Am I being scammed?

[RedbiT]

Hey Guys,

 

So I've found this supplier who gets cards in wholesale prices, by doing on demand sales. He said he could sell me a Titan Xp for $750, but he'd get it in 2 weeks. I can do the payment cash once I receive the card. I would prefer not to state in which country/give any details about this sale, but I am just curious as to how I can make sure that this card would be authentic once I receive it. I will pay only after receiving the card.

 

I know that I can check for the brown PCB color, and the absence of a DVI port on the back. Does anyone know what the price of a Titan Xp in wholesale would be usually? Cause I found online that it can indeed hover around 400-500 USD, and if that's the case, I think that selling the card for $750 is not actually that fishy.

 

Thoughts?

[Wolf ~ IRONI]

14 minutes ago, RedbiT said:

Hey Guys,

 

So I've found this supplier who gets cards in wholesale prices, by doing on demand sales. He said he could sell me a Titan Xp for $750, but he'd get it in 2 weeks. I can do the payment cash once I receive the card. I would prefer not to state in which country/give any details about this sale, but I am just curious as to how I can make sure that this card would be authentic once I receive it. I will pay only after receiving the card.

 

I know that I can check for the brown PCB color, and the absence of a DVI port on the back. Does anyone know what the price of a Titan Xp in wholesale would be usually? Cause I found online that it can indeed hover around 400-500 USD, and if that's the case, I think that selling the card for $750 is not actually that fishy.

 

Thoughts?

Ask for a gpu z screenshot, put it in ur pc and look if it has the same specs. If you dont feel safe about a deal never do it

[Christophe Corazza]

Are you sure it’s a new card? And not one that has been used for mining?

Since, if it would be a mining card, I would definitely not be willing to pay $ 750 for it. To be honest, I wouldn’t buy a mining card at all. These GPUs are constantly under full load (or even OCed) with ample air flow. They live an unhappy short life...

[Rammix]

I would think you'll be able to tell if it's a new card or not. Things like scrapes on the gold connectors indicating it's been in installed into a slot. Some dust in the heatsink / fans, even the smell. Just have a good look at it, install it, check gpu-z and all the shizz. 

[RedbiT]

29 minutes ago, Rammix said:

Just have a good look at it, install it, check gpu-z and all the shizz

I'm assuming there are some tests I can do when I install it? I'm fairly new to the gaming PC community. Can you elaborate?

[Rammix]

27 minutes ago, RedbiT said:

I'm assuming there are some tests I can do when I install it? I'm fairly new to the gaming PC community. Can you elaborate?

Just make sure it is what they say it is in GPU-z and run some benchmarks to make sure your results somewhat match the expected performance + or - 5%

 

That's what I would do anyway... 

[DildorTheDecent]

1 hour ago, RedbiT said:

I know that I can check for the brown PCB color, and the absence of a DVI port on the back. Does anyone know what the price of a Titan Xp in wholesale would be usually? Cause I found online that it can indeed hover around 400-500 USD, and if that's the case, I think that selling the card for $750 is not actually that fishy.

Post pic of card. Want to see what's up.

[yaya1]

Assuming it's an actual Titan Xp, might it have been used for mining or something like that? 

[RedbiT]

13 minutes ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Post pic of card. Want to see what's up.

The dude sent a pic of the card, looked like a pic you'd put on some sales ad. Doesn't look like he has the pic of the actual card. I just sent him a message asking about the condition (new or used basically) as per the suggestions above. Will post an update once I have a reply. 

I really appreciate the help of this wonderful community!! 

[Christophe Corazza]

9 minutes ago, RedbiT said:

The dude sent a pic of the card, looked like a pic you'd put on some sales ad. Doesn't look like he has the pic of the actual card. I just sent him a message asking about the condition (new or used basically) as per the suggestions above. Will post an update once I have a reply. 

I really appreciate the help of this wonderful community!! 

 

Confront him with the question whether or not the card was used for mining and observe his reaction. Even if it’s true, he will probably say no... but still...

 

GPU-Z will show the sensors/specifications of the card. Based off of that you should be able to determine if the video card is the correct card.

