Abysmal RTX 4080 sales supposedly leave retailers with lots of cards in stock as buyers appear to want RTX 4090 instead

[Lacey]

If desperate people weren't so willing to buy from scalpers we would have probably seen the 4080 launch at $799.

[RobertJasiek]

The explanation for the high price is not that simple. Rather Nvidia tries to pull an Apple: increase prices generation after generation until it becomes clear that further increments won't be accepted. The halo products Titan, 3090 etc. set the pace and models of lower tiers are meant to creep along. The mining boom, Covid problems etc. serve as excuses for price increments of the 80 tier and smaller but still significant price increases for lower tiers: 3080 10GB essentially never available at MSRP, 3080 TI and 3080 12GB introduced to keep 3080 10GB artificially scarce and, even after the mining boom and even more than 2 years after launch, at 111 - 140% MSRP. After all those preparations of excuses, the 4080 price is increased more than its speed.

Scalpers are a secondary phenomenon working during the mining boom due to mining demand or during artificial shortages intentionally created by Nvidia, such as the current 4090 shortage of supply lower than demand and fewer retailers with supply than would be willing to sell, which is the most extreme for the Founders Edition. Another means is Nvidia's reckless and unethical tight review deadlines forcing people to buy blind at launch or buy informed but having to wait for months and years until possibly prices reach MSRPs again.