- The buyer of an RTX 5090 in India got a nasty surprise
- They paid over $3,000 for a GPU box that contained detergent
- This was from a third party seller on Amazon and is a timely reminder to avoid the temptation to buy expensive items from such sources
Someone who reportedly bought an RTX 5090 GPU from Amazon in India found a packet of detergent inside the box instead of the flagship graphics card, serving as a clear warning against trusting third-party market sellers.
VideoCardz spotted this tale of woe on Reddit, and of course, as with all such reports, we have to take it with a grain of salt – even if it appears to be authentic (it’s a very detailed account if fabricated).
The Redditor explains how they bought a Gigabyte RTX 5090 on Amazon in India from a third-party seller via an order that was ‘fulfilled by Amazon’, a GPU that cost around $3,200 in local currency.
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As you can see from the image on Reddit (check it out below), what was actually in the battered box on the graphics card was a 1kg packet of Ghadi detergent.
The buyer has an unboxing video – although, unfortunately for them, it’s not recorded continuously and has been the cause of some skepticism from other Redditors – but it’s clear that the weight of the package (at 1.56 kg on the official shipping label) is far too light for a boxed RTX 5090.
Hopefully that last point will prove to be the key to getting a refund processed, but at the moment we’re told Amazon has refused to issue a refund.
Apparently, this person isn’t the only one who’s been sent laundry detergent instead of an expensive graphics card, as they’ve uncovered other similar complaints about the same third-party seller.
Analysis: Fraudsters are more active these days with expensive GPUs
Whether or not this is true (and as mentioned, it appears to be, though of course we can’t know for sure), it serves as a timely reminder that as GPU prices spiral, don’t be tempted by offers from obscure third-party marketplace sellers on Amazon, or any other retailer for that matter.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. And it’s just not worth risking spending thousands on a pretend product, whether it’s a box with a rock or a lump of metal in it (as we’ve seen with GPUs in the past) or cleaning agent (a new spin on this kind of scam). You are simply flirting with the possibility of getting burned.
Of course, taking a tip on a cheap product isn’t that big of a deal, but I really wouldn’t consider a high value purchase from a third party seller as it’s just not worth the potential grief. Yes, you should always be able to get your money back, but that process can be stressful.
And with expensive items, it really makes sense these days to record a full unboxing video as a matter of course (showing the whole package clearly unopened to begin with – or ideally, film from the moment of delivery).
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