New gaming GPUs running out of stock on their launch day is becoming more of a norm than a surprise. This trend is largely due to the extremely limited availability, high demand, and the presence of scalpers. A recent incident highlights this issue with the retailer Proshop, which is the exclusive seller of Nvidia RTX 50-series Founders Edition in Europe.
Scalpers Take Advantage
It seems that a scalper bot managed to buy the Nvidia RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 cards even before they were officially available. As a result, genuine gamers were left with no chance to purchase a GPU through normal means. According to PCGH, the bot found hidden links that were not accessible to the general public and managed to buy out all the RTX 50 FE stock before the embargo was lifted, while Proshop took no action to stop these purchases.
Workarounds for Restrictions
There were rules in place to limit purchases to only one unit per address. However, some users cleverly used different addresses to circumvent these rules. PCGH broke this story and noted that Proshop has suggested that they contact Nvidia directly regarding the issue of the launch and how it was handled.
Details on the Scalper Bot
PCGH found out that the scalper bot, named Nvidia KSB Test v1.1, was shared on a German Discord server. Those who utilized the bot seem to be quite pleased with their acquisitions, showing no remorse for participating in such unethical behavior. PCGH claims they have compiled a list of usernames and invoices related to this incident and are ready to provide this information to Proshop. As of now, the retailer hasn’t shown interest in this list, but updates will be shared as they become available.
Source:
Link
Leave a Reply