All your favorite gadgets are getting expensive… again

If you are in The market for anything with a memory stick may be there now It will be time To disrupt that.

It looks like another round of consumer electronics price increases is underway. In June, Apple announced Price increase she has MacBooks and iPads. Xbox controllers are too Get more expensive Starting in August. This comes on the heels of already high prices for products like Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro And as you know, oilWhich raises gas prices and adds to the cost of shipping something to you.

This new bout of price increases – next Definitions last year– Driven by many factors, but the main reason is its persistence Memory deficiencyThat is, software component producers are making manufacturing chips for AI data centers a priority over other technologies that require them. If this had been a short-term problem, it is likely that the affected companies would have borne the costs. But the memory deficiency doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, either Artificial intelligence bubble Haven’t figured it out exactly yet. Too much demand for too little supply usually means inevitable, as companies pass their costs on to consumers through creep prices.

“In the past, you might have been able to wait for some minor fluctuations like this,” says Sean Dubravac. Chief Economist In the International Electronics Association, which Reports of memory loss and the industries it affects. “I don’t think that’s the case here. Waiting is not a strategy right now, and probably won’t be for the foreseeable future.”

The move to avoid higher prices is, DuBravac says Purchase refurbished equipmentbut if you need something new, keep an eye on the price increases that have already occurred. If something hasn’t seen a price rise yet, it might happen soon. But even if prices rise, this could be the best base price you’ll see in a while.

“They’re very intentional with their pricing, and there’s a lot of coordination that goes along with it all,” says Dubravac. “If you’re looking at products that have already seen a price increase, you probably have little time to think about it.”

Simply buying everything you want at the moment is not realistic for people who feel this way Financial distress. People feel the pinch as a ghost Back to school and Holiday product Courses loom.

“People are worried that they will have to pay a lot of money for the next device or their next purchase,” says Thibaud Hugues de Larose, CEO of the second-hand market. Back market. “The bad thing about that is it just pushes people to upgrade more quickly because they’re afraid of inflation, basically.”

Perhaps the bright spot in all this chaos is that refurbished and used markets built to support and resell used products are thriving. Buying a renovation tends to be more expensive Ethical and environmentally friendly Than buy something new. And now in particular Have a good time To look at the used market for devices such as phones.

Sean Cleland, Vice President of Mobility Technology at Re-Commerce B-StockHe says used smartphones are selling for 10 to 20 percent more than they were in December 2025. In a normal year, those numbers would likely have flipped, with the value of used phones declining. But demand for refurbished products has risen.

“The supply chain will eventually get it right,” says Cleland. “Secondary market prices will return to a natural decline, but they will continue to be a step higher than they were in 2025. But they will never come back.”

A more vibrant resale market means more people are trying out refurbished devices. It may be out of necessity, but it has led to a booming industry that helps used appliances find a new life instead of heading to the next Landfill. Manufacturers have also turned to their own resale programs, offering buyback or trade-in programs for phones, computers, tablets, watches and headphones. Selling this equipment in third-party markets will also likely generate greater gains as long as this shortage persists.

“You’ll get a lot more out of this phone than you ever would before,” Cleland says. “Take advantage of that; there is trade-in and resale value in all of these things.”