Our reporter Xing Meng
The Antminer S9 is recognized by the Bitcoin mining circle as a “generation machine king”.
On the eve of the second Bitcoin halving in 2016, this Bitcoin mining machine independently developed by Bitmain was snapped up by the market once it was launched. The price of each unit was once speculated to more than 20,000 yuan. With the sudden increase in Bitcoin computing power and the increasing difficulty of mining, the profit of the S9 mining machine has also become negligible. Especially after the third halving in 2020, the price of this old model of mining machine has plummeted. It has already fallen to the hundred yuan level, and no one even cares about it.
However, “feng shui turns”, as the price of Bitcoin has repeatedly hit new highs recently, once it rose to 24,000 US dollars, this retired “machine king” is once again welcomed by the market. “Securities Daily” reporter learned from the Xianyu App that most of the latest prices of second-hand Antminer S9 mining machines are currently above 250 yuan, while the price of the mining machine was only about 110 yuan 20 days ago. In such a short time The price has doubled.
Calculated at the current currency price, this reborn machine king is rather cost-effective. According to relevant mining pool data, calculated at an electricity price of 0.34 yuan/kWh, the current daily output value of the Ant S9 mining machine is 14.8 yuan, and the daily net income is 4.2 yuan. Even if the price of this model has soared to 250 yuan, it only takes about two months to return to the current cycle.
The price of mining machine doubled in 20 days
Some salted fish sellers regretted “selling early”
In the Bitcoin industry chain, mining machines are particularly important. For miners, the positioning of the mining machine is not only a tool for mining bitcoin, but sometimes more like a financial product.
When the currency price rises sharply, the price of mining machines in the hands of miners will go up due to the fact that most of the mining machines are futures and the supply is insufficient. During this period, miners “make money at both ends”, not only the bitcoins they dig are worth more, the mining machines in their hands also become more valuable. When the currency price is soaring, even the obsolete old models will be re-employed and continue to use the waste heat. “Securities Daily” reporters witnessed many “really fragrant” scenes of the retired “Jiwang” Ant S9 mining machine on the Xianyu App.
“Ant S9, package 888 for four units, free shipping.” On the Xianyu App, there are not a few that are similar to selling goods. This seller has been targeted by many people because of its high credit rating and cheaper mining machine prices. When the reporter paid attention, more than a dozen people expressed “want”, and the number of views reached more than 200. A reporter from “Securities Daily” checked the product after receiving the seller’s approval for the inquiry, but found that it was “sold”. The hot sales of this model and the rapid price changes can be seen from this.
A similar situation also appeared to another seller. The seller also had good credit and low commodity prices, and finally sold a second-hand Antminer S9 for 200 yuan. In his introduction, he stated that “it has not been dismantled and repaired, and the seals and stickers are still there.” This move really attracted a lot of people, and more than 10 people “want”. But after the seller hurriedly responded to the reporter’s question, the miner quickly displayed “sold”.
The most popular in Xianyu App is a second-hand Antminer S9 with a price tag of 180 yuan. In the product introduction, it says “Second-hand machine, no invoice, guarantee on shelf”, the mining machine supports self-pickup or mailing (postage to be paid), and multiple photos of the mining machine are attached. The mining machine is extremely popular, with more than 140 people “wanting” it, and it has been viewed more than 2000 times. Under this situation, it is obvious that 180 yuan is difficult to take away this “machine emperor”. In subsequent exchanges, the seller stated that the price of the machine was 260 yuan.
After inquiring with multiple sellers, the reporter found that the current price of second-hand Antminer S9 mining machine is mostly above 250 yuan, and a few sellers even put on the attitude of “don’t worry about selling”: the asking price is more than 300 yuan, and there is no counter-offer or free shipping. .
