Russians are massively selling farms for mining, and advertisements for the sale can be found on many resources, including Avito. At the same time, farms are sold in a variety of ways: from small units for a couple of video cards, to huge rooms filled with equipment. Therefore, the cost varies from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of rubles.

The question immediately arises: why are they selling mining farms? After all, mining cryptocurrency is profitable, so why sell such an instrument? But there are many reasons why mining farms are being sold, and they do not mean that cryptocurrency mining has suddenly become unprofitable. The point is completely different.

Why are miners selling farms?

Among the main reasons why everyone is selling mining rigs:

• urgently needed money;
• moving;
• need investment in another business;
• difficulties in setting up and using the farm;
• desire to get rid of worn-out equipment.

In general, there are quite a lot of reasons. You need to understand that mining is a rather complex and lengthy process. The farm will be able to pay for itself in best case scenario after a few months. At the same time, you need to use it correctly, mine promising currencies (mining bitcoin and ether is unprofitable today), monitor exchange rates, etc. Therefore, many people were unable to cope with the difficulties, while others simply prefer to make a profit right away, and still others are getting rid of worn-out farms that have already mined theirs.

There are also trivial reasons why mining farms are sold. For example, many people do not understand how noisy such equipment is. And after a week of living in the same apartment with the farm, they begin to look for ways to get rid of it.

Miners are selling farms: is it worth buying?

The reasons why everyone is selling mining farms are all clear. But is it worth buying such equipment? Especially with a shortage of video cards, such options seem very attractive.

In some cases, the purchase may indeed be profitable, but there are high risk run into dishonest sellers who want to sell old equipment with a high degree of wear and tear. Therefore, it is recommended to buy farms secondhand only to real professionals who ideally know the technical side of the issue and will be able to understand how high-quality equipment is offered to them.

As a result, the fact that miners are selling off farms does not mean that the cryptocurrency becomes unprofitable. It’s just that during the rush, many people bought equipment without even knowing what to do with it. Well, some sellers are simply trying to deceive gullible buyers and sell them a “pig in a poke” at exorbitant prices.

Why did they start selling mining farms? In the fall of 2018, Antminer S9 mines $1.5 worth of bitcoin per day, and the GTX 1070 mines $0.4 worth of ether at an electricity cost of 3 rubles per 1 kW. This price of electricity allows you to continue mining, but it is not available in all regions. Some miners decide to increase their computing power by purchasing equipment on the secondary market. The majority mine, jumping to more profitable algorithms, but there are also those who are forced to sell their farms due to high tariffs, the presence of obsolete equipment, or disappointment in mining as a business. In this case, how can it be profitable to exit mining?

How to profitably sell GPU mining rigs

During the gold rush, it is better to sell shovels than to dig yourself. The latest mining fever was most pronounced in November-December 2017. Sellers of video cards and ASICs at this time inflated prices for their goods as much as possible and were not afraid of being left without demand. The conclusion is obvious and logical - it is profitable to sell when cryptocurrency rates are rapidly growing and income from mining increases. Now the income of miners is small, there is no fever, and the consequences of the winter hype are obvious - Avito is filled with advertisements for the sale of mining farms. How to sell video cards if competition drives down prices? Let's highlight tips that will increase the attractiveness of your ad:

