Cyberplaza is a shopping mall specializing in all things electronics in downtown Lima. Laptops, tablets, cell phones, video games, pirated software and accessories for all those categories.
Cyberplaza features at least 500 independent vendors. Most of them specialize in a specific area. And each area generally clusters their vendors. So you will pass five or six service technicians, and somewhere else you will see a group of video game vendors.
Some storefronts are large operations with large showrooms with shiny floors and a couple sales reps. Other vendors have little to no inventory and perform service repairs out of dusty workshops. Like most informal (maybe better to say “less formal”) markets, you may have to do some legwork and plenty of asking around to find something special. If what you need is standard, you could be in and out in minutes.
Maybe most attractive about Cyberplaza are inexpensive computer programming technicians. Computer crash, virus or spilled coffee in your laptop? The vendors in Cyberplaza have the basic programming training to get your device going again.
Unlike a big corporate store, you can definitely haggle with vendors in Cyberplaza. One disadvantage, or something to be aware of, is the inherently Peruvianness of the products and services in Cyberplaza. For example, I have a business model of an HP laptop which was never sold in Peru. So nobody in the entire mall had my exact keyboard in stock to replace the one I spilled coffee on. I found one vendor who had one which looked very similar, but of course it was in Spanish.
Talk to service vendors about what software they plan on putting on your computer if getting a configuration. In my experience, Latin American vendors will load you up with Microsoft products in Spanish.
How to get there
Cyberplaza
Av. Garcilazo de la Vega 1336
Cercado, Lima
202-5555
www.cyberplaza.com.pe
Cyberplaza on Facebook
Cyberplaza is in downtown Lima on Avenida Garcilazo de la Vega across the street from Real Plaza.
North of La Colmena, Garcilazo de la Vega avenue becomes Tacna. South of 28 de Julio it is Arequipa. And before it was renamed the more Peruvian “Garcilazo,” it was known as “Wilson.” So you will see Tacna-Wilson-Arequipa or Tacna-Garcilaso-Arequipa signs on the combis. These buses will take you past Cyberplaza.
You can also take the Metropolitano to the Estacion Central and walk one block west from Plaza Grau.
Any taxi driver will know Cyberplaza. If not, you can tell him the Palacio de Justicia and walk from Plaza Grau.
Layout
On the first floor and first basement levels you will find service technicians and all the computing categories: Laptops, tablets, cell phones, video games, software, accessories, service technicians and more.
On the second floor are graphic design businesses selling design services, printing for businesses, industrial printing machinery and accessories and more. On the third and fourth floors are administrative offices. The bottom basement is a private parking lot.
In the middle of the mall, in what they call a “bridge” (puente), staircases and an elevator split the mall in two. So each floor is staggered on either side of the staircases, with most of the action coming on the east side of the mall facing the entrance from Garcilazo.
In the basement is a service technician store with accessories which I use when I need help. Fernando is generous with help without having to buy, which is why I go back. See Japantec Store on Facebook or look for the storefront.
Pictures
For high-res slideshow viewing, see the Cyberplaza album on the Lima City of Kings Facebook page.
