A few Japanese computer stores in Akihabara have started limiting the sales of storage and memory modules due to limited inventory. According to Akiba PC Hotline [machine translated], several shops have imposed limits to prevent hoarding, with one limiting customers to just eight items per group. Another one has even more stringent restrictions, only releasing two storage drives or SO-DIMMs and up to four pieces of memory per buyer, although customers buying a completely new PC can negotiate for a higher limit.
These shops imposed these caps because they haven’t been receiving the expected number of deliveries for these items, and their inventories are running low. Distributors are reportedly suspending deliveries of some products, with no clear outlook for when supply will return to normal. This crunch means that prices for these components are expected to skyrocket, with PC builders and enthusiasts looking for performance parts to be hit the hardest by the shortage and price hikes.