• Provide documents for equipment, including receipts and boxes. Not all sellers can fulfill this point and your video cards will already be preferable. Having documents will be even more valuable when the mining law finally comes into force. Another advantage is the possibility of free repairs if the conditions in the warranty card are met.
• Sell ​​video cards before the warranty expires (usually 3 years). It is necessary to clarify that the warranty period of the video card during mining does not decrease, i.e. the service cannot refuse repairs due to the use of the GPU for coin mining. The question immediately arises of what to do with the old ASIC, the warranty period of which is only 9 months, but more on that later.
• The first announcement should be to try to sell the farm for its intended purpose. Take a photo of a fully assembled rig with all rig components: motherboard, risers, processor, power supplies, SSD, monitor emulator and case. Describe in detail each component, the hashrate of the mining farm using different algorithms and the manipulations performed with the BIOS of video cards. You can offer free installation and setup of a mining farm. If miners are not interested in the offer, proceed to selling the equipment in parts.
• Submit several advertisements with different prices on several sites. If you fail to sell video cards as profitably as possible, you will have to agree to less profitable offers. Don’t limit yourself to Avito - it exists a large number of specialized telegram channels for the purchase/sale of mining farms, social networks and other advertising platforms. For example, Yula.
• Do not indicate that the equipment was involved in mining. Despite the fact that the video card was originally designed for high, long-term loads, buyers often think that mining kills the video card and renders it completely unusable.
• It is advisable that the cooler does not wobble - this is the first thing the buyer will pay attention to during inspection.
• Change thermal paste or thermal pads.

• Install standard BIOS firmware.
• Test the video card and add screenshots of core frequency, RAM, fan speed, GPU load, sensor temperatures, etc. The FurMark or AIDA 64 utility is suitable for testing.
• Correctly write the title and description of the ad, taking into account search queries. Not all buyers go to Avito and look for suitable ads there. A huge number of interested people enter a query like “Buy a mining farm cheap” directly into the search engine. To make your ad better indexed by search engines, take keywords from the Wordstat service.
• Do not repeat the same text and pictures in different ads - this is how scripts calculate “cheating”.
• You should create accounts from different devices using different IP addresses, otherwise you can get banned.
• The photo must be in good quality, but without inscriptions.
• Take advantage of paid ad promotion and placement in the TOP.
• Organization of bonuses for the buyer. For example, free fans or any other unnecessary equipment as a gift.

Even following all the rules will not help sell the GTX 1070 in October 2018 for $700-800, as it could have been done in December 2017. In this regard, it is worth considering whether it is really necessary to sell equipment now? What if you still manage to catch the wave of cryptocurrency fever? In addition, the update to video cards from Nvidia has already been released and will not greatly affect the market. New products from AMD are expected only in 2019. Until this time, obsolescence of 10th generation video cards is not expected.

GPU can be rented out various systems artificial intelligence and training neural networks, but there will be no monetary gain.

What to do with an old ASIC

If an ASIC is unprofitable, then it can only be sold as a heater. Moreover, the heater is very noisy. To eliminate noise, it is necessary to organize immersion cooling - then the heated floor can be heated and the heating system can be reorganized. But immersion cooling of ASICs is an expensive pleasure. The cost of a bath with a capacity of 6 devices with a heat exchanger, an internal circuit pump and hydraulic piping starts from 50,000 rubles. An alternative use for ASICs has not yet been identified - the device is intended exclusively for calculating hashes.

You can sell a used ASIC profitably only on the cryptocurrency hype.

An unusual way to get a profit from mining

You can sell a mining farm profitably using a lottery on a smart contract.

The idea is that you can take part in the lottery using cheap tokens based on ERC 721. When the price of the sold tokens exceeds the stated price of the equipment, a lottery will be drawn automatically. It will be necessary to ensure the transparency of the draw with a line-by-line explanation of the smart contract. On mining forums there will probably be people who want to get a farm cheaply, and the player will get rid of the equipment at a price that he considers acceptable. A lottery can be organized without a smart contract, but with one it is more interesting and transparent.

Russians are massively selling mining farms – what caused this? More and more advertisements have begun to appear on large online platforms that ready-made farms for cryptocurrency mining are being sold. Is this type of business no longer profitable? Let's take a closer look at this.

Miners' priorities have changed

Why are mining farms being sold by those who recently talked about the benefits of cryptocurrency mining and that it is an easy way to make money? The main reason for their behavior is that after the peak in the value of digital assets in December 2017, their price has dropped significantly.

If you remember, at the end of last year the price of Bitcoin reached $20,000. According to the online service CoinsiderCap, its current price is $9,328. The forecast for Ethereum is also not encouraging - now its price is $681, and in January it was almost $1,400.

