That didn’t take long. Nvidia’s latest GPU, the RTX 3090 Ti, launched on Tuesday, and already third-party merchants are demanding interested buyers pay an extra $1,000 or more to own the card.
The RTX 3090 Ti is supposed to start at $1,999. But on Newegg, you can find some third-party merchants attempting to sell it for $2,999 or $3,236. The worst offender is a listing for a Founders Edition RTX 3090 Ti, which went up for sale on Best Buy on Tuesday for $1,999. One merchant has decided to sell the card for a ridiculous $3,849.
Ironically, you’re better off buying the product on eBay, a place where scalpers regularly sell electronic goods. The site’s Terapeak tracking tool shows over a dozen confirmed sales for various RTX 3090 Ti models but at prices closer to $2,700.
We suspect one reason for the high prices is because the RTX 3090 Ti is not only Nvidia’s most powerful consumer GPU date, but also a top-performer when it comes to cryptocurrency mining. NiceHash currently rates the product as one of the leading GPUs for Ethereum mining, capable of generating $5.25 a day or $162.75 per month.
Unlike many other Nvidia graphics cards, the RTX 3090 Ti is also free of the company’s Ethereum mining limitation. Hence, some third-party merchants may be betting the product will see demand from cryptocurrency miners.
Still, the sky high-pricing for the RTX 3090 Ti bucks the current trend facing the GPU market. In recent weeks, the cost of many other Nvidia graphics cards has been on a downward slide amid improving supplies. For example, the average selling price for the RTX 3060 Ti on eBay is now at $629, down from an ungodly $1,223 a year ago. This week, Asus also announced it’s cutting prices for its own graphics cards by up to 25%.
If you do want an RTX 3090 Ti, we recommend you stick to first-party sales on Newegg. On Thursday morning, the retailer began restocking graphics card at prices from $2,099 to $2,149. Nvidia has also said the product’s availability should improve next month.
