A lot of folks have pointed to rpilocator, but my experience is that they made the situation far worse. Prior to the launch, I was able to buy a couple of pi’s per month without too much effort (registering for stock notifications). Since rpilocator, I’ve only managed to buy about 3 pi’s in total. Unless I’m able to drop everything on a notification, there’s no chance. And even if I can do this, I get the feeling that I’m competing against a crowd that’s automated the purchasing process.
I can’t speak for others, but I use the Pi for student projects in an undergrad networking course. I previously required students to supply their own, but I now have the option to rent from me at cost.
With the current situation, I am not certain that I will have enough supply for my next class.
It wasnt until a few reads to the end of your comment that YOU are renting them to students...
Get a thread going on HN requesting old PIs... shoot ive given so many away... but in return, share your coursework/connect your students with other students...