 

1 hour ago, Rammix said:

Some dust in the heatsink / fans, even the smell.

 

There is nothing that a simple compressed air can cannot solve ;-)

[RedbiT]

[UPDATE]

I called the guy, and he said that the card is indeed new, and he’s offering a full refund if I don’t like it and 1 year warranty.

I asked how come it’s so cheap, he said it’s that he has a wholeseller who gets the cards from another wholeseller. He has a contact with this higher seller dude which can hook me up with a cheap price. Moreover, he mentioned that since the newer generation of NVidia GPUs is coming soon, the wholesale price is really dropping low. He had a very comfortable tone, which makes me feel like this is a legit sale actually.

 

Ill post an update once I try it in a new machine once I get it in a few weeks if any of you are interested. 

 

On a second note, I’ll also post a build of what I’m expecting to put alongside it this weekend, and some advice would be really appreciated!

 

I know it’s not the appropriate thread, but I think it fits the theme here.

[TechyBen]

Sounds very fishy.

[Pip313]

There is absolutely no evidence that mining constantly is worse than the constant heat up and cool down if a gpu used for gaming.

 

it would be like saying a car with 50,000 city miles is better than a car with 60,000 highway miles. Everyone knows the constant start and stop of city miles is much harder on the car.

 

there is also absolutely no evidence that a card gives worse performance when used a lot.

[RedbiT]

Hey again!

 

So I posted a new thread about my concern with finding a good case/psu/cooler for this new card. Any tips would be really appreciated! Thanks!

[Christophe Corazza]

9 minutes ago, RedbiT said:

Hey again!

 

So I posted a new thread about my concern with finding a good case/psu/cooler for this new card. Any tips would be really appreciated! Thanks!

 

I’ll have a better look later on :-)

[RedbiT]

1 minute ago, Christophe Corazza said:

 

I’ll have a better look later on :-)

Thanks! Just keep in mind that the options I have are limited to the store link that I sent! 

[Dedayog]

On 5/31/2018 at 7:32 AM, RedbiT said:

[UPDATE]

I called the guy, and he said that the card is indeed new, and he’s offering a full refund if I don’t like it and 1 year warranty.

I asked how come it’s so cheap, he said it’s that he has a wholeseller who gets the cards from another wholeseller. He has a contact with this higher seller dude which can hook me up with a cheap price. Moreover, he mentioned that since the newer generation of NVidia GPUs is coming soon, the wholesale price is really dropping low. He had a very comfortable tone, which makes me feel like this is a legit sale actually.

 

Ill post an update once I try it in a new machine once I get it in a few weeks if any of you are interested. 

 

On a second note, I’ll also post a build of what I’m expecting to put alongside it this weekend, and some advice would be really appreciated!

 

I know it’s not the appropriate thread, but I think it fits the theme here.

Comfortable tone?  Why would that be making you feel good?  Denzel can play an old man or emotionless killer with ease, would you really believe he's either?  People can fake and lie.  

 

I doubt the first tier wholesaler will sell directly to him and cut out the 2nd tier wholesaler like that, there is usually agreement language to avoid that (in retail at least).  Besides, just how many wholesalers are there that can buy in quantity enough to cause a price drop like that?  

 

He's acting and saying what makes you comfortable, and has ABSOLUTELY no bearing on the card itself.  Sure, new cards are coming soon-ish, but until they get here the prices aren't dropping that much.

 

I'd opt for a 1080Ti anyway, for a similar price and from a major retailer if you have any concerns.  Why mess around with some back alley bullshit?

[RedbiT]

3 minutes ago, jstudrawa said:

Comfortable tone?  Why would that be making you feel good?  Denzel can play an old man or emotionless killer with ease, would you really believe he's either?  People can fake and lie.  

 

I doubt the first tier wholesaler will sell directly to him and cut out the 2nd tier wholesaler like that, there is usually agreement language to avoid that (in retail at least).  Besides, just how many wholesalers are there that can buy in quantity enough to cause a price drop like that?  

 

He's acting and saying what makes you comfortable, and has ABSOLUTELY no bearing on the card itself.  Sure, new cards are coming soon-ish, but until they get here the prices aren't dropping that much.

