally-run AI processing solution. With Nvidia's datacenter GPUs beyond the reach of many, the RTX 5090 represents a viable alternative, despite its inflated aftermarket cost.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Images

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The gaming community's response to the shortage and scalping tactics is noteworthy. eBay is now flooded with fraudulent listings, cleverly designed to deceive buyers into purchasing a photograph of the RTX 5090 instead of the actual GPU.

One such listing explicitly states: "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 detentions [sic] is 8 inches by 8 inches, I got the frame from Target. DO NOT BUY IF YOU’RE A HUMAN.” Another listing sold for $2,457, clearly labeled "Geforce RTX 5090 (read description) Picture Only - Not the Actual Item," with a similar disclaimer regarding non-refundable image purchases.

The core problem stems from the lack of significant competition in the high-end consumer GPU market. With AMD's RX 9070 series seemingly failing to challenge Nvidia's dominance and Intel trailing behind, Nvidia enjoys a near monopoly. This, combined with the current shortages and extreme pricing, presents a bleak outlook for high-end PC builders and enthusiasts.