Memory Surcharges Hit Tech Buyers as Vendors Pass Rising Chip Costs to Customers

Our coverage of the ongoing DRAM and NAND shortage has somewhat decreased in frequency, mainly because not much has changed and reversals in the tide seem short-lived. There was a development today that may mark the beginning of a larger trend, however. Per Tom's Hardware, enterprise networking vendor Ubiquiti has began slapping a memory surcharge on top of purchases of select products. The exact text, which can be seen at checkout of affected products, notes that "Due to the ongoing volatility in global memory and storage markets, we are applying a surcharge to the price of selected products, effective April 24, 2026. We continue to absorb a portion of these costs to minimize impact and ensure consistent availability."


Per the above chart, even with a portion of the costs absorbed by Ubiquiti, a memory surcharge of up to 5.8% can still result in hundreds of extra dollars on certain products. Near the beginning of this current crisis, retailers abandoned MSRPs in favor of on-the-spot pricing for existing memory kits. It seems the practice is permeating additional product segments now.

As Tom's Hardware notes in its coverage, this move is indeed "a double-edged sword." Ubiquiti is being transparent about this pricing policy change, and could have simply raised prices and hoped no one would cry foul.

One way or another, consumers and enterprise customers alike are going to feel the squeeze for as long as the shortage continues. Vendors and sellers, meanwhile, are forced into one of roughly three options: absorbing the additional costs, implementing surcharges, or simply raising prices. There are benefits and drawbacks to each of those approaches, but without massive revenue and profits from other sources, surcharges or higher prices are likely inevitable.

Banner Image Credit: Ubiquiti Flex Mini 2.5G Product Page