Amazon’s RTX 5080 brick delivery saga ends on a happy note for Redditor

While both Amazon and the victim were potentially duped by what seems to be mail fraud, the e-commerce giant has taken action to avoid the customer bearing the brunt of the financial blow it entails.
A bizarre GPU delivery story has finally been resolved, as Amazon has refunded a customer who ordered an RTX 5080 graphics card but instead received a neatly packed brick.

The original post, made by Reddit user u/GlassHistorical5503 in the PC Master Race community, went viral earlier this month while also inviting scrutiny from users when it came to Amazon’s delivery process. The customer claimed they had purchased a PNY GeForce RTX 5080 from Amazon’s official store for around $1,000, only to unbox the package and discover a brick wrapped inside the anti-static bag instead. As far as nightmare online orders go, this one certainly takes the cake and caught everyone’s attention on the subreddit, with multiple media groups also chiming in.
 

A less-than-optimal refund process?

Amazon has since processed the refund and taken the ‘item’ back, though the process wasn’t exactly stress-free for the customer. In their follow-up post, the buyer explained that Amazon’s investigation involved multiple calls and requests for proof, but in the end, the refund went through, and the brick is now back with Amazon.

The incident sparked plenty of speculation online about how such a mix-up could have happened. Some Redditors suggested that the brick swap may have been the result of fraud in Amazon’s FBA logistics system, where returned items can be restocked and shipped out again without thorough inspection. Others pointed to the possibility of a scammer purchasing the same GPU, removing the real hardware, and returning the box with the brick inside.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated event. Similar reports have cropped up over the years, with other customers receiving everything from pasta to metal blocks instead of graphics cards. In this case, the brick’s weight was close enough to a real RTX 5080 that the package cleared Amazon’s automated checks without suspicion.

Avoiding similar issues with GPU purchases

For gamers considering expensive GPU purchases, incidents like this serve as a cautionary tale. Experts and community members alike recommend a few best practices:

• Stick to items “Sold and Shipped by Amazon” whenever possible, especially for big-ticket purchases.
• Record your unboxing, especially for expensive items.
• Verify the GPU’s serial number against the vendor’s database to ensure authenticity and/or rule out tampering.

For now, this story has a somewhat happy ending, with our Reddit user walking away with a full refund and purchasing a replacement GPU from Best Buy. 

Buy the RTX 5080 here (shipped & sold by Amazon)