Michael Driscoll, the creator of a script that scrapes sold items on eBay, has shared his latest market analysis on the Ryzen 5000 (codename Vermeer) scalping situation. Given their place on the top of our best CPUs and CPU benchmarks, it's no surprise. Although pricing has stabilized over the past month, AMD's chips are still selling for well over their MSRP.
In a quick summary, Driscoll confirmed that scalpers have sold a grand total of 8,729 Zen 3 processors on eBay alone. To put the number into perspective, it's equivalent to $5,880,472 in sales. The data showed that scalpers made up to $946,259 in earnings from flipping Zen 3 processors on eBay. Nonetheless, the scalpers weren't the only party benefiting from sales as eBay and PayPal raked in a juicy profit of $625,665 as well.
In terms of sheer volume, the Ryzen 5 5600X was the easiest Zen 3 chip to move for scalpers, thanks to the hexa-core part's lower price tag. Driscoll's numbers revealed that scalpers sold up to 3,204 pieces of Ryzen 5 5600X with a participation of 36.7% in the total number of sold processors on eBay. If we look at lucrativeness, however, the Ryzen 9 5900X is the real belle of the ball. Despite only selling 1,962 units, the Ryzen 9 5900X helped scalpers make up to $459,256, which equals to 48.5% of the total profit.
AMD Ryzen 5000 Sales at eBay
| Processor | MSRP | Total Sold | Median Price | Past Week Median Price | Casual Scalper Break Even | Sophisticated Scalper Break Even | Total Sales | Estimated Scalper Profits | Estimated eBay/PayPal Profits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 5600X | $299 | 3204 | $405 | $375 | $375 | $304 | $1,303,102 | $117,760 | $135,431 |
| Ryzen 7 5800X | $449 | 2126 | $553 | $538 | $558 | $457 | $1,203,970 | $39,604 | $128,891 |
| Ryzen 9 5900X | $549 | 1962 | $800 | $785 | $682 | $558 | $1,626,043 | $459,256 | $180,146 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X | $799 | 1437 | $1,187 | $1,110 | $987 | $812 | $1,747,357 | $329,639 | $181,197 |
Driscoll noted that the pricing for Ryzen 5000 processors has improved over the course of the previous month, but it's far from returning to normal. Currently, the Ryzen 9 5950X and Ryzen 9 5900X are still 40% more expensive than their respective MSRPs. The Ryzen 7 5800X typically sells for 25% over its MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600X costs 30% more than its MSRP. In the case of the latter, Driscoll hightlighted a slight descend in its pricing trend.
Whether you consider scalpers as entrepreneurs or not, they have started to expand their horizons past eBay. Apparently, scalpers have taken their business to another venue, more specifically StockX. It certainly seems like an unorthodox marketplace to sell a processor since StockX is more widely known for stuff like sneakers, streetwear and bags. However, StockX only has a 3% selling fee, making it a lot more appealing than eBay that wants 13% of your profit.
AMD Ryzen 5000 Sales at StockX
| Processor | MSRP | Total Sold | Average Sales Price | Last Week Average Price | Total Sales Volume | Estimated StockX Profits | Estimated Scalper Profits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 5900X | $549 | 507 | $758 | $749 | $384,306 | $11,529 | $83,496 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X | $799 | 298 | $1,098 | $1,030 | $325,416 | $9,762 | $69,452 |
Admittedly, the sample size at StockX is still pretty small since scalpers have only sold 805 units of Zen 3 chips so far, distributed between the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 9 5950X. The general tendency remains the same though, and it's that the Ryzen 9 5900X continues to be the moneymaker for scalpers.
Furthermore, scalpers are reselling Ryzen 5000 processors on StockX at lower prices due to the smaller fee. For comparison, the average price for the Ryzen 9 5900X on StockX is $758, while the median price for the same processor on eBay is $800.
Lamentably, the repercussions of the Ryzen 5000 scalping mess have trickled down to AMD's previous generations of Ryzen desktop processors. Driscoll discovered that Zen+ and Zen 2 processors have generally increased in price by approximately 33% and 25%, respectively. More explicitly, the Ryzen 3 3100 and Ryzen 3 3300X saw a rise in prices up to 45%. Consumers are potentially picking up cheap Ryzen processors as a stopgap solution until the Ryzen 5000 chips get back in stock at retailers. Zen pricing, on the other hand, remains unaffected.
