Tom’s Hardware - Scalpers Flip DDR5 RAM on eBay for Up to $2,500
 
“The DDR5 shortage is potentially just as bad as the graphics cards shortage, and as we've charted out below, that means that some 32GB kits are being scalped for $2,500. The more lenient scalpers (via PCMag) are selling DDR5 memory kits on eBay for twice and sometimes up to three times their cost. Luckily, only Intel's 12th-Gen Alder Lake processors currently make use of DDR5. However, Alder Lake processors, which are some of the best CPUs for gaming on the market, are equally happy with the best DDR4, so early adopters aren't forced to pay ridiculous prices for DDR5 — unless they want to.
 
The transition of the voltage regulation from the motherboard over to the memory is both a blessing and a curse for DDR5. It's great to have a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) on the module itself, since it not only improves voltage regulation but also brings other features, such as threshold protection and power management. The problem is that the PMIC plays such a crucial role in DDR5 that you can't produce DDR5 without it. That's basically what's happening right now.
 
A global PMIC shortage has put memory manufacturers in a bad predicament where they have the available ICs and no PMICs to finalize production. We've spoken with three major vendors, and they've confirmed that the shortage of PMICs and prolonged due dates have affected DDR5's availability. One manufacturer told us that it has zero DDR5 stock at the moment, and the next run won't happen until next month. Sadly, the brand is only estimating up to 300 units for the worldwide market.
 
Obviously, not having a steady stock of PMICs not only thwarts production but also delays R&D efforts. Manufacturers are working with what they have. One of our sources informed us that the company only has a handful of PMICs, which slows down overclocking development and prevents the team from properly testing new products.
DDR5 RAM Pricing
Memory Kit                                                                    Retailer Pricing            eBay Pricing  Price Difference
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-5200 32GB               $329                            $2,500              660%
T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-6400 32GB                                    $399                            $1,999             401%
Team Elite DDR5-4800 32GB                                               $279                            $1,499             437%
Adata XPG Lancer DDR5-5200 32GB                                    $299                            $1,100             268%
Crucial DDR5-4800 32GB                                                    $273                            $890                266%
OLOy Blade DDR5-4800 16GB                                             $169                            $820                385%
GeIL Polaris RGB Sync DDR5-4800 32GB                              $428                            $810                89%
Crucial DDR5-4800 16GB                                                    $136                            $535                293%
 
Alder Lake officially went up on preorder on October 27, and so did many DDR5 memory kits. However, the supply was extremely limited since many memory kits sold out instantly and weren't even available for purchase. Scalpers immediately took advantage of the DDR5 shortage and started putting up eBay listings for ridiculous amounts of money.
 
The more lenient scalpers (via PCMag) are selling DDR5 memory kits on eBay for twice and sometimes up to three times their cost. Others are just preying on the weak and flipping DDR5 memory for small fortunes. One seller has put up Corsair's Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-5200 32GB (2x16GB) memory kit for a whopping $2,500, a 660% increase over its retail $329 price tag. Another eBay listing has two such kits for $5,000.
 
The sad part isn't just that the only obtainable DDR5 memory kits are out of reach, but it's the fact that some consumers are paying these kinds of prices. According to a screenshot from eBay's Terapeak tool, eBay merchants have moved up to 15 DDR5 memory kits during the last week with selling prices between $1,099 and $2,500.
 
Early DDR5 memory modules are utilizing PMICs from Renesas. Once more manufacturers like Richtek and Amtek jump into the fray, there should be a steadier supply of PMICs. Samsung has also announced that the company is producing PMICs for its own DDR5 products.
 
If you plan to upgrade to Alder Lake, you currently have two options. One is to just wait this DDR5 shortage out. Alternatively, you can opt for a Z690 motherboard with DDR4 memory slots. The bad news is that motherboard brands are currently only offering DDR4 support on the lower tier models. There is more variety (and quality) on the Z690 offerings with DDR5. At least Raptor Lake will in all likelihood reside on the same platform. Small consolation when DDR5 kits are selling for as much as a complete RTX 3080 gaming PC.”
 
My thoughts:  These days does this really surprise anyone?  It will probably take DDR5 six months to reach supply levels that will deter scalpers.
 
 

Well, I'm hoping production kicks up and if the past is any indication, it just might.  Any plans I have for new builds won't happen until mid 2023 depending on availability of Intel/AMD HEDTs. 

This is exactly why I went with the 11900 instead of waiting for the 12900

Every manufacturer will keep to their release schedule regardless of availability.  To not do so will just give competition an advantage.  If you remember DDR4, was a pain to get when it was first released.

Z690 motherboards are available that support DDR4, no need to pay scalper prices for DDR5
 
Then in 24 months when prices ease a new motherboard can be procured
 
For those who cannot figure out comparison shopping, this is why my site is so popular
 

I am using X570 so I am waiting to see what AMD has to offer
 
My H115i does not fit Z690 so that is a major check against Intel
 
AMD has used the same basic socket AM2, AM3 and AM4 all are the same bracket so the old standby cooler still finds a job.

Thankfully there is no point in buying DDR5 at the moment considering good DDR4 run just as well and the current DDR5 is 'mediocre' to say the least.
Okay, maybe if you'd like a certain OC motherboard that is D5 only like the Apex, Tachyon or Unify-X.

Flint 1760
Well, I'm hoping production kicks up and if the past is any indication, it just might.  Any plans I have for new builds won't happen until mid 2023 depending on availability of Intel/AMD HEDTs. 

