This is truly a sad commentary on how parts of our society operate. This is nothing new. Criminals have always trafficked in stolen goods. Graphics cards are a hot commodity. When there is an opportunity for them to steal them, they will. It could be toilet paper, peanut butter, diamonds, gold, or GPU’s.
California has the highest incidence of property crime in the United States in 2020. I can only imagine what it is in 2021 with newly enacted laws and ordinances concerning prosecution of low-level theft. It is unsurprising to see photographs of hundreds of yards of empty cardboard boxes lining rail lines after rail cars being looted and emptied. Cargo theft is measured in billions of dollars.
It’s a lazy and shallow argument to say “EVGA will get insurance money to cover the cost.” Where exactly does the insurance get their money? We all pay the price for this chicanery. Higher costs in insurance rates are passed along to the insurance customer. The merchant/manufacturer does not absorb the cost. It is passed along to the consumer of the goods in higher prices.
Sometimes, the cost of doing business in high crime areas is prohibitive. We have seen evidence of this in San Francisco recently. These closures are not strictly a crime/insurance problem…lack of law enforcement, prosecution, decriminalization, and labor/tax have massive roles.
All around, this is a depressing event, but not surprising. I hope the individuals are caught, prosecuted, and pay the price for what they have done.