Newegg is reinstating its “Shuffle” lottery program for premium-priced RTX 5080 GPUs to combat scalpers. The retailer aims to ensure that consumers have a fair chance of purchasing the graphics card directly from them, rather than through bots controlled by scalpers.
The last Shuffle event took place on February 15 and saw three RTX 5080 models – Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming OC, Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5080, and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 – sold at premium prices. Newegg has previously attributed the price hikes to US tariffs.
The retailer does not know when the next Shuffle will run, but interested customers can sign up for notifications or follow Newegg on social media platforms to stay informed. If selected, the GPU will be automatically added to a customer’s cart, and they must complete the transaction within the given window.
Newegg’s move is seen as an effort to thwart scalpers who use bots to buy GPUs in bulk and sell them online at inflated prices. However, critics argue that the onus should be on Nvidia to address the supply chain issues.
Some fans are calling for AMD’s 9070XT to rival the RTX 5080 performance-wise, which would alleviate the pressure on the market. Meanwhile, enthusiasts like Jowi Morales are taking a stand by voting with their wallets and boycotting Nvidia until prices become more reasonable.
Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/newegg-reintroduces-scalper-beating-shuffle-lottery-for-premium-priced-rtx-5080s