That is, miners who purchased mining rigs or video cards in 2017 in the hope of further continuous growth of Bitcoin are now in a very difficult position. Their huge expenses on purchasing mining equipment may still not be recouped, which is why miners are selling farms.

But it is worth noting that not all miners are honest and sell cryptocurrency mining equipment in excellent condition or practically unused. Many of them want to make money from beginners who don’t understand anything about ASICs.

Remember that video cards are not suitable for mining Bitcoin; they will be useful to you for the Ethereum cryptocurrency. If they managed to purchase the equipment a little earlier, then it is likely that it was used very intensively and has long since paid for itself.

But there is one “but” - this is a very risky activity. Most often it is sold in terrible condition, which the buyer will only guess about after unpacking the parcel. Then you will not be able to make any claims against the farm sold to you. Here is the answer to the question why miners sell farms.

If you want to buy a mining rig in excellent condition, it is better to spend time and look for someone who assembles 100% high quality rigs and sells them at affordable price. To do this, you will need customer reviews on large Russian trading platforms.

Is it profitable to buy used ready-made mining farms?

Russian miners do not sell farms at the lowest prices - the average price tag for a set of equipment for mining on Avito is 1 million rubles. The cost of a mining farm depends on several factors:

• the power of the devices assembled together - this means the relevance of ASICs, their technical characteristics and general condition;
• availability of rented premises - it is profitable to buy these types of farm options;
• availability of electricity supplied to the premises;
• equipped ventilation system – the continuous operation of a large mining farm requires constant air cooling.

The cost of large industrial mining farms with all the necessary communications for operation reaches up to 15 million rubles. Sellers most often indicate in the “reasons for sale” column: “no longer interested,” “tired,” “enough of playing.” They are simply afraid to admit that they are this moment It is more profitable for them to sell them rather than use them.

Namely, given the complex economic situation in the country, it becomes clear why mining farms are being sold - the costs of their purchase are practically not recouped. The constant increase in the level of difficulty of mining Bitcoin blocks also plays a big role in this process. Miners are finding them less and less, and the costs of processing mathematical equations are only increasing. More electricity is spent on ensuring the operation of ASICs - often the amount for payments for public utilities They simply shock novice miners.

It's not just frustrated newbies who sell mining farms

The answer to the question “Why do newbies sell mining farms” is clear - they failed to make money on it. But owners of large industrial-scale farms also sell their equipment.

The question “Why is everyone selling mining farms” was asked on August 24, 2017 by a forum user under the nickname “Incorrigible recursion testaras” - he compared sellers of such capacities to scammers.

It is worth quoting one of the responses to the post, it was written on September 23, 2017 - the commentator clarified that such equipment has already 100% fully worked out, so such sellers have no choice but to sell it. Never pay money in advance for a farm - in a month they will cheat you and send you something completely different from what you expected to see.

For sellers, doing this is a 100% chance to make money on the hype among buyers and sell scarce equipment above the real cost of its acquisition. Now you need to invest much more money to really make money on mining, and the sale of mining equipment therefore brings double profit to its owners, even though they invest in it at a minimum.

And what’s most surprising is that their offer is in demand. The main advantage of a ready-made mining farm is that you can start using it right away, rather than having to assemble it or buy additional components.

But this is also its main disadvantage, which novice miners may not be aware of. For each sale of one farm, sellers receive 40% more from buyers than they spent on assembling it.

So to speak, buy 3 farms - get the fourth one for free ( we're talking about that by buying ready-made 3 farms, you are actually paying for 4 farms if you decided to assemble them yourself).

Here's another reason why everyone sells mining farms - it's a great way to make money from your lack of knowledge target audience. Why mine yourself if it’s simply unprofitable?

In September 2017, Puma Thailand opium, another user on the forum, replied that the math of this question is very simple. You can earn more only by processing and selling farms.

Why are mining farms that make a profit sold?

More often than not, it's just a matter of money. Miners are afraid of a sharp drop in cryptocurrency prices or the complication of algorithms for mining Bitcoin or Ether. What can we hide - there are simply unforeseen situations in life when you need money and in large quantities.

