News Best Buy Sold Out of All 17,000 GPUs in Short Order

[Admin]

Best Buy quickly sold out of 17,000 GPUs today. We went to one local store to see what the line looked like.

Best Buy Sold Out of All 17,000 GPUs in Short Order : Read more

 

[evdjj3j]

My state was one of the only ones that got ZERO cards, the state is not even in the list. I'll never shop at Best Buy ever again and I'm convincing as many of my friends to do the same.

 

[nitts999]

My state was one of the only ones that got ZERO cards, the state is not even in the list. I'll never shop at Best Buy ever again and I'm convincing as many of my friends to do the same.

Yes, and then they will really miss out on the sales of the cards they refuse to sell you!

While you're at it, why don't you claim you'll never, ever buy NVIDIA again b/c they didn't supply your retailer adequately?

Best Buy is obviously not loving this situation, they are doing what they can. Imagine how pissed people would be if their store got a single card and people were camped out for it.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Honestly they should have made it an online lottery tied to your Best Buy account. With so many stores and so few cards it was never going to end well, especially for those in states which received zero cards.

 

[2Be_or_Not2Be]

I was at a location that supposedly got only ~ 135. Last time they did this, the same location got 200. Since I was more than halfway down the line of more than 200, I didn't get a card.

If BB had just waited for the same amounts as last time, more people would have been happy. Sure, I know you could say that they can't wait forever, but it definitely seems like 200 is much closer to how many people wait in line.

 

[flux104]

Nothing more than a personal anecdote for your amusement... I read about the drop late last night and decided to arrive at the Holyoke, MA Best Buy around 6:00 a.m. "Surely, 100+ people won't be as foolish as me to wake up early for this." Touche, human race. I tried to count the line and thought there may be a chance. Come ticket time, they ran out with about 30 still ahead of me. In my naivete, I imagined a couple hundred of my fellow gamers would comprise the line, seeking gaming nirvana. It was obvious most of the people, particularly toward the front, were mere scalpers. I mean, these were rough-looking people. Right: don't judge a book by its cover. And I usually don't. But if you saw these people, I mean, you would have to agree: they aren't the kind that sit in front of a gaming rig in the evenings playing the latest nerdy RPG. Many of them drove off immediately after receiving their ticket. To do what? I wondered. Xerox the ticket and return trying to sell fakes to innocent gamers? Sell the ticket quickly online and do the deal in a back alley? I thought about trying to strike up such a deal, then got back flashbacks of trying to score weed in Hollywood when I was 15. I got ripped for $20 and nearly beat up. Too old for that <Mod Edit> now. At present, in the midst of my Mr.-Smith-Goes-To-Washington disillusion, I'm not exactly complaining about these scalpers. In fact, I feel more just pity and sadness that there is a segment of our society that, for whom, it is worth spending the night on a sidewalk for a few hundred bucks. I drove home somewhat disappointed, but glad that I didn't invest more time, and grateful to be a noble gamer rather than the alternative. For now, back to gaming on my GTX 1070 for the few months, as I simply can't bring myself to pay two or three times MSRP for a video game thingy. Good luck in your quest, fellow gamers.

 

[thisisaname]

You make it sound like 17 thousand cards was a lot but when spread over the whole of America it is a tiny amount.

https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/news/over-1-million-pcs-sold-every-day

Computers sold in the world this year - Worldometer

Total number of PCs produced and sold in the world this year. Desktop and laptop computers produced globally every year, worldwide personal computer market

www.worldometers.info

 

[evdjj3j]

Yes, and then they will really miss out on the sales of the cards they refuse to sell you!

While you're at it, why don't you claim you'll never, ever buy NVIDIA again b/c they didn't supply your retailer adequately?

Best Buy is obviously not loving this situation, they are doing what they can. Imagine how pissed people would be if their store got a single card and people were camped out for it.

<Mod Edit - comment removed>

 

[cryoburner]

Best Buy has close to 1000 locations in the US. So 17,000 RTX 30-series cards would mean that each location would have only got around 17 cards on average, had they been distributed evenly. And if some stores like that particular one claim to have received 120 cards, then that just means the majority of stores got few, if any, with the bulk of cards going to a relatively small number of locations. Actually, having a look at the leaked list for the drop, the cards only went to a little over 100 locations, each getting around 100-200 cards, while close to 90% of stores got none.

