Covid slowed manufacturing, the bitcoin surge made mining profitable again, and bots instantly scalp inventory that shows up. Welcome to the great graphics card shortage.
All this has led to some remarkable scenes. In the US, when lockdown restrictions were lighter, people were queuing around the block at electronics retailers or camping overnight, hoping to secure one of a handful of cards that might be delivered in the morning. Retailers handed out vouchers to those in the top slots of the queue, while dealers tried to buy those spots – not the actual cards – for hundreds of dollars. And shoppers created sign-out procedures to allow for toilet breaks and food runs.
Supply will "remain lean" for the immediate future. My 1070 Ti is apparently worth $350-$400 on eBay! Amazing. Anyone want a 1070 Ti? It's three years old, but if that horse won't mine, you know where to find me.
P.S. I went looking for a horrible video card box to illustrate this post and there are so many to choose from.
