It was only a matter of time before soaring memory prices turned RAM into a must-have item for thieves.

As Tom's Hardware reports, Reddit user AvidThinkpadEnjoyer found that a memory order was "delivered" at 4:15 a.m. local time, about 300 miles away from the shipping address. AvidThinkpadEnjoyer purchased a 32GB Crucial 4800 MHz DDR5 SODIMM from a third-party seller, and it was marked as delivered "less than a day later." However, they don't have it, and the delivery signature is indecipherable.

Some Redditors in the comments suggested it might be a routing error or scanning mix-up, as the package was handed off between the Royal Mail and shipping partner Asos. Because someone signed for the delivery, though, the consensus appears to be that it was stolen. The Reddit user reached out to the seller, but had not heard back as of three days ago.

Standard 32GB kits of DDR5 memory were going for around $100 at the start of 2025, but you're unlikely to find them for anything less than $300 now. This is largely due to AI companies buying as much hardware as possible, but manufacturers have also redirected their fabrication lines to focus more on the types of HBM and low-power DDR that AI developers highly value.

This is a great time to remind anyone ordering high-value items—particularly small and lightweight items that can easily be pocketed—to request nondescript packaging if possible. Also, film yourself opening it, so if there is any discrepancy, you have proof that the package wasn't opened before you received it. It's a shame we can't just hide AirTags on everything.

There have been numerous high-profile thefts of key PC hardware over the years, but they typically involve expensive items, such as CPUs or graphics cards. Earlier this year, for example, a Micro Center shopper opened an RTX 5090 order and found a bunch of backpacks instead. As memory prices continue to rise, RAM theft may become more common. The sticks are small and slim enough that slipping them out of a packet is much easier than stealing a whole GPU, box and all.

By: DocMemory
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