My theory....and it's just a guess.....there is always limited initial inventory, either just because or on purpose, to heighten the hype. Small amount that always sells out in seconds.
The major retailers don't care about bots, even though they say they do. A sale is a sale.
So, bam....mining or not, you have all the cards in the hands of a few who then sell them on ebay.
These folks are ruthless. I'd say for the next month, because there is only the 4090, a normal customer doesn't stand a chance unless they can go to a Microcenter in person.
After the 4080 comes out, maybe the 4090, because of price, will settle down.
But then the "cheaper" 4080 will be impossible to get for the same reason.
Things will open back up after Christmas, but until then....good luck. I hope you don't pay these stupid scalper prices.
