NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 has been a victim of "scams" on retail platforms as well-known as Amazon, and despite spending a hefty amount, a Redditor received literal rocks instead of the GPU.
A Redditor Receives MSI's SUPRIM GeForce RTX 5090 With Great Optimism, Only to Find Rocks Inside the Package
Well, with the ongoing RTX 50 series shortages, the retail market has seen a gigantic rise in GPU pricing, as GDDR7 memory costs are soaring, and there isn't enough supply to meet demand. This has unfortunately created a problematic situation for gamers, as several RTX 5090 SKUs on retail platforms like Amazon, Newegg, and others are selling for over $3,000+. But, even if someone manages to snag an SKU, they could become a scam victim, similar to a Redditor here who simply got "bamboozled" when buying MSI's SUPRIM RTX 5090.
The Redditor mentions he has had trouble buying the RTX 5090 on Amazon 4 times, so I wonder why he didn't switch retailers. Anyways, the user mentions that he managed to get a unit from "Amazon Resale", and for those who don't know what the program means, it is a section of the usual marketplace where one can get refunded items at discounted prices. According to the US retailer, Amazon Resale items are checked thoroughly to ensure the item being delivered meets expectations, but in the case of this particular RTX 5090, these checks were apparently missing.
Reddit users in the comments are blaming this incident on Amazon's QC measures, saying they probably saw the box as "heavy" enough and decided to let it go. Even for a high-value item, it seems Amazon isn't considering the contents of the packaging at all and is basing the shipment's status solely on its weight. If this were a one-time incident, we wouldn't be reporting it as seriously, but similar situations have occurred in the past, such as with an AORUS RTX 5090, where a user received "rice and pasta" instead of the GPU itself.
This appears to be the retailer's negligence, but the Redditor hasn't disclosed the specific listing/source where he purchased the MSI SUPRIM GeForce RTX 5090, so we cannot be certain whether Amazon is entirely behind this. Regardless of this, readers should be cautious when buying GPUs online, as prices are rising to new heights each day and scammers are becoming increasingly active.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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