Zotac Bypasses Retailers, Offers RTX 50-Series GPUs Directly to Gamers via Discord
With the latest Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics cards nearly impossible to find at retail and secondary market prices soaring to double or triple their MSRP, Zotac is taking an unconventional approach to help real gamers secure GPUs. Instead of selling through traditional retailers, Zotac USA is offering limited stock of RTX 5080 and 5090 cards directly to engaged members of its Discord community—a bold move aimed at circumventing scalpers and bots.
Zotac’s strategy requires potential buyers to actively participate in its Discord server, ensuring that only engaged community members have a shot at purchasing a GPU. According to a message from Zotac USA representative Bryant (as reported by PCMag), the goal is simple:
“We want to reward real gamers and active members by giving you the chance to secure a slot to purchase a Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5080 or 5090 — no bots, no scalpers, just my fellow gamers.”
While this system adds an extra layer of exclusivity, stock remains extremely limited. As of February 7th, only ten RTX 5080 GPUs were available through the program, yet the announcement post has already garnered over a thousand likes. Selected users will be contacted directly and given the chance to purchase a single GPU at MSRP—a rare opportunity given current market conditions.
To further discourage scalping, Zotac is tracking serial numbers and monitoring resales. If a buyer attempts to flip their GPU, they risk being blacklisted from future purchases. Initially, Bryant’s message took a hardline stance, warning that violators would be publicly exposed. However, this language was later softened, clarifying that offenders would simply be banned from future raffles.
While many will appreciate Zotac’s effort to keep GPUs in the hands of actual gamers, the reality remains that demand far outweighs supply. For those lucky enough to be selected, the question lingers: keep the card or cash in on a huge profit? With some GPUs flipping for thousands over MSRP, the temptation is real—and Zotac will be watching.
