DRAM prices rose 172% through 2025.1 Samsung imposed another 30% contract price hike for Q2 2026, following a 90 to 95% increase in Q1.2 Memory now accounts for 35% of PC build costs, up from 15 to 18% just one quarter earlier.3
If you’re an OEM selling hardware into Canada, this isn’t just a supply chain headline. It’s changing how your customers buy, what they can afford, and who they’re buying from when new equipment prices them out.
The global refurbished IT equipment market is on track to reach $10.54 billion in 2026 and $16.71 billion by 2031.4 Corporate enterprises already represent 35.78% of that market. Your end-customers aren’t waiting for prices to come down. They’re buying refurbished today. The only question is whether that revenue flows back to you or to a third-party marketplace you have no control over.
The Memory Shortage Is Reshaping IT Procurement
This shortage isn’t a temporary blip. It’s structural. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have shifted production capacity away from conventional DRAM and NAND flash and toward High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI data centres, where margins are significantly higher. HBM now consumes 23% of total DRAM wafer capacity,5 starving the server, PC, POS, and networking markets that most OEMs depend on.
Goldman Sachs forecasts a 4.9% DRAM undersupply in 2026, the worst shortfall in over 15 years.6 Dell’s COO Jeff Clarke told analysts the company had “never witnessed costs escalating at the current pace.”1 Morgan Stanley downgraded Dell’s stock specifically because of rising server memory costs eroding margins.6
The result: PC and server prices are expected to climb 15 to 20% across major vendors in 2026.7 For mid-sized enterprises managing 500 to 1,500 endpoints, that means budget variances of $400,000 to $1.2 million8 that most IT departments simply don’t have.
In Canada, Tariffs Are Making It Worse
Canadian organizations are getting hit twice. On top of the global memory shortage, tariffs on US and Chinese imports are pushing networking gear and server prices up by 15% or more, with some chip lead times jumping 43%.9 The CUSMA trade agreement is scheduled for formal review starting July 1, 2026,10 adding more uncertainty to cross-border IT hardware procurement.
For OEMs that manufacture outside Canada, this directly impacts channel pricing, warranty fulfilment costs, and aftermarket operations. Every dollar of tariff exposure on new hardware makes the economics of refurbished equipment that much more attractive to your Canadian customers, and that much more urgent for you to capture.
84% of CIOs Now Rank Cost Optimization as Their Top Priority
For the first time, cost optimization has overtaken security as the number one priority for enterprise IT leaders.8 That shift is driving procurement behaviour that would have been hard to imagine five years ago. Refurbished hardware can save enterprises up to 70% compared to new equipment at today’s inflated prices,11 and unlike new equipment pricing, which swings with volatile memory markets, refurbished systems offer predictable costs based on existing inventory.
Enterprises are also embedding circular procurement targets into ESG scorecards. Sustainability has gone from a nice-to-have justification for buying refurbished to a procurement requirement. A certified refurbished program from an OEM satisfies both the CFO’s budget constraints and the sustainability lead’s reporting obligations in a single line item.
Your Customers Are Already Buying Refurbished. The Question Is From Whom.
Online marketplaces commanded 62.74% of refurbished computer and laptop sales in 2025, growing at an 11.28% CAGR.4 Platforms like Amazon Renewed and eBay are capturing demand that, with the right program in place, could be flowing back to the OEM.
Without a certified refurbished program, OEMs aren’t just losing margin on secondary sales. They’re losing control over brand quality in the aftermarket, warranty coverage and the revenue it generates, customer lifecycle data and the ability to market upgrades, and compliance with data sanitization standards that enterprise buyers require.
Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Apple have all moved. Dell runs a corporate buyback pipeline with genuine-parts refurbishment. Lenovo recently launched Certified Refurbishment Services.12 HP offers certified reconditioned goods with a one-year warranty. Apple’s Certified Refurbished program has been running for years. These companies are capturing budget-constrained buyers while reinforcing brand trust. Every OEM that hasn’t launched a comparable program is ceding that ground to competitors and to third parties who carry no brand obligation.
