How to avoid Nvidia RTX 4090 scams when shopping online during Black Friday
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What’s worse than spending over a thousand dollars on an RTX 4090 GPU? Spending thousands on a GPU just because it’s an empty box, barring a few useless weights.
That’s the situation a Newegg customer is apparently in after sharing an image of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 box that is supposed to contain one of the world’s best graphics cards, but instead contains some chunks of metal.
Fortunately, in the answers to their reddit post (opens in new tab)it looks like the hapless customer was able to get their money back – and we hope they can get their hands on a genuine RTX 4090 soon – but their story reminds us that we should always be careful when purchasing online.
And that advice becomes especially important as we head into November and Black Friday approaches.
Analysis: how to avoid scams this Black Friday
As we enter the Black Friday sale season, expect to see the internet awash with discounts and Black Friday deals encouraging you to shop. But among these real bargains will be a lot of duds.
We’re not just talking about situations like the example above – where a user is seemingly scammed into buying one item because they think it will be another item – but discounts that are not what they appear to be and offers on items that you would like to buy. better avoid.
So what are some best practices you can follow to avoid Black Friday purchases that you will regret?
For starters, you only want to shop at reputable sites that you recognize and that offer some form of buyer protection. If you’re browsing an online store you’ve never heard of, check it out. google”[Site name] legit” should display details about it on websites like Trustpilot. You’ll also likely see links to Reddit posts celebrating or lamenting the site, depending on whether it’s a hidden gem or a sham. If you’re still not 100% sure after your research, shop elsewhere – the potential extra savings aren’t worth the risk.
You also want to make sure that you are buying from the seller itself and not from a third party that uses the site as a marketplace. Newegg, Amazon, and Walmart are some of the stores that allow other people to sell items on their sites, and while many third-party sellers are okay, there are some bad actors who can slip through the cracks.
Once the site has passed your checks, it is time for you to check the quality of your desired product as well. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, online stores like Amazon are inundated with fake reviews. While you can use our guide to spotting fake Amazon reviews to try and separate the real opinions from the mass-produced lies, we also recommend that you google the item again and find independent reviews for it if you can.
If you’re looking for a Black Friday gaming laptop deal, a Black Friday OLED TV deal, a Black Friday air fryer deal, or even a Black Friday coffee machine deal, then most likely the model you’re interested in has been reviewed. by a publication like TechRadar. We’re not incentivized to make a product sound better or worse than it actually is, so if you want an opinion you can trust on a gadget you like, read our review and decide if it’s something that you want to buy.
Finally, before you hit buy, make sure the discount is as good as it looks. Prior to Black Friday, it’s not uncommon for brands to raise their prices only to make discounts appear bigger than they actually are. Plus, even if a deal is good, stores may have sold it for less before — which could mean a better discount will fall closer to Black Friday. When weighing a deal, try looking at an item’s price history to make sure it’s really the best price.
Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee you’ll never get caught following these rules, but this guide should help you avoid some of the pitfalls Black Friday can bring.