How Overclockers UK’s getting GPUs to gamers and not bots
How Overclockers UK’s getting GPUs to gamers and not bots
Overclockers UK has RTX 3070 graphics cards listed for £5,000. That’s right, £5,000. One of our readers, @SimonFosher, has sent us links to Overclockers UK showing us legitimate pricing of £5,000. Is this a strange marketing campaign, a bizarre way of farming clicks, or is this legitimate pricing? If it is the latter, what has become of the PC components market? If it is one of the former two, I’d like to know how this can be seen as good publicity?
We have been frantically trying to contact the folks over at Overclockers UK for clarification on this matter. Unfortunately, from our perspective, Overclockers UK looked like they were either the king of scalpers or the king of trolls. Thankfully, we eventually got in touch and learned the truth of the matter.Â
They look like they are scalping, but they are not
At first glance, some of you may be thinking that Overclockers UK are scalping, but the truth of the matter is that they are trying to do something noble. Overclockers UK is trying to keep their GPUs away from bots by keeping their real prices hidden behind discount/voucher codes.Â
Why are these GPUs listed at £5,000?Â
After contacting Overclockers, we have learned the truth behind these prices. Yes, these £5,000 price tags are legitimate, and yes, you can pay £5,000 for an RTX 3070 should you have too much money and a few screws loose. These prices are to detract bots and help these graphics cards reach genuine customers.Â
To Overclockers UK Forum members with Members Market (MM) access, Overclockers UK has special discount codes available to their customers that allows them to purchase new graphics cards at reasonable prices. Where these voucher codes are available will be subject to change, as Overclockers UK may need to take new measures to continue combatting bots in the future.Â
This is what Overclockers UK sent us when we enquired about their RTX 30 series prices. More details are on their forums.Â
   Our next phase of 3060/3070s stock release has begun with the following three voucher deals –
Gigabyte Aorus Geforce RTX 3060 Elite £649.99 (£200 discount voucher) > £449.99
– Gigabyte Aorus Geforce RTX 3060 Elite 12GB GD… | OcUK (overclockers.co.uk)
Gigabyte Geforce RTX 3070 Vision OC £5000 (£4400 discount voucher) > £600
– Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Vision OC 8GB GDDR6… | OcUK (overclockers.co.uk)Gigabyte Geforce RTX 3070 Master £5000 (£4250 discount voucher) > £750
– Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Master 8GB GDDR6 PC… | OcUK (overclockers.co.uk)For this phase, voucher codes are available through the forum members market.
We have taken these steps in efforts to tackle order bots and balance stock shortages. The 3070s are priced at £5,000 to prevent order bots and are discounted to the real price with the members market voucher code.
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This is how Overclockers UK has decided to fight bots
All GPU retailers need to combat the scourge that is scalper bots, and Overclockers UK’s solution is to set their prices sky high and then offer discount codes to genuine customers through their forums. Any order placed on these $5,000 RTX 3070 graphics cards will have their orders cancelled by Overclockers UK staff. Nobody’s paying £5,000 for these GPUs.Â
Today’s market has forced retailers to think outside of the box to create solutions that will outsmart the creators of GPU buying bots. The only downside of Overclockers’ solution is that PC gamers outside of the know will only see their ultra-high bot-killer prices. Â
Why are prices still high?Â
The PC components market is getting hit hard in all directions, with shipping costs increasing, component costs increasing and packaging costs reaching unprecedented levels. Ultimately, a lot of this cost has to be laid on the consumer. The GPUs on Overclockers UK today are also premium models, and those premium heatsinks and components also have their added costs. We may not like it, but that is what things are like these days.Â
An RTX 3060 for £449.99 may sound bad, but when it is Gigabyte’s flagship RTX 3060 model, that pricing kinda makes sense. Â
As it stands, these prices make sense for today’s market, especially for premium AIB cards.Â
You can join the discussion on Overclockers UK’s bot-trolling tactics on the OC3D Forums.Â
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