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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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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oconnellda Seems to resemble what may have been genius marketing by Apple with it's latest iPhone found at bar story... but who knows.Reply -
kriswitak XFX Just blessed us all a dose of WIN. They just fooled a lot of people into buying a very expensive card. Hahah. Awesome.Reply -
cryogenic 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.Reply
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brockh 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.Reply -
buwish Something else that strikes me as a strange are all of the canceled bids, i.e. some were $999K-$700K. What is with that?Reply -
waylander I think any thought it was a joke and wouldn't need to pay until XFX put the statement at the bottom...Reply