Online GPU Retailers, Antitrust Law, Price Fixing

[chulo]

Admittedly, I don't fully understand the antitrust law. Does anyone here really understand it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligopolists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_collusion


Despite supply and demand, I find the hyper inflated prices and current business practices surrounding mining gear to be disturbing.  In addition to inflated prices, well known online retailers selling "sold out" of particular to turn around and retail them on auction sites; as well as reserve stacks of mining equipment to sell as bundled packages to strike a higher sales price without creating value and impeding the free market flow of goods. 

Is there any basis of claim? I truly despise these types of business practices.

[Mike Christ]

No biggie; if people don't like those prices, they won't buy, and if they do buy, there can be no complaint.

[Ekaros]

This is my view on GPUs, not on ASIC...

It's a duopoly nearly. In reality Nvidia and AMD both also supply other sub-manufactures.

So really you always have option to buy from someone else. And if they were running it together they should be doing much better...

New tech is always available in limited quantities. I'm not saying that there isn't some cases where some retailers or manufactures have done some unethical or borderline unethical things, but I don't think there is any real problems.

You got many models available from two companies, made by many different companies and sold on many different retailers.

[chulo]

Antitrust can also be with the retailer.

I find it suspicious a vast majority of retailers have upped their prices 30-40% over the last three months for GPUs.


United States antitrust law is a collection of federal and state government laws, which regulates the conduct and organization of business corporations, generally to promote fair competition for the benefit of consumers.

[murraypaul]

Admittedly, I don't fully understand the antitrust law. Does anyone here really understand it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligopolists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacit_collusion


Despite supply and demand, I find the hyper inflated prices and current business practices surrounding mining gear to be disturbing.  In addition to inflated prices, well known online retailers selling "sold out" of particular to turn around and retail them on auction sites; as well as reserve stacks of mining equipment to sell as bundled packages to strike a higher sales price without creating value and impeding the free market flow of goods. 

Is there any basis of claim? I truly despise these types of business practices.

No, there is no basis of claim.
Retailers are free to sell their products via auction if they want to, and to sell them as bundles.
If prices have shot up, then either:
a) it is because supply is exceeding demand, or
b) all online retailers have agreed to raise prices, and AMD/NVidia have agreed not to supply anyone else who could otherwise undercut the cartel
A seems much more likely.