With nothing to watch at theaters me and the wife have decided to catch up on some series. We're rewatching Breaking Bad (her for the first time) and loving it. We plan to catch up with American Gods and rewatch Deadwood and Six Feet Under...
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We used to get things in 2 days, every time. No exceptions.

Now they have the COVID excuse and everything takes a week.

And it's not a SHIPPING problem because stuff sits in the warehouse for 3 or 4 days before they ever put it on a truck. It still only takes 2 days to actually get here, it just takes them forever to actually process an order.
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Before COVID, Amazon offered Same Day Delivery but in the past year, it's taken anywhere from 2 days to a week or more for items to be delivered. It was better for a while but lately, it's reverted back to 3-5 days minimum and from my understanding, that's due to the shortages worldwide.

There are more than 35 massive cargo ships sitting in the Port of Los Angeles right now, which doesn't help, either. But I think it's only going to get worse as manufacturers backstock is nearly completely depleted and now, we're seeing shortages worldwide. With the chip shortage, which are driving electronics up 30% or more, including TV's, along with other shortages throughout the supply chain, we're going to be facing a tough road for the next few years including price hikes and possible inflation. It's actually pretty scary, IMO.

Here's a picture of the Port of Los Angeles a few weeks ago. It's insane. On clear days, I can see the South Bay from my master bedroom and the number of ships is just staggering. At one point, there were more than 35 ships waiting to unload and this while dock workers are working 24/7.


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That’s fucking madness. Why are they sitting outside the harbor? Is it a labor thing to get them unloaded or what?
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Yeah, it's labor. And it's not a labor shortage, per se, it's just that they cannot unload the ships fast enough.

COVID really changed everything, from the way people shop to the way we eat to the way we exercise to the way we work. Companies just can't keep up with the demand and there's been an explosion in home gym equipment from Pelaton, Tonal, Echelon, Horizon and so many others.

Prices just keep increasing due to shortages but it's not stopping people from purchasing items in stock. My best friend has owned his own Pro Audio/Musical Instrument online business since 1999 and he's about to go under because he can't get product. I mentioned in a related thread that computer parts are sky high right now as well and there's no end in sight, especially with the chip shortage. I paid $179 plus tax for a dopey GeForce 1030 Graphics card, which was $49 dollars a year ago but if I wanted to complete my computer, I didn't have any choice but to purchase the card at that price.

My biggest fear is that once people have become accustomed to paying 30% more for items is that those prices will never come down again, even after there's plenty of stock. It really feels like a slippery slope and I sure as hell hope I'm wrong.
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Dude, I wish I could tell you you're wrong but you know damn well you're not.

People get desensitized to the price increases over time.
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Some items will remain high, but others have already dropped in price, TVs and other commodity items. Even new 2021 models are already selling for under MSRP.

As items begin to roll back into stock, demand will decrease and prices will follow.
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The chip shortage is expected to raise the price of TV's by 30% or more later this year and into next year, so just like with computer parts, if you're planning to buy, buy now because the prices are not coming down anytime soon.
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That'll be short term pain. When supply eases, it'll return to normal.

Video cards are up 200-300% due to lack of availability. About the only way to buy one right now is in a pre-built computer. Even those people are buying up and reselling the GPU.

I was pissed that my video card died last right before Black Friday and the best thing I could find that wasn't stupidly priced was a 1050Ti for just over $100.

That same card is now going for $400+. Just ridiculous.
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People who aren't working for UPS, FedEx, USPS, or Amazon just don't understand the sheer volume of shit that is flowing through all those entities. It is pure insanity the amount of packages being delivered these days. Think of it as Christmas season times five for going on a year and a half straight.
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I haven't had any issues with UPS, FedEx, or USPS. Once stuff actually ships, I get it in short order.

Walmart has free two-day shipping and if I place an order right now at 2:10pm central, Walmart will pull my item and ship it TODAY.

Amazon will tell me that it is arriving next Tuesday and then actually ship the item SUNDAY NIGHT.
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Amazon has gotten most stuff, 95% plus I'd say, to me within 2 days some next day. Benefit of living in Wichita I guess.
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Again, it's not my location. When stuff ships, I get it in 2 days.

They purposefully are setting delivery dates out a week or more and then waiting 6-7 days to actually ship the item.

My Amazon order volume has dropped by 75% in the last 3 months because I simply can get better deals elsewhere.
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Amazon Delivery sucks ass. Those people try, but they are just bad at their jobs.
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I'm pretty sure i'm waiting on some parts that are sitting on one of those ships.

It's taking its toll on the aftermarket automotive industry right now.

Anything that's cool/custom is on a 2month back order right now. These types of parts use to be in the 1-2 week range.

A couple that come to mind:

Dakota Digital Gauges: 2 Months.
American Autowire Chassis Harness: 2 Months
Dapper Headlights: 2 months
Rod & Custom Suspensions: 1.5 Months
IDIDIT Steering Columns: 2 Months
Griffen Radiators: 2 months

Those are just the ones off the top of my head.

Meanwhile, customers are spending money on their cars like ive never seen. Sales this year have been fantastic. Last year they were great too. But now all of sudden we can't get the parts to fill the orders, lol.

But we have this increase in sales coupled with a decrease in availability. I o
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