I was scrolling Facebook today and saw something that made me stop.
A NerdQaxe++ was being advertised for $2,000, marked as “50% off,” implying a $4,000 list price. It was a slick ad — good visuals, video, polished branding. If you didn’t already know what you were looking at, it would have seemed completely reasonable.
That’s what bothered me.
Without context, ads like that make it very hard for someone new to this hobby to understand what’s normal and what isn’t.
Prices in Bitcoin mining can vary for legitimate reasons. Sometimes you’re paying more for faster shipping, easier returns, or local support. Sometimes you’re paying less because the manufacturer sells direct. Sometimes materials, testing, or support differ. There’s a wide range of scenarios.
But there’s also a point where pricing stops being about convenience or trade-offs and starts feeling like someone is just trying to take advantage of people who don’t have that context yet. And that’s the part that really got under my skin.
When I saw that ad, I immediately thought about how confusing this must look to someone just getting started. You see “Bitcoin miner,” professional branding, and a big sale badge, and you assume you’re looking at something normal for the space.
That’s all this note is meant to be — me venting my frustration.