What a Certified Refurbished Program Actually Requires in Canada
Launching a certified refurbished program isn’t just a policy decision. It requires physical infrastructure, technical capabilities, and regulatory compliance, all within Canada. The core requirements include:
- Component-level repair and refurbishment to restore units to like-new condition
- Rigorous functional testing and cosmetic screening to maintain OEM quality standards
- NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 compliant data sanitization with chain-of-custody tracking
- OS reimaging and software configuration to ensure update continuity
- Serialized tracking and API integration for full RMA lifecycle management
- Warehousing and distribution to serve the Canadian market without cross-border friction
For a global OEM, building this from scratch in Canada means leasing facility space, hiring and training technicians, navigating provincial regulations, and managing a low-volume operation that may not justify the overhead. The alternative is finding a Canadian partner who already has all of this in place.
How Microland Helps OEMs Launch Certified Refurbished Programs in Canada
Microland Technical Services, based in Markham, Ontario, has operated at the intersection of depot repair, reverse logistics, refurbishment, and IT asset disposition for over 30 years. That integrated model is rare. Most service providers in Canada specialize in one or two of those categories, which forces OEMs to coordinate multiple vendors and absorb the complexity themselves.
Microland’s approach is different. OEMs get a single Canadian partner that handles the full aftermarket lifecycle: receiving customer returns, triage and screening, component-level repair, cosmetic restoration, functional testing, reimaging, repackaging to certified refurbished standards, and, through a partnership with Skadi Electronics, a Canadian direct-to-consumer resale channel for refurbished inventory that keeps A-stock channels clean.
This matters whether you’re selling IT hardware, POS equipment, commercial A/V, mobile devices, PC components, or consumer electronics into Canada. Whether the volume is 50 units a month or 500-plus, Microland operates as an extension of the OEM’s aftermarket organization, invisible to the end customer and fully integrated with the OEM’s systems and quality standards.
The operational reality is that Canada’s aftermarket volume rarely justifies standalone infrastructure for any single service. Depot repair alone, or ITAD alone, or staging alone isn’t enough volume to sustain a dedicated Canadian operation for most OEMs. Microland’s integrated model solves that by consolidating all aftermarket services under one roof, making the economics work at Canadian scale.
The Window Is Closing
The OEMs that act now, while memory prices are still climbing and enterprise buyers are actively seeking alternatives to new hardware, will establish certified refurbished programs that capture revenue, protect brand integrity, and lock in customer relationships for years. The ones that wait will find that their customers have already moved on, and those alternatives have no incentive to send them back.
Microland Technical Services helps OEMs launch and operate certified refurbished programs across Canada, from depot repair to resale. Contact us to discuss your Canadian aftermarket strategy.
Microland Technical Services Inc. is a Markham, Ontario-based provider of depot repair, reverse logistics, refurbishment, ITAD, and lifecycle services for OEMs, distributors, and channel partners across Canada. Founded in 1994, Microland serves as the Canadian aftermarket operations partner for electronics manufacturers who need local execution without local overhead.
Sources
- Samsung warns of memory shortages driving industry-wide price surge in 2026 — Network World ↩
- Samsung Raises DRAM Prices Another ~30% for Q2 2026 Contracts — BuySellRam ↩
- RAM Prices Hit $550 Q2 2026 | IT Asset Recovery Timing — Discount Computer Depot ↩
- Refurbished Computers & Laptops Market Forecasts 2031 — Mordor Intelligence ↩
- Memory Chip Shortage 2026: HBM Takes 23% of DRAM Wafers — Tech Insider ↩
- SK Hynix, Micron, Samsung in “RAMageddon” as AI-Starved DRAM Supply Sparks Shortage Crisis — AInvest ↩
- Global Memory Shortage Crisis: Market Analysis and Impact on PC Markets in 2026 — IDC ↩
- How to Stretch Your Tech Budget in 2026 — DPC Technology ↩
- Rising IT Hardware Prices: Causes and How to Adapt in 2026 — MicroAge ↩
- How Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods may affect your business in 2026 — Export Development Canada ↩
- What is refurbished IT hardware? Guide for businesses — Evernex ↩
- Lenovo Leads the Circular IT Shift with Certified Refurbishment Services — Lenovo StoryHub ↩