A subsidiary of PC maker MSI has been found scalping the company’s own RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards on eBay for $600 to $1,000 over the normal pricing.
After internet users began posting about the suspicious sales in a Reddit forum, MSI admitted today that its subsidiary, Starlit Partner, had indeed sold the graphics cards on eBay. According to the eBay listings, Starlit Partner sold at least four RTX 3080 cards for $1,359 and $1,399 and at least eight to 11 RTX 3090 units for as much as $2,599—far above the normal $759 and $1,589 pricing.
Reddit users then noticed the Starlit Partner trademark was registered under MSI, which prompted observers to wonder whether the eBay seller was tied to the PC maker or a scammer.
On Twitter, MSI responded and confirmed Starlit Partner’s status as an “individual sales subsidiary.” Normally, it only sells excess inventory and refurbished items to customers. But following an investigation, MSI “found that an error” allowed Starlit Partner to access the newly launched RTX 3000-series graphics cards in the company's inventory.
The incident occurs as PC gamers everywhere have been trying to obtain the RTX 3080 and 3090 cards. However, the products have been out of stock across all retailers. To get the graphics card immediately, you’ll have to buy it from third-party resellers on eBay, who’ve been selling the card at inflated prices.
Naturally, PC customers are upset. However, MSI says it’s trying to make up for the scalping. “Starlit Partner has been instructed to contact the individual customers who purchased these graphic card products and offer two options—return the product and receive a full refund, or a partial refund of the amount paid over MSI’s MSRP,” the PC vendor wrote in the Twitter posting.
“Moving forward, MSI will enforce a stricter policy to avoid situations like this happening again,” the company added.
Still, not everyone is satisfied with the company's response. "So essentially people who supported a scalper got rewarded by getting the 3080 well before the rest of us who unite against scalpers... at MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price). Good job MSI," wrote a Reddit user.
Unfortunately, the RTX 3080 and 3090 cards will likely be hard to obtain this holiday season. Earlier this week, Nvidia’s CEO indicated the company has maxed out the manufacturing capacity for the graphics cards. “I believe that demand will outstrip all of our supplies through all of the year,” he said.
In response, graphics card maker EVGA is trying to address the massive demand by creating a queue based system to sell the RTX cards to consumers. “Once product is available (and it is your turn to purchase), you will receive a secure email that will allow you to purchase the product that you received a notification for,” the company wrote in a forum post yesterday. Notified customers will then have an 8-hour window to place the order.