A critical shortage of RAM is forcing unusual measures in the global PC market, wiht one Japanese retailer now appealing directly to consumers to sell back their used hardware. Softmap Gaming in Tokyo’s Akihabara district is offering to purchase used PCs-gaming and otherwise-amidst escalating prices and dwindling stock, a situation fueled by both increased demand and the growing needs of the Artificial Intelligence sector. This move, alongside purchase limits imposed by other retailers like Tsukumo eX, signals a deepening crisis in the supply chain for essential PC components.
Tokyo, Japan – A Japanese retailer, Softmap Gaming, is appealing to customers to sell their used PC hardware as a critical RAM shortage continues to impact the PC industry. The move underscores the growing challenges facing PC manufacturers and consumers alike as demand for memory components outpaces supply.
Softmap Gaming, located in the Akihabara district, announced the request on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, accompanied by a photo showing sparsely stocked shelves.
“As a form of assistance, if you are purchasing a new PC, we kindly ask that you sell your gaming PC to us,” Softmap wrote, according to Tom’s Hardware, Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
The retailer pledged to offer competitive prices for the used equipment, accepting a wide range of products including desktop gaming PCs, laptops, and even non-gaming computers. “We are buying at a generous price,” the company stated.
The appeal from Softmap follows similar measures taken by other Japanese retailers in response to the global memory shortage. Tsukumo eX, also in Akihabara, has limited purchases of graphics cards to one GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB or higher, or a Radeon RX 9000 series or higher, per customer.
The scarcity of memory is also driving up prices. A Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-200 16GB (2x8GB) kit, for example, is currently listed on Amazon for $235 (approximately ¥39,000), a significant increase from its typical price of $66 (approximately ¥11,000) in October of last year.
Tom’s Hardware reports that the price increases are expected to extend to custom-built PCs, with graphics cards facing particular challenges due to their high VRAM requirements.
Analysts predict potential price hikes for GPUs and even delays in the release of next-generation graphics cards. The current supply crunch is reportedly being exacerbated by surging demand for memory from the rapidly expanding Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry.
(dem/dem)
