Every week, there's a new scam switcheroo story where someone buys one thing and receives something else entirely — often nothing more than just rocks or pasta. We return to Reddit once again with yet another entry in this long-running list. This time, it's a CPU bought from Amazon Warehouse under the pretense of being an open-box item in "like new" condition. What it actually was was a completely different CPU.
That alone would set off any alarms, but the processor's shape started to look suspicious, too. Despite not being clearly visible, one can still make out the squared-off perimeter of the processor inside, which belongs to the AM4 family. AM5 chips have a distinct look, with a notched frame serving as the IHS, visible even from inside the box, as seen in the picture below.
Bought a used “Like new” 9900x3d from Amazon, but think it’s been swapped from r/pcmasterrace
The OP immediately took to the r/pcmasterrace subreddit to confirm their suspicion, and, sure enough, the comments were quick to point out the reality. Judging by the serial numbers printed on the chip, it was a Ryzen 9 3900X — a $499 flagship from its time, but worth only around $150 today. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which was actually supposed to arrive, is currently priced at $529.99 on Newegg and Amazon.
Incidents like these have become commonplace with Amazon orders due to the retailer's generous returns policy. People often buy the real thing, replace the box's contents with something much less valuable, and return it. Amazon then puts the item under its Warehouse label and sells it to you at a low price, without knowing what's really inside. The second buyer then suffers the scam switcheroo.
There's really no solution to this problem other than not buying from Amazon's open-box market, a sentiment echoed in the comment section. The company doesn't lose enough money issuing double refunds to justify taking any action. Brick-and-mortar stores like Micro Center can serve as a solid antidote to these worries, while dedicated retailers such as Newegg are still around for decent deals.
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