Surprisingly, just 20 days ago, the price of a second-hand Antminer S9 was only 110 yuan. When inquiring about a certain model, the reporter found that the seller had sold a second-hand Antminer S9 mining machine at a price of 110 yuan based on the market price 20 days ago. “The price of the currency rose as soon as it was sold out,” and the seller regretted that it “sold early.” The seller revealed that another type of mining machine was sold during this period, stating that “the price of the machine will increase if the buyer has not received the goods after the goods are shipped.”
The retired “machine king” is on fire again
“Earn 4 yuan a day, pay back in two months”
In sharp contrast to the current situation, in March this year, due to the sharp drop in the price of Bitcoin, more than 2 million Antminer S9 mining machines were forced to shut down and once withdrawn from the market.
The “3·12” plunge caused Bitcoin to fall its biggest somersault this year. On March 12 this year, the price of Bitcoin plummeted from nearly $8,000 to $4,000. In the following week, Bitcoin collapsed, fluctuating between $4,000 and $6,000.
This slump brought disaster to the mining circle. No one was spared from mining machine manufacturers to mine owners and miners. At that time, the “generation of machine king” Ant S9 mining machine “starts at a loss”: based on the electricity fee at the time of 0.38 yuan per kWh, the daily output value of the Ant S9 mining machine is 7.52 yuan, the daily electricity cost is as high as 11.86 yuan, and the daily net loss is 4.34 yuan. “According to a rough calculation of F2pool’s network-wide computing power data, from March 10 to 19, about 2.3 million Ant S9 units were forced to shut down.” An industry insider once analyzed to reporters at that time.
Today, as the price of Bitcoin has repeatedly hit record highs, the plot has reversed again. The Antminer S9 not only made a comeback, but also won a new life.
Online data from the encrypted digital currency mining pool F2pool fish pond shows that as of December 22, the daily output value of the Ant S9 mining machine is 14.79 yuan, the daily electricity fee is 10.61 yuan, and the daily net income is 4.18 yuan. Calculated at the current price of 250 yuan on the Xianyu App, regardless of the impact of other factors, the payback period for buying an Ant S9 mining machine is about 60 days, which is two months.
It has to be said that, catalyzed by Bitcoin’s uncontrolled skyrocketing, the “Generation King” Ant S9 mining machine, which has been on the market for four years, will not escape the “True Fragrance Law”.
The scene of “A Generation of Machine Kings” from retiring to rebirth demonstrates the high-risk characteristics of Amber and the mining circle of “paradise on one side and hell on the other”. It is precisely the sudden rise and fall of the price of Bitcoin that has brought the “retired” “generation of machine king” back to the front. With such a high volatility risk, Bitcoin is obviously not suitable for ordinary people to invest.
Ding Feipeng, director of the Criminal Department of Beijing Luning Law Firm, told reporters that first of all, ordinary investors mainly conduct bitcoin transactions through third-party trading platforms or wallets. If the trading platform or wallet is hacked, occupied, or “run away”, etc. , It is easy to cause investor losses, and it is difficult to protect rights. Secondly, in the process of investing in Bitcoin, it may not be possible to avoid the exchange of Bitcoin and legal tender because of the lack of supervision in the field of digital asset transactions, which involves high probability of telecommunications fraud and capital stocks, and it is easy to cause funds and Bitcoin in the process of Bitcoin transactions. Assets were frozen and forced to deduct, which caused investors to suffer. Finally, Bitcoin is an anonymous decentralized digital asset. If the Bitcoin key kept by the investor in his digital wallet is lost or forgotten, the invested Bitcoin will not be retrieved, resulting in loss.
Ding Feipeng reminded that holders and traders of encrypted digital currencies such as Bitcoin need to be alert to criminal risks. With the launch of the “net net” operation and the “broken card” operation, some places have used “crime of helping information cybercrime”, “concealing the crime of concealing criminal proceeds”, and “obstructing the crime of inadvertently receiving black money when selling encrypted digital assets.” Criminal cases such as “Credit Card Management Crimes” shall be filed.
