Raspberry Pis Are Back in Stock: Here’s Why You Should Always Buy From an Approved Seller

After an extended period of rising costs and supply line issues, a variety of Raspberry Pi boards are back in stock—just in time for Christmas! Here’s what you need to know and where you can get your hands on one.

How Many Raspberry Pis Are Available, and Where Can You Get One?

The great Raspberry Pi shortage started at the beginning of 2021, due to a mismatch of supply and demand. Since then, eager makers have been forced to turn to the second-hand market, or exorbitantly overpriced examples from resellers on Amazon.

On December 12, 2022, CEO of Raspberry Pi Ltd, Eben Upton announced, “in the run-up to the holiday season this year, we’ve been able to set aside a little over a hundred thousand units, split across Zero W, 3A+ and the 2GB and 4GB variants of Raspberry Pi 4, for single-unit sales.”

The units are being distributed through normal channels, and because sales are restricted to single units, it’s unlikely that scalpers will be able to scoop up armloads and mark up the price up on eBay, Amazon, or other markets.

Choose the Right Pi for Your Project

While there are Raspberry Pis available in the run-up to Christmas 2022, that doesn’t mean that supply issues are ended yet. These are units which have been specially set aside for selling at this time, and it’s important that you choose the right Pi for your project, because you still might not be able to get another, more appropriate Pi for some time.

Generally speaking, a Raspberry Pi 4B is grossly overpowered for most DIY Raspberry Pi projects, and with a price tag to match. Buying a Raspberry Pi 4B to monitor your hydroponics setup is overkill, and will be depriving someone who needs this model for some heavy server work.

Likewise, while it’s possible to use a Raspberry Pi Zero to start up your own social media network, or run a NextCloud instance on a Raspberry Pi, you’re much better off using something a bit beefier. Consider what you want to use your Raspberry Pi for, and buy accordingly.

Always Buy From an Approved Raspberry Pi Reseller

Upton’s post reminds buyers that it’s always better to buy your Raspberry Pi from an approved reseller. This is because they’re under contract with Raspberry Pi to sell at no more than the recommended retail price, and aren’t allowed to arbitrarily raise this to boost their profits.

By buying from an approved reseller, you’re supporting the businesses through difficult times, and reducing demand for unscrupulous price gougers. With luck, they’ll move onto other things.

You can use services such as RPiLocator, to track down approved Raspberry Pi reseller online or in your area. Follow their social media accounts on Twitter or the Fediverse to get updates.

The Raspberry Pi Shortage Is Not Over… Yet

Although you can probably manage to bag yourself a Raspberry Pi in time for Christmas, 100,000 odd units isn’t a lot, and the shortage is expected to continue, although Upton states that, “after a lean first quarter, we expect supply to recover to pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter of 2023, and to be unlimited in the second half of the year.”

When stock does return to normal levels next year, don’t expect the bargain-basement prices you’ve previously enjoyed. The days of cheap-as-chips Raspberry Pi SOCs are gone forever and there will be price rises of roughly 50% on every model.

Raspberry Pi Stocks Are Limited, So Consider Alternatives

The world has moved on since Raspberry Pi first appeared on the scene as a low-cost, low-power miniature computer for DIY projects and education. Alternatives such as Orange Pi and Banana Pi are fantastic and readily available, and old thin client PCs can be used for a variety of purposes.