Scalpers hoping to make a profit from Nvidia’s newly launched RTX 4070 Ti graphics card are so far getting a chilly reception from potential buyers—likely because the product is still in stock at retailers for normal prices.
The desktop GPU went on sale Thursday morning. But unlike past graphics card launches, where supplies ran out in minutes, the RTX 4070 Ti is still available to buy at retailers including Newegg and Best Buy for $839 and up.
Scalpers, on the other hand, have been trying to charge as much as $1,699 for the product, according to listings on eBay. Consumers have no reason to buy from them when retailers have them in stock, however. In addition, retailers accept returns when scalpers generally do not.
Currently, eBay has 26 listings for the RTX 4070 Ti. But so far, no units have sold, according to eBay’s Terapeak tool.
That’s a big change from the RTX 4090, which sold out quickly when it first launched on Oct. 12. Scalpers then proceeded to sell 246 units of the graphics card on launch day at prices at around $2,500 — far higher than the $1,599 starting cost for the product.
In addition, the RTX 4090 remains hard to find in stock, making it a lucrative target for scalpers.
The RTX 4080, on the other hand, has also faced weak demand on eBay. The card has only been selling about five to 10 units each day, with the average selling prices occasionally dipping below the $1,199 starting price for the GPU. Last month, one scalper posted that they planned on reselling their RTX 4080 units at normal retail prices, saying the “market isn’t what I thought."
Things could turn around for resellers if the RTX 4070 Ti ends up selling out over time. The $799 models appear to be out of stock at Newegg, for example. Still, trends suggest that GPU scalping won’t hit the RTX 4000 series anywhere near as badly as it did with the RTX 3000 line, which launched during a historic chip shortage and when cryptocurrency mining was soaring.
Since then, GPU-based cryptomining has become unprofitable while Nvidia has been experiencing an oversupply situation with its own desktop graphics cards. On top of all this, the exorbitant high pricing for the RTX 4000 series may be thwarting demand.