UPDATE @ 11:25am, 23 January: As reader Boon Jia Jie points out, the minimum purchase for free shipping has also increased. More on that below.
After Mi Singapore’s raising of prices of its Mi Power Banks, it is now Mi Malaysia’s turn. The strengthening Chinese currency has resulted in Xiaomi raising the prices of two of its Mi Power Bank variants sold here.
Unlike Mi Singapore, which has had to raise its delivery charges, the price increase is limited only to two Mi Power Banks for now. The new retail prices of the 10,400mAh and 5,200mAh Mi Power Banks are as below:
- 10,400mAh Mi Power Bank: RM49 (up RM13 from RM36 – 36% increase)
- 5,200mAh Mi Power Bank: RM34 (up RM9 from RM25 – 36% increase)
However, there is some good news: Xiaomi’s first sale in Malaysia for 2015 will be held on 28 January 2015. And, it’ll be an open sale, which will be available at all times on the day (while stocks last, of course). But, there will be a maximum order of 2 Mi phones and 2 of each accessory in a single order.
On the other hand, this news also brings to light the face that Xiaomi Malaysia has recently updated its shipping FAQ that raises the minimum purchase amount to enjoy free shipping. The new minimum amount for West and East Malaysia are as below:
- West Malaysia (including Klang Valley) – Orders below RM100: RM15 (previous minimum order: RM75 for West Malaysia, RM70 for Klang Valley)
- East Malaysia – Orders above RM100: RM25 (previous minimum order: RM80)
Mi Malaysia did not highlight these shipping charge changes as they were already in effect as far back as 5 January 2015, where web archives already show this change. Since there were no sales during that time, virtually nobody outside Xiaomi knew of these changes.
Unfortunately, this is a necessary step that Xiaomi has had to take due to the strengthening of the Chinese Yuan. Since Xiaomi sells its products almost at cost, the company is not able to absorb additional costs that have risen in recent months. As of now, the only products affected by the price increase are the two Mi Power Banks.
(Source: Mi Malaysia (Facebook))
