Harare Starlink Store Finally Open, But… It’s Not all Good News Yet

Yes, the Starlink store by Shona Prince Tech is finally open in Harare and consumers can just walk in and buy a kit.

That’s the good news.

Now the not so good:

• Despite earlier indications that kits would be priced the same as on starlink.com — $200 for a mini kit — the actual in-store price is $300.
• Harare is still sold out, so we have to wait some more.

Why the Higher Price?

Shona Prince and company representatives have explained on social media that, while their intention was to match Starlink’s pricing, the local realities have made that difficult.

The biggest issue? The black market.

We exchanged messages with Shona Prince founder Victor Mapunga and he explained:

“We had to tackle some unforseen issues… Whenever a new retailer launches in a market, there’s a rush to take advantage of the pricing arbitrage as it’s easier for informal retailers to acquire the kits immediately with no waiting time. In the end retailers are often left without stock but stock is circulating on the black market. This is a very common problem…

We’ll be gradually lowering prices & doing subscription promos in the coming weeks.

There are already suggestions that Harare sold out because black market dealers bought large quantities of kits, which they are now reselling at a markup.

Mapunga says it doesn’t make sense to sell may kits that just end in the hands of Harare dealers looking for arbitrage opportunities.

“…90% of requests have been for Harare. Yet our goal is to sell kits country wide. So next week we will market adjust prices for out of Harare, we want those people to get kits.

….That’s the challenge. If our goal is to just make money, we can easily sell all kits to them. But we care more about Activations. That’s the real metric, connectivity.”

How does the Starlink Store Compare to buying online?

Right now, at $300, kits at the Shona Prince store are significantly more expensive than the $200 online price. Plus, the store isn’t yet offering Starlink’s zero-interest credit option, which is a major draw for many buyers.

When we first wrote about this store last week, the excitement was all about accessing kits at Starlink pricing — and potentially Starlink credit terms — without needing to navigate buying online.

I wrote:

“For a lot of Zimbabweans, ordering directly from starlink.com has been way more complicated than it sounds.

Let’s be honest — many people simply aren’t used to shopping online. Some folks didn’t know where to click, how eCommerce works, or what to expect after placing an order.

Then comes the issue of paying online. Starlink.com only accepts credit or debit cards that work internationally. While Zimbabweans do have access to options like EcoCash Mastercard, Prepaid Visa/Mastercards from local banks, Omari and other such, these aren’t easy to understand or set up for many. There’s still a learning curve.

Worse, due to the economic crisis in Zimbabwe, a lot of people operate strictly in cash. 

These are real issues. But are they worth paying an extra $100 to bypass?

For some people, maybe. But for many, learning to order online, setting up something like an EcoCash Mastercard, OMari, or the bank cars and waiting a few days might be the better long-term option — especially if it means accessing Starlink’s interest-free credit.

Which is to say, if online is too hard for you, wait another week or two. Shona Prince is promising they are working hard to solve these issues and we have no reason not to believe them.

Of course if you’re out of Harare and need to get your Starlink now, it’ll be cheaper to buy online. You might even want to look for a relative (anoita zvema computer) to help you navigate buying online. In any case, you’ll still need to figure out this online stuff for your subscriptions.