Reddit user discovers msi scalping own 3080s on ebay for massive profits

[S w a t s o n]

8 minutes ago, realpetertdm said:

https://twitter.com/msiUSA/status/1313734160582803456

 

Statement from MSI

GN seems to believe them? Or at least their reply on that seems like they feel this is a legitmate reason. Seems more like we got caught so here's a nice story.

 

Daily reminder this "individual sales subsidiary" always lists their only address as the MSI US HQ.

[realpetertdm]

IMO, this response from MSI is still not good enough. It still doesn't answer the main question - Why was MSI/Starlit selling 3080s at $1300?

Nobody has a problem with Starlit selling 3080s, people just have a problem with them being sold at ridiculous prices.

[Spotty]

5 minutes ago, Random_Person1234 said:

So starlit was mistakenly given rtx 3080s and priced them hundreds of dollars above msrp?

Yes. They accidentally received stock from MSI and they accidentally listed them at almost twice MSRP. It was just a prank pricing error, bro.

Just like when they accidentally threatened reviewers to give positive reviews.

 

There seems to be a lot of issues going on at MSI if this sort of stuff keeps happening.

 

Just now, S w a t s o n said:

GN seems to believe them? Or at least their reply on that seems like they feel this is a legitmate reason. Seems more like we got caught so here's a nice story

I think Gamers Nexus is being sensible and right now is just assessing all of the information, without jumping to conclusions. They're probably still talking to people and getting statements and what-not. It'll be interesting to see their video on the subject.

[Random_Person1234]

2 minutes ago, S w a t s o n said:

GN seems to believe them? Or at least their reply on that seems like they feel this is a legitmate reason. Seems more like we got caught so here's a nice story

Why would Starlit price the card hundreds of dollars over msrp if it’s a place to dump excess inventory?

[Deus Voltage]

2 minutes ago, Random_Person1234 said:

Why would Starlit price the card hundreds of dollars over msrp if it’s a place to dump excess inventory?

Exactly. The more I read their response, the more it starts to feel like someone panicked and typed in whatever their already panicked supervisor told them to type. 

[GDRRiley]

GN is live

[GDRRiley]

so yes it was an MSI owned company. supposedly its an internal issue where starlit shouldn't have access to RTX30, they are suppose to sell refurbished or overstocked

[Blademaster91]

So it was a company owned by MSI scalping cards, not sure how MSI wasn't aware of this, it seems kinda scummy. I would definately consider other aib's over MSI because of this, and the whole controversy over a laptop review which msi tried to bribe the reviewer to cover up any criticism.

[GreatnessRD]

Haven't seen the GN live stream, but sounds like damage control to me. Got caught finessing and want to play the half. Even if they got a hold of cards they shouldn't have, as a subsidiary why would they markup the price and not just sell for retail or below like on the rest of their stuff? Not gonna play me and say MSI is innocent here. FOH 

 

Edit: @Random_Person1234 Exactly. Didn't see your post, lol.

[Valentyn]

Well, they’re on my no buy list going forward. Scummy company.

[Skiiwee29]

I have not watched the GN video yet regarding it, only going off what I have seen, but I am calling BS... I don't believe it personally. Sadly, this will kill my personal like of MSI and can not use there products in the future or recommend them myself  Way to shady and a PR Bullshit answer. 

[GreatnessRD]

45 minutes ago, Escanor said:

Hope some got into trouble over this, cos this is just insane.

Nobody got in trouble. Just a public spanking to appease the masses. "We'll make sure this never happens again"  MSI knew what they were doing. 3080's and 90's are the most sought after product in the PC world right now, but you aren't keeping a handle on product location? Sounds good, lol

[ThePointblank]

Well, apparently Nvidia is now involved per JayzTwoCents and now Linus, and depending on what Nvidia finds out, they might go nuclear on MSI and drop them from their AIB program.

 

 

 

 

[Jet_ski]

1 hour ago, Skiiwee29 said:

I have not watched the GN video yet regarding it, only going off what I have seen, but I am calling BS... I don't believe it personally. Sadly, this will kill my personal like of MSI and can not use there products in the future or recommend them myself  Way to shady and a PR Bullshit answer. 

I’ll be suspicious of ANY YouTuber who isn’t outraged by this.

[ThePointblank]

The way I see it is that depending on what Nvidia determines is the truth, if they do decide to punish MSI, I can see them go with one of three options, depending on how angry Nvidia is:
 

1. Temporary suspension of MSI from AIB program: Basically, MSI gets dropped from Nvidia's AIB program, with remaining contracts with MSI fullfilled. Nvidia will reinstate MSI at a later date once Nvidia is satisfied that MSI has cleaned up their act.

