Knowledge pillar
Hardware Markets
Used server markets, refurbished equipment and hardware trends. Where demand actually sits, why the same equipment is worth different amounts in different places, and how it moves.
Two markets, one piece of equipment
A four-year-old rack server is surplus in one market and current in another. That gap — not scarcity — is what the used hardware market runs on. Understanding it explains almost every pricing question suppliers ask.
What actually moves the price
- Generation gap. How far the equipment sits from what buyers in the destination market currently expect.
- Consistency. Uniform lots command a premium; mixed lots are priced conservatively.
- Landed cost. Freight, handling and documentation are part of the price, not separate from it.
- Timing. Demand for specific generations rises and falls; equipment held too long loses more to obsolescence than it gains to scarcity.
In this pillar
Supporting articles
How does international IT asset trading work?
International IT asset trading moves surplus hardware from markets that replace technology quickly to markets where it is still needed, stage by stage.
02Who buys used IT equipment?
Used IT equipment is bought by international traders, refurbishers, exporters, component recoverers and businesses deploying good used hardware instead of new.
Put it into practice
Reading about it is one thing.
If any of this applies to equipment you are holding right now, send a list and get a straight answer.
Start Supplier Discussion