How Scalping Has Contributed to the Shortage of Computer Parts

    As public spaces began shutting down in early 2020 and people began working or going to school from home, the demand for PCs ad other computer devices increased greatly. Schools and companies had to invest in reliable ways to make remote work function for an indefinite amount of time as the pandemic came. This unexpected spike in demand naturally caused a shortage of certain computer parts. However, a large part of this shortage was due to scalping, since online resellers typically chose the products which are in the highest demand to make the most money. 

    Currently, the computer part that suffers the most shortage is the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). This affects the rest of the industry since it is such an integral part of every PC. Scalper bots usually sold out the computer parts and resold them at over double the price on certain websites. Therefore, companies, as well as consumers who opted to build their PCs, were not able to get ahold of GPUs at their original prices. An article from PCWorld states that GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card which retails at $699, went out of stock immediately, and was sold in resale sites for $1275-$1315. 

    Since computers are a part of so many gadgets in our lives, it is no surprise that the scalper bots buying all of the GPU supply have caused a shortage in many other industries. For example, without GPUs, most modern cars cannot function. 

    It is worth mentioning that scalpers have increased drastically since the Pandemic began, not exactly to take advantage of people. For some, it was the only way to make money upon losing their job. Ultimately, using scalping bots and reselling products has the potential to be incredibly lucrative, and in a time with so much uncertainty, this was a more viable option than ever. 

Articles cited: 

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3600431/how-much-scalpers-make-selling-hard-to-get-pc-hardware-and-consoles.html

https://www.pcmag.com/news/inside-the-gpu-shortage-why-you-still-cant-buy-a-graphics-card

https://www.pcmag.com/news/inside-the-pandemics-biggest-cash-cow-scalper-bot-networks-hawking-hot