HN Explorer

Ask HN: Raspberry Pi Prices and Availability

7 points by giantg2 ↗ HN
Is there anything going on specific to Raspberry Pi or is it just supply chain or chip shortage issues causing the supply and price issues?

I'm seeing prices over $150 when I can find one in the US. It's cheaper to get a refurbished desktop with decent specs. It just takes up more room and uses more electricity. Just wondering when the prices might get closer to normal again.

9 comments

[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 31.6 ms ] thread
Vladimof
What are you trying to do with it? there are cheaper alternatives
nousermane
Alternatives are getting more expensive too.

Orange Pi Zero went from $7 three years ago to $25 now, that's from official store.

Vladimof
Maybe but a lot of things that can be done with the Rpi can be done with a micro-controller like the ESP8266, which is why I was curious about what he was trying to do with the Rpi... (of course there are many things that it can't do, too)
supertrope
Cheap stuff goes out of stock first. Your solution of switching to a substitute is the correct move. Businesses that can’t as easily switch away due to integration into a larger product are stuck paying scalper prices.

New chip fabs come online in 2024-2025.

tagami
We were able to purchase larger quantities directly from RPi due to our education mission.
justaj
> It just takes up more room and uses more electricity.

It also probably has less open hardware than a Raspberry Pi.

sschueller
Buy from official resellers. You can use https://rpilocator.com/ to find current stock.

They also have made a recent post regarding supply issues: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/production-and-supply-chain...

giantg2
Thanks! It's good to hear that they are prioritizing delivery to people whose livelihood depends on them. I tried that locator, but there were only a couple of international choices that were still pretty expensive. I see some additional ones just came in stock.