Apple, HP and Dell Laptop Selection in Russia Shrinks Under New Certification Rules

Parallel imports of laptops into Russia are ceasing to pay off. According to CNews, retailers already carry fewer Apple, HP and Dell models, and prices on the remaining devices are rising. The main cause is new certification rules for imported electronics. The publication estimates that the shrinking of the range will continue.

The article gives no exact figures: it does not disclose how many models have disappeared or by how much laptop prices have risen. But the direction is clear, and it hits the most popular brands.

Why certification breaks the economics of parallel imports

Since 2022, Apple, HP and Dell have officially suspended shipments to Russia. The market switched to parallel imports: companies buy hardware in third countries and bring it in without the consent of the rights holders. The scheme runs on thin margins. Any new cost item turns a profitable business into a loss-making one.

Certification is exactly such a cost item. Its price is made up of several parts:

• paperwork for each model or batch;
• the time the procedures take, while the goods sit in a warehouse;
• legal and logistical risks if the document package is ruled incomplete.

For mass-market and inexpensive models, these costs eat up the entire profit. Flagships have higher margins, but even there the safety cushion is limited.

Who loses first

The blow will fall unevenly. Large importers with well-established logistics and in-house lawyers will adapt faster. They will keep high-turnover models in the catalog and drop niche configurations. Small players who used to bring in a few dozen devices at a time will fare worse: on a small batch, the fixed costs of certification become unbearable.

Hence the narrowing of choice. Buyers will see fewer options in processors, memory capacity and screen size. Niche versions, such as gaming laptops or Dell and HP workstations, will vanish from sale before the rest.

What is known so far

• Laptops from three brands are affected: Apple, HP and Dell.
• The trigger is new certification rules for imported electronics.
• The consequences: fewer models on sale and higher prices.
• CNews forecast: the shrinking of supply will continue.
• The publication has no detailed data on the number of listings or the size of the markup.

What buyers and businesses should do

If you are planning to buy laptops for a company, delaying the purchase in the hope of lower prices is risky. Market logic works the opposite way: the smaller the supply and the higher the costs, the more expensive the shelves. Large orders are best placed early and with some flexibility on configurations, because a specific model may disappear from a supplier's catalog.

It is also worth checking warranty terms. With parallel imports, service is usually provided by the seller, not the manufacturer. If a seller winds down this line of business because of the new rules, servicing the hardware may get harder.

Those choosing a laptop for personal use would be wise to compare alternatives. Brands that retain an official presence in Russia, or have a simpler supply scheme, may turn out to offer better value in terms of price and availability. For IT departments, this is a reason to review their device fleet and standardize purchasing on fewer models: that makes it easier to weather the next cut in the range.

Until the market publishes exact data, it makes sense to go by prices in specific stores. The dynamics over the next one to two quarters will show how deeply the certification rules change the structure of supply.