Gadget prices have started to decline in Russia amid the strengthening of the ruble

Russian sellers and importers of electronics have either already lowered prices for some goods, or are waiting for them to decrease. Russian sellers and importers of electronics have either already lowered prices for some goods, or are waiting for them to decrease.

Blown away: Smartphone sales have collapsed in Russia

Their sales decreased by more than 20%, which is one of the largest drops in the history of the market.

"In our retail network, prices have decreased for a number of products. For example, the cost of an iPhone has dropped by an average of 10%," MTS told Izvestia.

In the press service of "M.Video-Eldorado noted that they had already reacted to the strengthening of the ruble and adjusted prices for Apple smartphones — a decrease of up to 15%. This applies to both the current iPhone 16 line and other brand models, the company added.

But it is impossible to immediately reduce the cost of all imports: the specifics of logistics and calculations are affected, market participants explain. There are goods on the shelf that were previously ordered at a high rate, now they are already being ordered at a lower rate, but they have not yet reached Russia. For now, we need to sell the existing ones, says an employee of one of the importers. In his opinion, in the near future, customers will be able to count on discounts, because warehouses and stores must be vacated before the arrival of new shipments.

"Usually shipments from China go to Russia by sea for two to three months. It's a couple of weeks on the plane. But only the most high—margin goods, such as smartphones, are transported by air," he says.

Supplier prices do not provide for an instant response to the current exchange rate. It is necessary to take into account the volatility of the currency in order to be able to earn and receive enough funds to purchase the next batch of goods at new prices, Anton Fomin, head of retail projects at Marvel Distribution, explained to Izvestia. In addition to the course, prices also depend on logistics, promotion costs, and so on, he points out.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

The right course: prices for imported electronics began to decline in Russia