Yep

 
Holy crap.. DDR5 5200MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64GB (4 x 16GB)... $5,000. Insane.
 

Nereus
 
Holy crap.. DDR5 5200MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64GB (4 x 16GB)... $5,000. Insane.
 

I saw a 32gb Dominator set selling for 4,000 dollars

Nereus
 
Federal laws should be passed to outlaw this behavior during national emergency situations - such as the current pandemic. Start putting all these evil bastards in jail for 6 months, along with hefty fines, that would put a stop to this selfish greedy bs.
 

This is how capitalism works.  This is not something a person should go to jail for.  What’s next, wearing green on Wednesday?
 
There is an easy solution, don’t buy it.  The consumer has the power, but it seems many of them have lost their minds.  You cannot regulate against stupidity.

A federal law would probably just create a endless bureaucratic nightmare that probably would have an end state where all pricing for everything was controlled. 
 
No, the consumer is indeed the key here and the quickest way to stop scalpers. 
 
In the past, if someone had told you that they paid twice the price for something they wanted that was not a basic need just because they wanted it now and not in six months, you would have seriously questioned their judgement.

Grey_Beard

Nereus
Federal laws should be passed to outlaw this behavior during national emergency situations - such as the current pandemic. Start putting all these evil bastards in jail for 6 months, along with hefty fines, that would put a stop to this selfish greedy bs.

This is how capitalism works.  This is not something a person should go to jail for.  What’s next, wearing green on Wednesday?
 
There is an easy solution, don’t buy it.  The consumer has the power, but it seems many of them have lost their minds.  You cannot regulate against stupidity.

In 'normal' times where production and supply are running as expected or at least within acceptable ranges, then yes, I agree with you. During times of emergency where this bs is heavily impacting an already severely stretched supply chain, then implement near zero tolerance imo. Maybe a cap at 30% markup, at least something reasonable. In NYC during Hurricane Sandy people were selling watered down gas at 400+% markups when many of the gas stations ran out. NYC started prosecuting these people because it was hampering the city's ability to recover. I see no reason why the same should not apply at Federal level in times like this. Those laws can be lifted once supply chain returns to relatively normal levels.
 
I also agree - don't buy it, but there are a lot of people out there with more dollars than sense.
 

What is funny to me is that some of this memory sold by scalpers exceeds the scalper GPU prices. 

CraptacularOne

Grey_Beard

Nereus
 
Federal laws should be passed to outlaw this behavior during national emergency situations - such as the current pandemic. Start putting all these evil bastards in jail for 6 months, along with hefty fines, that would put a stop to this selfish greedy bs.
 

This is how capitalism works.  This is not something a person should go to jail for.  What’s next, wearing green on Wednesday?
 
There is an easy solution, don’t buy it.  The consumer has the power, but it seems many of them have lost their minds.  You cannot regulate against stupidity.

While I agree that people shouldn't be jailed for scalping, I do however agree with him that something NEEDS to be done to prevent it or discourage it. These people are buying something with no intent to use it on their own, only to resell it at an even higher mark up. People like that are the problem. That's the mentality now for almost everyone. Hell I know people who enter the Newegg shuffle every single day with the sole intent of just scalping the items they win, they have no interest in any of them. They are the problem they artificially increase demand to keep the prices high. 
 
Sure, the easy solution is for people to just not buy it, but that's not working and with the pandemic keeping people at home and not spending money on travel or other things so they have a surplus of income they are willing to part with. Sure, the blame can be put on them too for buying it, however the average consumer is the one who's punished. The people that don't follow the "tech" news or what have you. The people that upgrade when a new game comes out for instance and only pay attention when they actually "need" a new GPU. Those are the vast majority of consumers. Most people don't upgrade every year or every product release cycle. People on this forum are enthusiasts for the most part and either do upgrade or at the very least stay tapped into what's going on. 
 
There needs to be something done to stop blatant scalping. Just like it's illegal to scalp concert or sporting event tickets in the open market, this needs to be treated similarly. Sure people still do scalp those items, but it's not nearly as rampant or as easy for them. If they were to simply make it "harder" to scalp things like this, a lot of "casual scalpers" like the bunch of idiots I know who enter the Newegg shuffle I mentioned earlier (yes, I tell them they are idiots all the time too) they would stop if they didn't have such an easy and readily available outlet to scalp things on. 
 
That's what needs to be done. But it would need to come in some form of legislation, because eBay for instance has ZERO incentive to stop these people since eBay also stands to make a hefty profit from their fees (which they also raised to 12.5%) on each item scalped. Something needs to happen, a fine or something at the least. Jail time? No, I don't think it needs to come to that, but something needs to happen to dissuade the casual scalpers and put a barrier to entry or make them think twice. 

Is capitalism. No matter the opinion or perception. Capitalism is shrewd. It’s cunning. It devours those that are not strong. Technology has enabled this. There are many ways to deal with this, but regulation to meet my or your needs is not a reason. Buy a bot. Use it and enjoy your new “upgrade.” If you will regulate this, what’s next? Eventually you will hit something that you disagree with. Then what? You stop it? Now that’s funny.

Spending to spend is not a good path forward. Excess is given religious stature. Consumers are the key. Unfortunately, they just want to post it, get the likes and followers, then they move on. It’s a psychological experiment I do not wish to participate in. Lobby your State and Federal reps. Post here where that gets you. Would love to see it change, but the deck has 50 Jokers and two Aces, it will hard to pull the Ace out, but you never know.