PETALING JAYA: Limited supplies of hard disk drives have resulted in prices doubling following the floods in Thailand where these items are manufactured.
Traders at Digital Mall in Section 14 here are lamenting that hard disks, previously costing some RM130, have risen in price by more than 100 per cent in the past two weeks.
Aone Plus Supplies and Services Sdn Bhd unit development manager Yu Ong Ching said traders were also restricted to a limited number of items.
"We order from suppliers every two or three days. Previously, we were able to obtain an unlimited number but now, we are only able to order about 20 items each time," he said.
As a result, his sales have dropped by about 30 per cent. Sales of notebooks and PCs have also declined.
"The more popular brands, such as Western Digital, Buffero and Seagate, are among those affected," Yu told The Malay Mail.
He feared the problem could continue for the next six months.
Edwin Lee, an administrative employee of another outlet in Digital Mall, said the prices of notebooks had also gone up. While their sales were still steady, he said, traders were preparing for the worst in the coming months.
Another trader, Epy Mohd Rapaie, said the price of a one terabyte drive had increased from RM298 to RM400.
"We currently only have five remaining 500 gigabyte drives in our stock. Sales of PCs have also dropped as most of our customers purchase entire computers," he said.
Meanwhile, customers are also feeling the pinch.
Shahir Shamsuddin, 25, was eager to obtain a hard disk quickly as prices may go up further.
"The hard disk of my office computer is damaged and I need a new one to store documents," said the assistant construction project manager.
"I need to get it this week but it looks like I have little hope of securing a less expensive deal."
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