Hardware price surge drives student demand for refurbished laptops

Ludhiana: Soaring component costs have pushed new computers beyond the reach of many students and budget-conscious consumers, fuelling a major market expansion for second-hand and refurbished hardware across Punjab.Industry leaders attribute the sharp increase in laptop and desktop prices to a global shortage of random-access memory (RAM) and solid-state drives (SSDs). Surging demand from the artificial intelligence sector has outpaced manufacturing capacity, driving up wholesale prices for essential hardware.Gurpreet Singh, chairman of the Association of Computer Entrepreneurs (ACE) and the Punjab Association of Computer Traders (PACT), pointed to the growing disparity in retail pricing. “The refurbished computer market is gaining significance because even the base level new laptops are getting out of reach for people,” he said.“The new laptop with a basic 13th-generation processor now costs as much as ₹80,000, machines with 10th-generation processors are available in the range of ₹30,000 to ₹40,000. So parents and students have to resort to refurbished laptops, whereas nearly a year ago, it was possible to get a brand new laptop with the latest specs in this starting range,” Gurpreet Singh said.Explaining the influx of pre-owned devices, Mr. Singh noted that corporate upgrades routinely flood secondary supply chains.“Refurbished laptops are often imported and fixed for any anomalies. Corporate companies change generations with new processors, and their used machines subsequently enter the market. Such laptops are being imported. Because these are available at lower prices, there is good demand for them,” he added.Traders in commercial hubs like Kochar Market report a marked uptick in foot traffic and inquiries. Sahil Sharma, a local second-hand laptop dealer, confirmed the shifting consumer behaviour.“As the prices of laptops have gone up over the past year or so, there have been increased inquiries and purchases of second-hand laptops. This is proving to be beneficial for second-hand and refurbished computer dealers,” Sharma said.Wholesale hardware vendors highlight staggering cost escalations for internal components. Amit Sareen, a computer hardware wholesaler, detailed the market shift.He said that DDR5 RAM from select firms has jumped nearly ten-fold from ₹3,000, while 1TB SSDs that previously sold for ₹5,000 now touch ₹20,000, causing overall PC assembly costs to spiral.Students navigating tight budgets say the price hikes have disrupted academic planning. Navdeep, a local student, noted the difficulty of securing an entry-level machine.“I have been planning to purchase a laptop, but the prices continue to climb. I wanted an entry-level laptop, but even those have become so expensive that I cannot afford one,” Navdeep said.With component expenses, transportation, and raw materials remaining elevated, market analysts expect demand for refurbished systems to remain strong.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ludhiana | Silver Rate in Ludhiana | Bank Holidays in Ludhiana | Public Holidays in Ludhiana | Petrol Price in Ludhiana | Diesel Price in Ludhiana | CNG Price in Ludhiana | LPG Price in LudhianaStay updated with the latest Ludhiana news. Download the TOI App.