Online retailers have been trying to enforce special policies to prevent crypto miners and scalpers from wiping out GPU stocks in no time. GPUs are now usually bundled along CPUs, motherboards or SSDs, but crypto miners are obviously not interested in any of these, so they are expected to dump all non-GPU components at low prices on eBay.
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PC DIY sources close to DigiTimes are reporting that second-hand sale platforms like eBay could get flooded with sealed computer components in the second half of 2021. The primary source for these components would be crypto miners that are now forced to buy GPUs bundled with all sorts of additional components.
In order to prevent scalpers and crypto miners from immediately depleting the entire GPU stock, online retailers are enforcing special deals that bundle one graphics card together with other PC components like a processor, motherboard and SSD. The problem with such policies is that they also make it harder for the average consumer to obtain the GPUs at decent prices. Even if the GPU is somehow priced close to MSRP, the consumer still needs to pay for the bundled PC component in addition. Crypto miners and scalpers are not really affected by these measures, as they remain the key buyers for anything that includes a GPU.
However, crypto miners are really only interested in the GPUs, so everything that is bundled with the graphics cards should be getting dumped on eBay and similar sites. Starting with the second half of 2021, we could be seeing massive offloads for CPUs, motherboards and SSDs at prices that may be considerably lower than the market prices set by brand vendors.
According to DigiTimes, many motherboard and GPU makers are already aware of this possibility as they are closely monitoring the status of the second-hand market and also planning to negotiate with channel retailers to somehow change the bundle policies.
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Afro_Thunder69 on May 14th, 2021 at 01:27 UTC »
Oh please, dont act like the reason retailers are selling bundles is to prevent crypto miners and scalpers from buying them...if they really wanted to prevent those two things they'd invest in anti-bot protection on thier sites. Sites aren't doing these things...they're making it dead simple for scalpers and the like to buy everything up with bots that will beat humans to checkout 99% of the time.
Is it just a coincidence that all the major retailers like Newegg, Best Buy, GameStop, etc all started selling their PS5's, GPU's and the like as bundles only, and none of them even require captcha before checkout? No, they don't give a rat's ass who they sell to they just want to maximize every dollar off those who are going crazy trying to buy the moment they're back in stock. Because they know full well that if you've been struggling for months to get a 3080, then you finally see they're available and you get it in your cart...but it's a bundle that comes with a motherboard and RAM you dont need...you're going to buy the bundle rather than risk waiting another few months.
And yes, eBay is probably flooded with more of these unwanted bundle leftovers than actual scalper GPU's and consoles, because these bundles are a problem for everyone, not just scalpers/miners. I know because that's exactly what I did when I snagged my PS5, because fucking GameStop tweeted promising a console drop then put up $900 bundles instead, no individual consoles period. All I wanted was a console and Demon's Souls, but I was forced to buy those plus an extra controller, a game I didn't want, and a year of PS Plus that I didn't need. And right up on eBay they went. GameStop doesn't care, they made $900 off me when they otherwise would've made $500-600.
Edit: Damn this blew up, and so many people missed my point. "It's almost as if retailers wanted to make money" is exactly what I was saying, they don't give a damn who they sell to. Those saying I didn't have to buy anything are also missing the point: no shit I didn't have to buy anything. But is this really what you want normalized? Do you want this to become a regular thing? Every time you want fo upgrade a single part in your computer you're forced to buy 2 other expensive parts that you dont need, or wait like a year until the hype has cooled down? Cause that's bullshit, some of these retailers like Newegg have it in their ToS that you cannot return bundle hardware without returning the entire bundle. Again, if they really wanted to curb scalpers/miners buying up all the supply they'd work on better anti-bot protection and cart functions. It's bullshit that you can beat an army of bots to get an item in your cart if you're extremely lucky, then before you can check out it's gone from your cart because a bot checked out faster, it doesn't need to type. Fix your damned stores if you care, or admit that you don't care.
echo1956 on May 14th, 2021 at 00:33 UTC »
NorthernGamer71 on May 14th, 2021 at 00:14 UTC »
Finally I can build my Death Star