On September 17, the anticipated GeForce RTX 3080 Ampere graphics card began selling. However, on the same day, sales ended due to the lack of them. Nvidia fell short of demand for the RTX 3080 at launch.
The GeForce RTX 3080 is out, and the rave reviews are in!
— NVIDIA GeForce (@NVIDIAGeForce) September 17, 2020
Learn more about the “staggering performance upgrade” (PCWorld) and more: https://t.co/BilhUvJNuf pic.twitter.com/KD9nxsTLqo
At most US online retailers such as Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, and Nvidia's website, all RTX 3080s sold out within hours of launch. In other countries, the situation is similar, judging by angry users' reports on social media.
However, you can now find a lot of offers with RTX 3080 on eBay, but you will have to pay a considerable amount of money for it. At a recommended price of $699, the site asks customers to pay from $1,000 to $2,500 for the graphic card.

After the graphics cards ran out, social networks were flooded with messages from annoyed buyers who, after standing in line, could not make a purchase. Some users did not restrain themselves in expressions, accusing the manufacturer of deliberately creating a shortage.
so here i am. 10:33 pm. less than 12 hours until the RTX 3080 drops. there are 15 cards available. i was 14th in line. i will keep you all updated throughout the night. pic.twitter.com/a8lJKZTh67
— Bread For Congress (@breadforcongres) September 17, 2020
people have wrapped around the store... more are coming, despite all GPUS having been claimed 12 hours ago. THERE ARE 10 CARD IN THIS STORE pic.twitter.com/fWT8lW6ctc
— Bread For Congress (@breadforcongres) September 17, 2020
I was up since 9 PM CST waiting on this card, checking every hour in between college work. Didn't even get to see the buy now button. Why is this purchasing behavior acceptable, NVIDIA? Could there not have been pre-orders so selling out wouldn't happen?
— grealdy (@grealdyTTV) September 17, 2020
In response to the negativity and accusations, the chipmaker issued an official statement in which the company publicly apologized to buyers for not meeting the demand in full. Nvidia emphasized that the demand for the RTX 3080 was unprecedented. The company also mentioned bots and speculators the company's employees are actively fighting. At the same time, Nvidia did not specify when to expect new shipments, only noting that, together with partners, it is actively shipping more cards to retailers.
Even before the RTX 3000 series announcement, there were rumors that the first batch would be small. Based on the first tests of the RTX 3080 in mining, suggestions were made that Ampere generation cards could be of interest not only to gamers but also to cryptocurrency miners.