Buying an apartment with bitcoins mined by yourself is a reason to be proud. Not everyone was able to get their bearings in time and start mining before it became mainstream. For the sale of 3 farms you can get about 4 million rubles - for this money they sell a good apartment in one of the major cities of Russia.

Owners are trying to get rid of not only fully equipped farms - it is also profitable for them to sell miners separately, because there are models of equipment for mining cryptocurrency that in a month not only will not make you rich, but will also drive you into an even greater debt hole.

We hope that you understand why mining farms are sold and who might benefit from it. To spend your money with the least risk, check whether the site selling secondary mining equipment has been operating for a long time. It is better to learn from experts in this topic which exchange to choose and how to recognize scammers who are selling low-quality goods.

Interest in why everyone is selling mining farms mainly arises from a beginner who is just starting his crypto-mining activity and is looking for guarantees that the chosen business is correct, but is faced with natural doubts. After all, why sell farms if you can mine and earn money yourself? Is mining really that unprofitable? These questions have several possible answers, which we will consider in the article.

Replacing old equipment with new ones

Among the reasons why crypto miners sell off mining farms, the most common is the desire to update equipment or change the format of its use. However, the reasons for such a replacement may be different:

1. With the growing complexity of the “favorite” cryptocurrency network, the requirements for the power of computing devices have increased and it is necessary to replace the old outdated the lineup on new. In this case, you can, of course, look for another cryptocurrency for which the power of the old farm is enough, but not every coin can pay for itself, and miners often prefer to mine a growing crypto asset with great difficulty than to mine a relatively “simple” but illiquid one. If the farm does consist of relatively powerful devices, it is rarely sold, often continuing to mine crypto with less income or switching to mining potentially promising altcoins.
2. Manufacturers of ASIC miners have found a “key” to the algorithm of the same “favorite” cryptonetwork, and now owners of specialized equipment receive a decisive advantage in mining, so they have to abandon the previously profitable farm on video cards. At the same time, if it is not possible to purchase scarce and expensive specialized equipment, they, of course, continue to mine in the same way. But if you manage to order an ASIC on time, then it often makes sense to sell the GPU farm and invest the proceeds in additional capacity.
3. Refusal from home mining and transition to rented cloud power due to individual conditions (family scandals and changes in status, fatigue from noise, the need to service devices, claims from owners of rented apartments, the introduction of electricity limits, etc.). Farms are noisy, take up space in the apartment and on the balcony, and require compliance with the rules for using household electrical appliances. If a critical mass of inconvenience accumulates, miners sell farms and simply rent capacity in various cloud services.
4. Depreciation of equipment. It is believed that when buying video cards “from hand” it is better to purchase gaming equipment rather than mining equipment, since the latter almost always works at the limit of its capabilities. However, it is not at all necessary that the wear and tear of equipment reaches a critical level in these farms. It’s just that sometimes users think that it is more expedient to carry out a preventative planned replacement of the device, selling the old one at a profit before it’s too late. And this approach is typical for many people not only in mining, but also in any other type of activity.
5. Incorrect profitability assessment. When considering the potential of a business and their capabilities, people cannot always adequately assess them. Having become fascinated by the topic in the wake of Bitcoin’s growth, a person, without understanding the nuances, could purchase a set of video cards to mine BTC and earn millions, and in practice began to receive income comparable to the income at his previous job, or even less. Disappointed, he decides to sell the farm at a price that is quite acceptable to another miner who does not conduct such a “salary comparison.”

In general, a new, more powerful and economical video card model, all other things being equal, increases the profitability of cryptocurrency mining. And taking into account the wide variety of “young” cryptocurrencies with low network complexity, as well as taking into account miners’ hopes for an increase in the market value of such coins, even conditionally “old” cards can quite cope with calculations and competitively bring profits to owners.

Selling farms as a business

A number of entrepreneurs view the sale of mining farms as an independent business, different from crypto mining itself. And in this context, the sale of farms is only indirectly related to the efficiency and profitability of mining.

