Why is 2 GB USB so expensive?

ssal

ssal

Active Member
I am trying to buy a handful of the 1 to 2 GB USB, new or used, to use as boot media for recovery. But they go for over $2 a piece. Consider that a 32GB, USB 3.0 is under $10, that makes the low capacity sticks very expensive.

Do you know where I can pick up some used low capacity USB sticks?
 
OH LORD!!! Hell, my first flash drive was 128mb and was well over 20 bucks if I remember correctly. You really can't complain about a $2 2gb usb drive. Any cheaper and they won't make any money off it.

Oh and one more thing.

..............................
 
To actually answer your question, the size of the flash drive is pretty negligible in terms of cost for the manufacturer. This is why the cost per gigabyte doesn't scale linearly. The cost of the plastic surrounding the drive, and the PCB inside it are going to be the same regardless of the flash drive size. Taking into account packaging, shipment from manufacturer to seller, and all that good stuff pretty much gives you a whopping price of $2 for a measly 2GB drive.
 
Darren said:
To actually answer your question, the size of the flash drive is pretty negligible in terms of cost for the manufacturer. This is why the cost per gigabyte doesn't scale linearly. The cost of the plastic surrounding the drive, and the PCB inside it are going to be the same regardless of the flash drive size. Taking into account packaging, shipment from manufacturer to seller, and all that good stuff pretty much gives you a whopping price of $2 for a measly 2GB drive.
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This pretty much hits the nail on the head.
 
Darren said:
To actually answer your question, the size of the flash drive is pretty negligible in terms of cost for the manufacturer. This is why the cost per gigabyte doesn't scale linearly. The cost of the plastic surrounding the drive, and the PCB inside it are going to be the same regardless of the flash drive size. Taking into account packaging, shipment from manufacturer to seller, and all that good stuff pretty much gives you a whopping price of $2 for a measly 2GB drive.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. Just can't get over the Sandisk mini USB 3.0 32gb is only $9 delivered, while the 2GB, from China is $2.50 a piece. I was thinking that, given everything is bigger, the low capacity sticks should be cheaper because nobody is buying them. Obviously, I was wrong.

I don't want the higher capacity for this special purpose (using it as boot device) because, if I have a larger USB stick, somehow, I would use it for other copyings and carryings. Then I will not have the boot device when and if I need it. I want something that just sit in my drawer that I won't touch until the need arises. Back in the earlier days of USB, vendors was using it to store promotional materials and gave them away at conventions. I got a couple of them (512 mb) and they are perfect for this purpose of mine.
 
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ssal said:
if I have a larger USB stick, somehow, I would use it for other copyings and carryings
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That isn't a technical limitation. You can add another folder to a boot device and use it for both tasks in tandem.

Per others, the NAND isn't always the driving force in stick price since you also have the surrounding PCB, controller and housing.
 
ssal said:
Makes sense. Just can't get over the Sandisk mini USB 3.0 32gb is only $9 delivered, while the 2GB, from China is $2.50 a piece. I was thinking that, given everything is bigger, the low capacity sticks should be cheaper because nobody is buying them. Obviously, I was wrong.

I don't want the higher capacity for this special purpose (using it as boot device) because, if I have a larger USB stick, somehow, I would use it for other copyings and carryings. Then I will not have the boot device when and if I need it. I want something that just sit in my drawer that I won't touch until the need arises. Back in the earlier days of USB, vendors was using it to store promotional materials and gave them away at conventions. I got a couple of them (512 mb) and they are perfect for this purpose of mine.
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Do you really think $2.50 is a lot of money for the logic board, plastic enclosure, packaging, AND shipping it?

Best bet is to look on eBay for large bulk quantities bundled together.
 
Getting pretty much anything delivered from China is going to cost you $2.50 at the least.
 
Darren said:
Getting pretty much anything delivered from China is going to cost you $2.50 at the least.
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Oh I don't know about that. I just bought a USB to mini USB adapter for under a dollar with free shipping. I buy a lot of stuff from China and I'm always amazed at how low the shipping is from China. The only catch is that it takes so long to have delivered. I don't remember now what it was, but I bought something last year that took a couple of months and I completely forgot about even ordering it.

Oh I just looked it up and was actually $1.77 at the time and now you get two for $4.39 with fee shipping. I guess they figure it made more sense to sell 2. LOL
 
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Since the USPS signed the treaty with China/HongKong so they can ship stuff over here for close to nothing, the Chinese had been flooding the eBay/Amazon market with products with such ridiculous prices that I don't think they are making any money at all.

As an American consumer, I don't care if they are losing money.

In my previous life (I'm retired now), I was one of the biggest seller on eBay. The Chinese pretty much wiped me out. Look, it would cost me close to $10 to ship 2-3 pounds of product to a 100 miles radius, or $15-17 across the country. But USPS would do it for only $2 all the way, 10,000 miles away from China. I have a good friend working in the JFK Airport USPS entry post. He told me that all they are processing is tons and tons of small packages from China under the treaty price.

Thanks USPS. I hope whoever that bird brains in there, who came up with this treaty idea, die from slow painful death. You have done a good job betraying small businesses of this country (USA).
 
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