XFX HD 5970 Auctioned on eBay for $10,499
A limited edition ATI HD 5970 card was supposedly stolen and auctioned off on ebay.
This eBay auction lists a supposed limited edition of the XFX HD 5970 Black Edition #68, one of a thousand that card manufacturer XFX will ever make. As of this writing, the current bid is at $10,499 USD, and is scheduled to end on May 3. The auction even looks legit, showing pics of the unboxed graphics card and the hardware specs.
So how did this seller get his hands on an un-released ATI card? He doesn't specify. "I don't have a box, packaging, user manuals, or even drivers but I am sure they will be released online soon," the seller claims. "It does come with a pretty awesome GUN CASE though."
According to XFX, the card was stolen. The company supposedly released a warning to registered consumers, indicating that the hot hardware is now up for sale on the Internet, and to stay away. There was even mention of a criminal investigation.
However an additional email led honest patrons to a video found on YouTube showing two guys breaking into XFX and snagging the card. XFX then added a caption at the bottom of the eBay listing, saying that the auction of #68 was legit, and that the winning bidder would be committed into purchasing the item. Wait. What? So what does that mean?
It was all a lie to sell a product, that's what it means.
Evidently XFX has now gone into the viral advertising business. Was the card stolen? No. The entire auction and video package was just a promotional tool. Is it really up for auction? Yes.
Draw your own conclusions in the comments!
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My brain hurts.
Seems to resemble what may have been genius marketing by Apple with it's latest iPhone found at bar story... but who knows.
*its. I'm a grammar snob.
XFX Just blessed us all a dose of WIN. They just fooled a lot of people into buying a very expensive card. Hahah. Awesome.
only an extra 10,000 for a special made plastic case!
I wouldn't spend 10k on a graphics card even if I was filthy rich, it's like spending 10k on a bike that in 2 years time is outrun by a stock bike. I mean really, the value of a graphics card is in the bang for the buck it gives you not the shininess.
Sounds like a page out of Apple's playbook.
Some may say this is shady, but it's brilliant marketing either way. Lets face it, all marketing people usually do is create another lame, psuedo-edgy commercial. This obviously works better.
Something else that strikes me as a strange are all of the canceled bids, i.e. some were $999K-$700K. What is with that?
I think any thought it was a joke and wouldn't need to pay until XFX put the statement at the bottom...
This just in.
The high bidder is a prince in Nigeria.
I don't care how limited edition it is. In 2 years it's going to be worth $50.
I'm not sure if this is regular to a 5970 or not, but from the pictures it doesn't seem to have a DVI port, just 5 (or maybe 6, can't tell due to shadows) HDMI ports.
I will buy a card from their competitor next time. I don't like being lied to.
This is XFX selling this on ebay. It is a real auction and the winner will be obligated to pay for it.
http://forums.extremeoverclocking. [...] stcount=25
There you go. Should be very interesting. I will pass though, that's too much money for my blood haha.
Maybe this time, a company really is ripping off Apple...
Oh, how much I love Apple's marketing team...
I received a "promo" email from XFX and I don't even try to understand it.
I was so disappointed with my last XFX card and at 10k... forget it! I don't have this money.
Is it really that much better than the ones you can get online for $700?
it was stolen and not stolen?
This all hurts my head as well. >.<
So not a theft but a scam.
You're welcome, Kevin!
next marketing tactic "This Bomb Threat is Sponsored By __________"
Isn't that ebay seller fraud?
If I had to guess I'd say all the bidders probably work for XFX so no actual money is changing hands. If you look at the bidding history you can see it was bid up from $1k to $10k by 3 people, and no one would be dumb enough to bid something up this high unless it was made of gold.
1. Steal a video card.
2. Post YouTube Video of video card theft with ebay auction.
3. Profit.
If you can fake it, then you can do it for real, right?
10K plus video card! Wow it better draw pixels on 16 colors! LOL
If I had to guess I'd say all the bidders probably work for XFX so no actual money is changing hands. If you look at the bidding history you can see it was bid up from $1k to $10k by 3 people, and no one would be dumb enough to bid something up this high unless it was made of gold.
I think your exactly right, I just can't believe anyone would pay that much for a video card, and certainly wouldn't be bid up so early in the auction. They are manipulating the media and getting free advertising in the process.
Yeah I got the promotional emails from XFX, and from the very first one mentioning card #68 I could tell it was probably a marketing scam. And yes, I agree it's probably being "bought" by an employee to drum up more business. They made 1,000 of these, and they simply want to sell them all quickly. I'm not sure what they'll go for at retail, but whatever it is it won't be worth the markup over a "normal" 5970. For example, the 5850 black edition is a overclocked 5850, but no more overclocked than what you can do in ATI Catalyst without even increasing the voltages. So this is basically the "black" edition 5970. No big deal.
No it was not stolen, it's all marketing by XFX.
Ok?
Did anyone actually watch the video and think it was real?? Of course it's marketing!!!
Geez, what the hell happened to good old advertising. Now everything is stolen, then put on somewhere with some crazy price, then purchased by some idiot that thinks a limited edition is going to run better than a non-limited edition.......When do we start getting advertisements and commercials that claim they will end your life if you don't go and buy the newest XFX videocard or the newest Nike Air's? Doesn't seem that far away....Last week was the supposed lost, then found, supposed stolen iPhone at the bar. jMo
Note to self...
1. Design graphics card..
2. Say it wont be released in mass quantities.
3. Make video of it being "stolen"
4. Put on ebay and make THOUSANDS of dollars in profit.
5. Repeat.