PETALING JAYA: With many people now working from home, an IT retailer has reported an increase in the demand for secondhand laptops.
Syed Saby, the owner of a computer shop at Petaling Jaya’s Digital Mall, said his sales had increased by 30% from last year.
Speaking to FMT, he commented that the Covid-19 pandemic had apparently not adversely affected the secondhand gadget segment of the IT industry.
He attributed this to the work-from-home order enforced to check the spread of Covid-19.
Syed Saby said many who had bought his secondhand laptops told him they had to do so because they could no longer have access to computers in their offices.
However, he also said the high demand had caused prices to increase by about 30%.
“We import our laptops and recent lockdowns in many countries have interrupted our supply,” he said. “We have to slightly increase our prices because of the high demand and to make up for high shipment charges.”
The laptops in his shop are selling for between RM600 and RM3,500, depending on age and brand.
He said he would advise his customers to choose those priced between RM1,000 and RM1,500.
“Laptops in this price range can usually support all important software and applications needed for work. I’m afraid that if one buys a cheap laptop, it might not be able to support his work.”
Syed Saby said travel restrictions imposed under the MCO had caused him to set up an e-commerce website to help his business.
His shop also provides computer repair services.
He said computer repair services used to generate most of the revenue for his shop. “At least 70% of the revenue used to come from servicing, but this has dropped to 50%.”
However, not everyone in the business is enjoying brisk sales.
Muhammad Firdaus Fahmi, who owns MamuGadjet at Universiti Malaya, spoke of a decline in laptop sales among university students, who are his main customers.
He said most of his customers were interested only in laptops priced below RM1,000.
“They are not interested in anything higher than that,” he told FMT.