 

I'd opt for a 1080Ti anyway, for a similar price and from a major retailer if you have any concerns.  Why mess around with some back alley bullshit?

You're right honestly and I can't argue. But what I'm gonna finally do is just try it out, and see if it works well and everything. If it doesn't, I'll just opt for a full refund as he told me offer. 

[Dedayog]

5 minutes ago, RedbiT said:

You're right honestly and I can't argue. But what I'm gonna finally do is just try it out, and see if it works well and everything. If it doesn't, I'll just opt for a full refund as he told me offer. 

Not sure why you're skeptical of the card being new or him being trustworthy yet wholeheartedly believing that you can get a refund all easy peasy

 

I'm not in your shoes, so I'm taking this as an American with funds and ease of buying anywhere I want.  I realize your options are limited due to your other thread, but I really am not comfortable with this situation on your behalf.

 

I hope it works out well for you, how ever you go about it.

 

[RedbiT]

4 hours ago, jstudrawa said:

Not sure why you're skeptical of the card being new or him being trustworthy yet wholeheartedly believing that you can get a refund all easy peasy

 

I'm not in your shoes, so I'm taking this as an American with funds and ease of buying anywhere I want.  I realize your options are limited due to your other thread, but I really am not comfortable with this situation on your behalf.

 

I hope it works out well for you, how ever you go about it.

 

I will surely update you when I get it, and I appreciate your kind wishes! Let’s hope all goes smoothly, and I’ll be a proud owner of a TITAN Xp. After all, I also do ML research, so this will really hit home!

[Biggerboot]

It all comes down to the binding contract.  Is the seller just a guy or a company, does the company have any rep?  You're dealing in cash but is there a receipt?  What site did you deal on?  Etc, etc.  Without giving us those dets, we can't wholeheartedly tell you if it's a scam. 

The price isn't totally out there though, it's almost a 1080 ti.  As long as he honors his warranty then sure, it's worth a shot.

[Christophe Corazza]

@RedbiT To be honest, I admire the trust you have in people you don't know that are trying to sell you something that looks sketchy in every way possible.

 

I have seen several people in the same situation as you, thinking that someone was kind enough to give them a wonderful deal on a PC component.

To make a long story short: it did not turn out very well for them.

 

GPU scams are a booming business nowadays. Especially with GPU prizes going through the roof.

Threads mentioning scam webshops with amazing graphic card deals regularly pass the LTT forum.

Often, the buyer will simply never see the GPU that he has bought. Otherwise, the GPU turns out to be a mining/used card and dies not much later.

 

In your case: it will almost certainly be a Titan, of that I'm pretty sure.

But it will be a card that has been used for mining.

And no... visual markings that indicate usage are not that simple, if not impossible, to detect.

[Princess Luna]

Granted that a Xp is not a senseful purchase, either ways you won't receive an invoice for this product and you'll have no right for a warranty in case it breaks.

[Crunchy Dragon]

On 5/31/2018 at 5:13 AM, RedbiT said:

Hey Guys,

 

So I've found this supplier who gets cards in wholesale prices, by doing on demand sales. He said he could sell me a Titan Xp for $750, but he'd get it in 2 weeks. I can do the payment cash once I receive the card. I would prefer not to state in which country/give any details about this sale, but I am just curious as to how I can make sure that this card would be authentic once I receive it. I will pay only after receiving the card.

 

I know that I can check for the brown PCB color, and the absence of a DVI port on the back. Does anyone know what the price of a Titan Xp in wholesale would be usually? Cause I found online that it can indeed hover around 400-500 USD, and if that's the case, I think that selling the card for $750 is not actually that fishy.

 

Thoughts?

I wouldn't call $750 a sketchy price for a Titan Xp personally, I found one for that price on my Craigslist listings a while back.

 

As to making sure it's authentic, get a GPU-Z screenshot from the seller. Then compare that screenshot with what shows up when you bring up GPU-Z after receiving the card.

 

If you're still skeptical, take off the card and read the GPU core. The Titan Xp uses the GP102 processor and the card itself should look like this without the heatsink:

Spoiler