There isn't even a Best Buy near here, with the area mostly served by another regional chain, so the closest store is around an hour's drive away, and that one didn't get any cards. The nearest store that actually got cards was around a three-hour drive away. Which makes acquiring a reasonably-priced Founder's Edition card impractical, since Nvidia stopped selling them directly online shortly after launch, and decided to restrict them to that chain, for whatever reason. Though I suppose if someone is willing to camp out overnight for a graphics card, driving multiple hours get to a store might not be much more of a stretch.

(Note: No one wanted to provide me with names, choosing to remain anonymous.)

Most of them were probably resellers, hoping to make a quick profit off flipping the cards. People actually looking to get a card for gaming are not as likely to be paying close attention to inventory leaks that only provide a day's notice. Resellers will be all over those though. More gamers would probably get their hands on the cards if they just trickled the supply out a few each day, and spread them out to more locations, rather than selling them all at once at relatively small number of their stores to make a spectacle out of it.

 

[watzupken]

My state was one of the only ones that got ZERO cards, the state is not even in the list. I'll never shop at Best Buy ever again and I'm convincing as many of my friends to do the same.

Why blame BB here? Are they withholding any cards? Think about it, 17K cards is actually not a lot. BB don't just have a single outlet to distribute the cards. It is not like you stay in a cave to not hear about the persistent supply issue.

 

[watzupken]

Nothing more than a personal anecdote for your amusement... I read about the drop late last night and decided to arrive at the Holyoke, MA Best Buy around 6:00 a.m. "Surely, 100+ people won't be as foolish as me to wake up early for this." Touche, human race. I tried to count the line and thought there may be a chance. Come ticket time, they ran out with about 30 still ahead of me. In my naivete, I imagined a couple hundred of my fellow gamers would comprise the line, seeking gaming nirvana. It was obvious most of the people, particularly toward the front, were mere scalpers. I mean, these were rough-looking people. Right: don't judge a book by its cover. And I usually don't. But if you saw these people, I mean, you would have to agree: they aren't the kind that sit in front of a gaming rig in the evenings playing the latest nerdy RPG. Many of them drove off immediately after receiving their ticket. To do what? I wondered. Xerox the ticket and return trying to sell fakes to innocent gamers? Sell the ticket quickly online and do the deal in a back alley? I thought about trying to strike up such a deal, then got back flashbacks of trying to score weed in Hollywood when I was 15. I got ripped for $20 and nearly beat up. Too old for that <Mod Edit> now. At present, in the midst of my Mr.-Smith-Goes-To-Washington disillusion, I'm not exactly complaining about these scalpers. In fact, I feel more just pity and sadness that there is a segment of our society that, for whom, it is worth spending the night on a sidewalk for a few hundred bucks. I drove home somewhat disappointed, but glad that I didn't invest more time, and grateful to be a noble gamer rather than the alternative. For now, back to gaming on my GTX 1070 for the few months, as I simply can't bring myself to pay two or three times MSRP for a video game thingy. Good luck in your quest, fellow gamers.

I certainly won't judge a book by its cover, but I am also confident that there are scalpers in the line. If you can flip the card for a tidy profit easily, it is surely worth the effort of getting up early to queue. The good thing is that it is not that easy for them to single handedly buy a bunch of cards up at one go.

 

[watzupken]

Honestly they should have made it an online lottery tied to your Best Buy account. With so many stores and so few cards it was never going to end well, especially for those in states which received zero cards.

In my opinion, brick and mortar is the easiest way to minimise scalping. Tying a purchase to an online account can easily be manipulated, for example, creating multiple accounts, using someone else's credential, etc... And really, why make it so easy for scalpers? While it is somewhat of an inconvenience for gamers, but I think you will find it satisfying if you manage to get one. While not everyone gets one for sure, but I think at least a good percentage of that 17K may have gone into the hands of a gamer.

 

[r7litepro]

no self respect

 

[Samduhman]

Why did Best Buy go from releasing online to making people stand in line and then get nothing... Thats how I got my 3070, from online and I didn't have to get up early and fail. Best Buy gets a big thumbs down.

 

[BJMDO]

I was there and waiting to get nothing. They ran out cards 3 people in front of me. While this is less than an ideal situation, it is better than Best Buy selling it online where the scalpers get them. I do like the idea how it become a lottery system tied to your rewards account.

 

[animatedbeing]

I got a 3090 several weeks ago in the first round of Best Buy lineup sales. I got there around 6 am and was in line at the back of the store. By the time the store staff got to me, the 3060s and 3080s were gone. But I think most of the people in line that wanted a card got one. There were one or two 3090 left at the end. I think it is worth trying to get a card this way for anyone considering a scalped card. Even if the desired card is out of stock, you can get a better one for less money than the scalper price. After building a new system, I still saved $1000 over the cost of a pre-built system, which seems to be the only other way to get a new card.

