A user bought a new RTX 4090 on Amazon. But instead, he received a different, significantly slower graphics card. However, he only realizes this when he installs the GPU in his computer and wonders about the system’s explanations.
Those who currently want to upgrade their gaming PC with a new graphics card can choose between AMD, Nvidia, and Intel. One user has chosen Nvidia’s RTX 4090, currently the fastest graphics card on the market.
But when he installed the graphics card in his computer, he was quite surprised. Because his PC informed him that he had installed an RTX 3070 Ti (via reddit.com). The community on Reddit then had to explain to him that he indeed received the wrong graphics card.
A bargain hunter at least received the correct graphics card, but he still didn’t have much joy with it:
Did another buyer swap the graphics card in the packaging?
What happened here? Users suspect that another person likely bought an RTX 4090 on Amazon and returned their “old” 3070 in the 4090 box to Amazon (via reddit). This swap likely went unnoticed until the user installed the GPU in their system.
Only the user on Reddit was surprised when the new graphics card was recognized by the system as “only” an RTX 3070 Ti. However, the system was correct, as he actually only received an RTX 3070 Ti. Many users from the community pointed this out. One wrote:
The guy who swapped his old 3070 for the 4090 got a good deal.
Expensive graphics cards have unfortunately become an option on Amazon to defraud buyers. Especially when the buyer does not immediately recognize what kind of graphics card they have purchased.
As some people explain, one can immediately recognize that the graphics card in question cannot possibly be an RTX 4090.
Scams and fraud with graphics cards are becoming more common on Amazon
What is the problem with such fraud? At first glance, the purchased product and the seller seem reliable. The swap in the box is often only noticed by the next buyer at worst. Or they may not notice it and just wonder about the performance of their new GPU, which turns out to be much weaker than expected.
Can one protect themselves against this? Many people now advise making a video when unboxing particularly expensive hardware:
- Because if you then hold fake goods or just the wrong product in your hands, you at least have evidence on your side.
- Additionally, you can then prove that you did not swap the goods, but that someone else must have been the wrongdoer before you.
Such evidence, however, may not always help, as a story of a family father shows. Because he also received the wrong GPU on Amazon, but Amazon refused to issue a refund:
