New RTX 5080 GPU Heist Hits Best Buy, Shows What Happens When Rocks Outweigh Expectations

Photo credit: GnarDead
A few days before Thanksgiving, GnarDead took a big risk by placing an order that was expected to significantly improve their gaming setup. The ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 5080 was lying in their Best Buy shopping basket for a reasonable $1,200; its specifications were impressive, capable of handling even the most demanding games. It arrived on November 28, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.

The box had no extra outside packaging to conceal what was within, and it was clear that the box had been roughed up on its route there. Shipping labels adhered directly to the retail box, and the seal appeared to have been wrenched open and reapplied. When they opened it up, instead of the customary slick graphics card and cooling fans, they discovered four entirely ordinary boulders snuggled securely in their bubble wrap and plastic packing, as if everything was supposed to be there.

GnarDead wasted no time in informing Best Buy about the situation.They filed a complaint within an hour after opening the package and sent over a slew of images demonstrating the damage: the faulty seal, the rocks chilling in the GPU’s specific foam cutout, and even a shot of them all lined up on a table like they were some kind of geology display. At first, they felt they were in the clear. Best Buy promptly responded and informed them that a new one was on its way, thus all of the “lost time” was only a delay. However, things went downhill from there. Days passed, and all they knew was that their new game-changing hardware had cost them a month’s salaries. Then, on December 2, an email arrived with some pretty awful news: Best Buy had completed looking into it and would neither replace the item or refund their money. There’s no explanation, just a kick in the teeth and a big fat zero in the bank.

This episode takes place against the backdrop of an unending demand for NVIDIA’s latest RTX 50-series cards, which has driven prices extremely high and created a frenzy every time new supply reaches the shelves. However, the high demand has given scammers a field day, preying on purchasers seeking to obtain the difficult-to-find component and capitalizing on the pandemonium. The ploy utilized here is a well-known one that has taken advantage of many naive shoppers across the retail spectrum, and it is not particularly difficult to anticipate. In this situation, criminals are looking for shipments that are either on their way to clients or sitting about at a return desk, where they can swiftly exchange out the real goods for considerably lighter alternatives. Anything heavy enough to fool computerized checks at warehouses and distribution facilities will suffice, and rocks have proven to be an excellent substitute; they are heavy enough to trick the checks but not so heavy that they arouse suspicion when handled by postal workers or porch pirates.
[Source]