A week and a half ago, we announced that the major PC brands will be increasing the prices of PC hardware, as well as some of their peripherals, mainly due to shipping logistics. Well, this is not only a reality, but it will be a much worse problem than we announced at the time as the rise was not expected to the levels that are now managed in the industry.
Shipping costs between China and Europe skyrocket: prices go up soon
The cost of shipping is involved, no more and no less. We are talking about an industry that spends huge sums of money shipping computer hardware through containers, the primary method of moving goods between continents, whether we like it or not.
The reality is very simple and easy to understand: Shipping companies are fighting for a limited supply of containers because the volume is lower today, while companies are struggling to see who can ship their goods in these containers. Basically it’s a struggle between supply and demand which, as we already know, usually makes everything more expensive, as it happens in processors and graphics cards.
If we add in the extraordinary COVID-19 measures imposed by global trade and its guidelines, then we have an increase in shipping costs which, as we will see below, is choking the entire industry.
Port congestion, massive, late and bad shipments
As we discussed in another article, the United States will experience the largest increase in the price of PC hardware in memory, since we must add to this logistical problem the inclusion of import tariffs for a value of 25% .
According to Financial Times, showing a comparative graph of costs and their evolution, in Europe we should see similar price increases since the cost of shipments has increased and there are logistical problems in the main ports, so they assure that this year will not be a good time to buy PC Hardware.
To this must be added the arrival of the Chinese New Year, which is why manufacturing in Asia is expected to drop somewhat, which will allow ports to catch up with their container management and administration tasks, but will not prevent them from see costs continue to rise. according to analysts.
In short, this year 2021 will be remembered as one of the worst to buy hardware, as there is no indication that the situation will improve in a short period of time or throughout it. Therefore, optimistic forecasts on the sale of components and equipment can collapse in less than a month if no one puts common sense and optimization into shipments.
