Managed to snag one of EVGA’s GeForce RTX 3080 variants on Newegg? You may be in for a nasty surprise. According to posts on r/NVIDIA, some customers have received their graphics cards without any kind of retail packaging (e.g., a standard box). Photos shared by one unlucky enthusiast show a GPU shipped in an anti-static/bubble-wrap bag and nothing else.
“Received 3080 from Newegg.ca, just the GPU, no retail packaging?,” reads one complaint. “This is how my card came, no box,” wrote another. “Newegg. Plate looks fu*ked like that on both sides.”
While EVGA’s Jacob Freeman believes that these were isolated incidents (“A very (very) small number of cards looks to have been shipped from Newegg as bulk”), the lack of packaging has resulted in damage for some customers, like bent plating.
@Newegg @nvidia @TEAMEVGA @EVGA_JacobF well this sucks, came destroyed, in no packaging, and inoperable. #RTX3080 pic.twitter.com/cgPXU6qXPv
— goldfacemoneywatch (@RaymondDeMarco2) September 24, 2020
“Due to an inventory error, your order was accidentally processed with a bulk unit,” reads an email that one affected user received from Newegg support. “Since this is a bulk item, it will not arrive in a retail box but is still brand new/unused as a regular graphics card would be. Additionally, the bulk unit still has a manufacturer warranty through EVGA as a retail unit would.”
“If you’d like to return the unit for a refund, please reply to this email so we may set you up with a return and prepaid shipping label,” the email continues. “Sadly, due to inventory constraints, we’re unable to guarantee a replacement at this time. We sincerely apologize for any troubles that this may have caused for you and truly appreciate your understanding.”
We’re not sure how widespread the issue actually is, but heads up to those of you who recently ordered an EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 from Newegg.