As AMD prepares to sell new CPU chips and graphics cards, the company is apparently working to prevent scalpers from snatching up its products, according to a document leak.
AMD recently sent a letter to vendor partners about setting up safeguards to stop scalpers from crashing the Ryzen 5000 and RX 6000 launch day sales, according to RedGamingTech and Moore’s Law Is Dead, which both obtained the document.
AMD’s main concern is disappointing consumers on launch day should automated bots controlled by scalpers buy up all the inventory.
“We expect that some purchasers (scalpers) may initially try to buy large quantities of our new graphics and processor cards and re-sell them at higher prices in the secondary market,” AMD wrote in the letter.
“We also want to prevent site crashes or unresponsiveness due to the unexpected surges in traffic and any ambiguity about product availability and lead times,” the company added.
In other words, AMD wants to avoid the launch day debacle rival Nvidia faced with its RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards, which immediately sold out when they went on sale last month. Scalpers are now hawking the cards on eBay for $1,000 or more over the normal pricing.
In the letter, AMD calls on partners to implement “real-time bot detection mechanisms” to identify and block activity from suspected scalpers. Other safeguards include adding a CAPTCHA test to determine whether the user is a human, making sure purchases are limited to one per customer, and implementing an online queue-based system so users who miss out on the launch day sales can reserve a spot to buy the product once stock becomes available again.
That all said, AMD is only “strongly” recommending its partners implement the safeguards. At the same time, the people who run and develop the bots for scalpers say they’re routinely coming up with ways to beat anti-bot detection mechanisms. So at best, AMD and its partners will likely only be able to slow down the scalping—not eliminate it entirely.
Still, AMD adds in the letter: “Let’s work together to ensure, as much as possible, that AMD’s new CPUs and GPUs get into the hands of the gamers and enthusiasts who they are designed for at launch and throughout the holiday season.” (Retailers such as Newegg say they already implement some of the advised safeguards.)
AMD will start selling the company’s new Ryzen 5000 CPUs on Nov. 5. The chipmaker also plans on unveiling the Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards next week on Oct. 28. So the GPU sales will likely begin soon after.
AMD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.