 

2. Permanent suspension of MSI from AIB program, but allow existing contracts to be fulfilled. MSI can still make Nvidia cards, just with existing inventory and orders until they run out, and from there on, MSI is on it's own.

 

3. Permanent suspension of MSI from AIB program, with immediate termination. That means Nvidia immediately cuts off MSI from all Nvidia chips directly from them, demands MSI stop selling Nvidia cards, and return inventory.

[AlTech]

7 hours ago, Spotty said:

snip

I just checked the Bloomberg link. 
 

MSI Computer Corporation’s board of directors consists exclusively of 2 Micro Star International Co Ltd employees. 
 

This means that MSI employees are literally scalping 3080s. It’s not some 3rd party here.

 

[Blademaster91]

25 minutes ago, Jet_ski said:

I’ll be suspicious of ANY YouTuber who isn’t outraged by this.

I think Gamers Nexus is being reasonable by taking a neutral stance with this, sure MSI did a really stupid thing here, but there's no point in getting outraged as we don't know all the details on this and Nvidia hasn't responded yet.

[Jet_ski]

49 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

I think Gamers Nexus is being reasonable by taking a neutral stance with this, sure MSI did a really stupid thing here, but there's no point in getting outraged as we don't know all the details on this and Nvidia hasn't responded yet.

Would MSI do anything, or even issue that statement, if it weren’t for the outrage that’s ensued on Twitter and Reddit?

 

I also think GN is a bit of a hypocrite.

[spartaman64]

4 hours ago, Random_Person1234 said:

Why would Starlit price the card hundreds of dollars over msrp if it’s a place to dump excess inventory?

How do they even have excess inventory of 3080?

1 hour ago, Jet_ski said:

I’ll be suspicious of ANY YouTuber who isn’t outraged by this.

Yeah but Steve has a proven track record he's been blacklisted by multiple companies for giving honest reviews

[LAwLz]

We did it Reddit!

[leadeater]

5 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

How do they even have excess inventory of 3080?

It's not that they do but it's not out of the question employees did something they weren't supposed to to make a buck. It is actually reasonable MSI, the company, had nothing to do with this.

[Gamer Schnitzel]

Their excuse is bullshit and people who believe it are not the brightest. Luckily for them this is the gaming community and they're one of the most gullible people communities there are. I mean we are talking about people that willingly spend hundreds of $$$ more just to have lights added on headsets and computer hardware. 90% of the people see their statement as "fact" and "proof" and will start quoting it as evidence every time this topic comes up.

 

MSI will be fine.

[spartaman64]

4 minutes ago, leadeater said:

It's not that they do but it's not out of the question employees did something they weren't supposed to to make a buck. It is actually reasonable MSI, the company, had nothing to do with this.

They let low level order entry employees enter anything they want as the price for a major product like the 3080? The decision must have came from someone so high up the hierarchy that it might as well be msi

[Delicieuxz]

1 hour ago, AluminiumTech said:

I just checked the Bloomberg link. 
 

MSI Computer Corporation’s board of directors consists exclusively of 2 Micro Star International Co Ltd employees. 
 

This means that MSI employees are literally scalping 3080s. It’s not some 3rd party here.

I would expect they should be aware of the conflict between MSI's policy and Micro Star's activities.

 

 

 

Right now, it seems that the choice of the situation is whether or not to give MSI the benefit of the doubt under the circumstance of MSI being in a position where anything other than a denial of involvement or awareness from them would result in their expulsion from the Nvidia GPU partner program, and probably cost them a huge amount of the rest of their business as customers would blacklist them.

 

Would MSI deny awareness of the scalping even if they were aware of it? Likely so - unless they possessed an uncommon amount of integrity and sense of honour, and were willing to seppuku their company.

 

Still, that doesn't mean that it's confirmed that they knew this was happening and allowed it. And whether MSI is given the benefit of the doubt or not, that choice is a part of the equation and so it's still fact that, as of yet, the truth of the matter is unconfirmed.

[leadeater]

8 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

They let low level order entry employees enter anything they want as the price for a major product like the 3080? The decision must have came from someone so high up the hierarchy that it might as well be msi

I'm not saying MSI isn't accountable for this, it's just that it's two different things when saying employees at a company did something and a company itself make a decision to do something. I don't think MSI made such a decision to sell some GPUs like this.

 

Edit:

Because FYI if MSI needs to do something like this and it would make any difference at all to their financial situation then MSI is literally about to close and cease to be a business. If they story was about hundreds of GPUs then it would be different, but it's not it's only about a few which is more in line with shady employees at a shady company doing shady things to make some money.