 

[spongiemaster]

In my opinion, brick and mortar is the easiest way to minimise scalping. Tying a purchase to an online account can easily be manipulated, for example, creating multiple accounts, using someone else's credential, etc... And really, why make it so easy for scalpers?

You don't just tie it to an account. With Best Buy, they have Elite and Elite Plus status. You have to spend $3500 to attain Elite Plus status. No scalper is going to create multiple accounts and spend $3500 on each account to buy multiple video cards. Next tier down is $1500. Allow online orders but they have to be picked up in store. I saw people camping out at the Best Buy near me the afternoon before this last release. That more or less eliminates anyone with a job or family from being able to get a card. Even if I needed a card, I would not camp out over night for one.

 

[bigdragon]

The Best Buy stores near me weren't involved in the latest restock. However, a coworker made the trip to the Waldorf, MD store and had very negative things to say. People camping overnight, huge line, lots of disappointment, and plenty of scalpers and miners. Not a surprise.

It's too bad Nvidia and AMD won't take even basic steps to get their products in the hands of actual gamers and enthusiasts. Blindly dumping products onto the market means that people whose job it is to resell or profit off these cards will be the one first in line. The GPU crisis has been going on for a year now and things haven't improved.

 

[10tacle]

If you have a Microcenter near you, try their shuffle program like NewEgg. Speaking of NewEgg and their shuffle, I finally won my EVGA 3080 Ti FTW3 purchase option on NewEgg that was bundled with a less-than-stellar EVGA 850 G+ power supply which I sold on Craig's List ($1,565 total purchase for both pre-tax, card was $1,400, the PSU was $165 and I sold for $130 unopened).

I never in over 20 years of PC building thought I'd see the day of buying a $1,400 top end video card at face value, but that's the new normal we are in to game at 4K high end level. I'm glad I did pull the trigger however because this shortage is not going away anytime soon. And I never even gave it a second thought of flipping it for $2K which I could have done easily. I was WAY overdue for an upgrade wanting to move up to 4K PC gaming.

 

[vinay2070]

This is so sad!

 

[waltc3]

People shouldn't believe everything they read about card drops and quantities...and they certainly should never pay robber-baron premiums to brick and mortar stores like this! (Might as well take a chance with a scalper!) I've already decided that if I have to wait for RDNA3 to ship before I can buy a 6800XT from the AMD store @ AMD's advertised MSRP, I will wait it out! Last November/December I was excited about the RDNA2 cards--but now, almost eight months later, my ardor has cooled substantially. I've almost complete stopped thinking about it and am not in the least tempted to pay ridiculous premiums or stand in long lines for the privilege of doing so.

 

[mrv_co]

While I purchased a 5700 XT at retail after the last mining boom and prior to the current mining boom / chip shortage, it still surprises me that people are so willing to go mill around in a line for hours on end.

 

[rapidware]

I've been a PC gamer since the early 2000s. I recently sold my GTX 1080 (for the same price I paid years ago), dropped PC gaming, and switched over to the XBOX. I'll see you guys again in a few years, given NVIDIA/AMD ever decides to sell to gamers again (vs just supplying to miners and scalpers).

It's a mining card. But you could also use it to play games. 🤣

 

[renz496]

The Best Buy stores near me weren't involved in the latest restock. However, a coworker made the trip to the Waldorf, MD store and had very negative things to say. People camping overnight, huge line, lots of disappointment, and plenty of scalpers and miners. Not a surprise.

It's too bad Nvidia and AMD won't take even basic steps to get their products in the hands of actual gamers and enthusiasts. Blindly dumping products onto the market means that people whose job it is to resell or profit off these cards will be the one first in line. The GPU crisis has been going on for a year now and things haven't improved.

AMD and Nvidia can take various measure to curb the situation but people (be it miner or scalpers) will always have work around to it. And it is even worse when AIB and distributor themselves end up being involved in the issues because they want to take the profit themselves instead of giving it freely to true scalpers.

 

[ChazB0T]

I was in Clearwater Florida. I was 12th in line. I tried to make a list, the 2 guys up front refused to go on the list and refused to say how many people they had waiting with them. Come 7am on the 26th, the 2 guys let 20 people get in front of them for $100/person. I went from 12ish to 50. The entire group got all of the RTX 3080's. The manager at Best Buy said that they do not monitor the lines and if I have a problem I need to call the police. Completely screwed out of a 3080.