Nvidia’s RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards were released earlier today, but both models sold out almost immediately.
Despite the company’s warnings about low stock levels, scalpers quickly seized the opportunity, with RTX 5090 listings on eBay reaching over $6,000, far surpassing the $1,999 MSRP.
Stock Shortage and Scalping Issues
Low availability: The limited supply has caused frustration among buyers, with some reporting they couldn’t even get a chance to purchase after refreshing pages constantly.
Price gouging: Scalpers are profiting by listing the RTX 5090 for up to $6,000, a 200% markup, while third-party manufacturers like Asus are charging $2,799 for their models, representing a 40% price increase.
Manufacturing Delays and Design Issues
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang previously confirmed a design flaw in their Blackwell processors, which led to low production yields.
This may have slowed down the supply chain for RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs. Additionally, Nvidia’s TSMC foundry faced constraints, prioritizing high-revenue data center chips over consumer graphics cards.
Looking Ahead
While stock is scarce for now, Nvidia may improve the situation in the future. Gamers are disappointed by the limited availability of what is regarded as the fastest consumer GPU, but Nvidia could work to balance demand with supply in upcoming releases.
