Nvidia RTX 5090 and 5080 Sell Out Instantly—Scalpers Push Prices to $6,000, Gamers Face 'Paper Launch' Frustration

Nvidia's highly anticipated RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards flew off the shelves the moment they launched on Thursday, leaving eager gamers frustrated by the limited availability.

Despite warnings from Nvidia about the limited stock, many customers rushed to U.S. distributor Micro Center, hoping to grab one of the new GPUs. However, the limited supply quickly sparked an influx of scalpers, who listed the RTX 5090 on eBay for upwards of $6,000—three times its original $1,999 MSRP. Third-party sellers, such as Asus, also marked up their prices, with the Asus ROG Astral model hitting $2,799.

Gamers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, with some calling the launch a "paper launch" due to the lack of available stock. Nvidia had earlier warned of constrained availability, but the overwhelming demand and instant sellouts have only fueled the frustration.

The Cause Behind the Shortage

The scarcity is partly attributed to a design flaw in Nvidia's Blackwell-based processors, which impacted production yields for the RTX 5090 and 5080. Additionally, Nvidia's heavy focus on data center chips, which share the same manufacturing process, further strained production of the consumer GPUs.

What’s Next for Nvidia?

Nvidia is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings on February 26. In its last earnings report, Nvidia posted a revenue of $35.1 billion, a 94% year-over-year increase, surpassing Wall Street's expectations.

As scalpers continue to drive up prices and gamers struggle to find the new GPUs at retail prices, the situation has put the spotlight on Nvidia's supply chain challenges.

Stock Impact

Nvidia’s stock dipped 1.16% in pre-market trading to $123.20 on Friday, following a 0.77% gain during regular trading hours on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.