Manufacturers such as MSI have warned that DDR5 memory will carry a premium as high as 50 to 60 percent, but even those numbers may have been an understatement. As spotted by PCMag, DDR5 RAM is now being listed with prices as high as $2,399 on auction sites such as eBay—an extreme markup over MSRP. They include Corsair’s Dominator Platinum RGB, which is normally sold for around $359.99.
From PCMag:
A month ago, retailers began selling the next-generation memory for between $116 to $369, an already-pricey amount compared to DDR4 RAM. But now the products seem to be sold out everywhere, except for eBay, where DDR5 RAM kit costs are becoming obscene.
For example, some merchants are trying to sell 16GB DDR5 RAM kits from Oloy for $800 or more when the product’s original retail price was only a mere $159.99.
Other merchants are hoping to sell their DDR5 RAM kits with 32GB memory for between $1,200 to $2,500. Another listing for two 32GB kits from Corsair is calling on buyers to fork over $5,000.
eBay’s own Terapeak tool seems to confirm that richer (or more desperate) builders are actually paying these prices. According to recent stats, multiple DDR5 RAM kits were sold for between $1,099 and $2,500.
IC Chip reported last week that the lack of DDR5 inventory is primarily owed to power management chip shortages. Sources say that these components now cost 10x more than their DDR4 counterparts and are taking as long as 35 weeks to procure.
Source: PCMag