A major Japanese electronics retailer has turned to an unusual tactic to combat an unprecedented shortage of desktop and gaming computers.
Sofmap Gaming, the prominent PC and gaming specialist store in Tokyo's Akihabara district, recently posted a public plea on social media requesting customers to sell their old computers to the retailer at premium prices.gamingbible
The announcement comes with striking visual evidence of the supply crisis: photographs shared by Sofmap showed nearly barren shelves across its three-story Akihabara location, normally stocked with new and used gaming systems. In a message translated from Japanese, the retailer stated, "Gaming PCs, even used ones, are really out of stock right now.
As a favor, if you buy a new one, please sell your gaming PC to our company. We buy them back at pretty high prices. Whether it's a gaming desktop or a laptop, or even a regular non-gaming one, we pretty much buy any PC."robotdyn
This aggressive purchasing stance represents a dramatic departure from typical retail operations and underscores the severity of component shortages affecting Japan's hardware market.
The company's willingness to accept "almost any PC"—including older, non-gaming systems—signals the depth of inventory depletion.tomshardware
The shortage driving this unprecedented appeal stems from a confluence of factors rooted in global supply chain dynamics. Artificial intelligence infrastructure expansion has fundamentally reshaped memory manufacturing priorities worldwide.
Memory chip producers including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology have redirected manufacturing capacity toward high-margin components required by AI data centers, such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DDR5 modules, at the expense of general-purpose consumer memory.idc
This reallocation has created acute shortages in essential PC components. RAM prices have surged dramatically, with certain DDR5 modules increasing from approximately $6.84 in September 2025 to $27.20 by December 2025—a nearly 300 percent jump in three months.
Storage devices face similar pressures, with SSD pricing doubling across the market. Graphics cards have entered the shortage spiral as well, with retailers in Akihabara implementing purchase restrictions limiting customers to one high-end GPU per transaction due to constrained VRAM supplies.tomshardware
The impact extends beyond individual component scarcity. Japanese PC manufacturers suspended production entirely at key points in response to the crisis. Mouse Computer, a leading national brand, announced a suspension of all PC sales across its multiple brand lines from December 23, 2025, through January 4, 2026, citing overwhelming orders combined with impossible-to-fulfill component availability commitments.
Build-to-order retailers including TSUKUMO and Sycom similarly halted new orders or paused operations temporarily as they grappled with inability to source parts at stable prices.techradar
Memory shortages present a particularly intractable challenge for retailers and consumers. Major DRAM manufacturers have consciously wound down DDR4 production as part of deliberate phase-outs, with Samsung and Micron halting most DDR4 manufacturing by mid-2025, while SK Hynix reduced DDR4 to roughly 20 percent of its DRAM output mix.
This creates a problematic situation where aging computer systems built on DDR4 platforms cannot be easily replaced with DDR5 alternatives due to incompatibility with existing motherboards and CPUs. The result is a compressed supply of legacy components precisely when consumer demand for more affordable used systems increases.randtech
DDR4 prices are rising faster than premium DDR5 offerings despite being older technology—a classic shortage signal. DDR5 replacement is not a practical option for most users, as transitioning requires purchasing new motherboards and processors alongside memory modules, dramatically increasing upgrade costs.
This dynamic has pushed some consumers toward used computers and refurbished systems as alternatives to prohibitively expensive new builds.
Japan's PC retail sector faces particular vulnerability due to regional market characteristics. Japan maintains a smaller consumer market than the United States or Europe, meaning less surplus inventory exists to buffer supply disruptions.
The nation's traditionally efficient just-in-time supply chains, once a hallmark of Japanese manufacturing excellence, now work against retailers facing unexpected global component reallocation toward AI infrastructure.reddit
Sofmap's buying initiative reflects desperation across the entire retail ecosystem. The retailer's emphasis on purchasing computers "at pretty high prices" suggests the company is willing to accept narrower margins on resold equipment to replenish depleted inventory.
This strategy allows Sofmap to fill shelves with systems that, while used, can be resold quickly to customers unable to obtain new systems at reasonable prices.
The availability crisis extends to other Tokyo electronics retailers. Hard-Off, a major used electronics chain, faces depletion of inventory that was previously plentiful. Junk Shop Inverse and other specialized used computer dealers report either exhausted stock or pricing at premium levels.
Some Japanese retailers active in the used PC market prior to 2025 have experienced complete shelf emptiness—a situation virtually unknown in the normally well-stocked Akihabara electronics quarter.youtube
Relief from this supply situation appears unlikely in the near term. Memory manufacturers including Micron have publicly stated they are "sold out for 2026," with new manufacturing capacity unlikely to come online until 2027 or 2028.
SK Hynix announced that all its chips are sold out through 2026, while Samsung has secured customers for high-bandwidth memory supplies well into future periods. This indicates that component scarcity will persist throughout 2026 at minimum.reuters
Industry analysts expect DRAM and NAND supply growth in 2026 to remain substantially below historical norms, with projections of 16 percent year-on-year growth for DRAM and 17 percent for NAND—well below typical expansion rates.
The undersupply will continue forcing price premiums and constraining device availability globally, with Japan's retail sector experiencing particularly acute effects due to market size and reliance on global component sources.
For consumers seeking to upgrade or replace aging computers, the window for advantageous purchases has effectively closed. New system prices have increased substantially as manufacturers pass component costs downstream. Used computer prices have simultaneously inflated due to scarcity-driven demand from buyers unable to afford new systems.
Sofmap's appeal for used systems represents a visible marker of how thoroughly global supply chain dynamics have upended one of Asia's most prominent electronics retail markets, forcing even sophisticated retailers to resort to reverse marketing—essentially begging customers to provide inventory that was once plentiful and readily available.
