Used GPU and PC Component Prices Surge in Volatile 2026 Retail Market

In 2026, against a backdrop of heightened volatility in the global PC retail market, prices for used graphics cards and core components did not fall in line with age but instead rose abnormally. Fraud using AI-generated images and videos has become a major threat in second-hand hardware transactions.

The structure of participants in the 2026 used hardware market has changed. It is no longer limited to transactions between individual enthusiasts; professional sellers and fraud groups using artificial intelligence technology have entered the market. Because AI-generated condition photos and test videos are highly realistic, ordinary buyers find it difficult to judge the true condition of hardware from visual materials alone, and information asymmetry in transactions has therefore been amplified.

In the 2026 second-hand market, prices have clearly diverged from the physical residual value corresponding to the age of the hardware.