In other words, there is as much difference between farm sellers and users as there is between dental equipment sellers and dentists. It would seem that sellers can also install a chair with a drill at reduced prices and earn more, but they have a different business, a different type and degree of risk, different qualifications and connections.

In this case, in a market where demand exceeds supply, if there is a constant source of supply of goods, it is faster and more profitable to sell and resell it, rather than exploit it, counting on greater profits. A mining farm pays for itself over a very uncertain period - from 3 months to 1.5 years, depending on:

• card models;
• cost of electricity;
• cryptocurrency rate;
• changes in the situation with capacities directed to the network;
• the user's ability to configure and operate the device.

And you can sell a set of scarce video cards in a matter of days.

Thus, the sale of a farm by a miner does not in itself indicate the end of the era of crypto mining. But under certain conditions, selling a mining farm is more profitable, more convenient and easier than mining yourself.

Advertisements for the sale of equipment can be found on the Internet. Mining has a drawback: the equipment for “mining” cryptocurrency is expensive and “eats” a lot of electricity. How do “farmers” solve this issue?

Massive sales of mining farms have begun in Russia. Equipment for mining cryptocurrencies is sold on free classifieds websites.

Just recently, due to the great hype, it was in short supply, but now, after the fall in the value of Bitcoin and other digital currencies, the so-called “farmers” are selling off the equipment. Mining, which has become popular all over the world for those who want to earn easy money, has a significant drawback: in order to mine cryptocurrency, you need to spend a lot on equipment that will “eat up” a lot of electricity. It's no surprise that miners are looking to cut costs. A photo of an advertisement is circulating on social networks: the Housing Office reported that someone connected computers to the general building network in technical room

high-rise buildings. Accordingly, the entire house will pay for the electricity spent. Otherwise, it is unprofitable, explains cryptocurrency researcher Denis Smirnov. Denis Smirnovcryptocurrency researcher

“This mining farm can be installed at home, but it will be completely unprofitable, because it has quite significant energy consumption, which affects the balance of payments. It is much more profitable to install them in places where electricity is cheap. The case indicated in the message implies, as I understand it, that the person installed a separate electricity line for himself, this, in my opinion, is considered a criminal offense in our country.” Apparently, this is not an isolated case. Business FM called Mosenergosbyt, talking about the problem: someone at home spends a lot of energy on mining cryptocurrency. “Mining cost?” — the savvy girl inquired knowledgeably and advised contacting:

Management company

“Since this is happening on the territory of your home, and it is actually connected with the theft of electricity from you, you will need to contact the Management Company. There, you and the management company will decide together. Maybe you will draw up complaints together or go to court.”

— The essence of mining is that cryptocurrency is produced by a special farm, that is, a computer with powerful video cards. Until recently, it was almost impossible to buy video cards in Russia—they had run out. But now the problem is solved. There are many offers for sale of farms on free classifieds sites. They are mainly selling because mining has ceased to be profitable: the Bitcoin rate has fallen. The radio station called from one of the advertisements: Guaranteed income

there can be none. If the cryptocurrency collapses, then there will be no income. If, on the contrary, it rises, that means more income.

- Yes, of course, I did.

— If it’s not a secret, why did you decide to sell?

— Why did you decide to sell? Now, at the moment, of course, rates are falling, so I decided to sell. Not sure about the future.

— And how much did you manage to earn?

- It’s a secret, I won’t tell you. Not bad.

A farm, depending on its capacity, costs from 160 thousand rubles, there are ones for a million, and they are also sold, in fact, ready-made businesses. That is, farms with connected communications worth several million rubles. They promise that the equipment will bring in several hundred thousand per month, that is, it will pay for itself in about a year. As for the exchange rate, recently Bitcoin cost $3,000, then fell by $800. But, as another equipment seller sincerely assured, it will rise to $5,000 in the fall. Interestingly, Goldman Sachs made similar forecasts not long ago. And in general, there is not much difference between a Russian programmer and an American investment bank. They both invested in cryptocurrency. As one famous TV character of the 90s would say, “we are not freeloaders, we are partners.”