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I wanted to share a few thoughts about the current industry situation, for those of you who might be shopping over the course of the rest of 2021. To give you some background, I founded this company back in 2011, so I have become very familiar over the years with the general process for how products go from design to the factory to a container to a port to the shipping lane to another port to the warehouse to a carrier to the customer. It is quite a process, and relies on so many systems working together seamlessly.
In our current situation, many of these systems have unfortunately been disrupted. In some cases, that is because of the extra protocols in place, and the additional time that means each step will take. In other cases, actual fallout from the virus has caused backups and disruptions. For example, at a port in Asia where one of our manufacturers ships its containers from, hundreds of workers apparently became sick at the same time, many of whom tested positive for Covid-19. So they had to shut down the port completely for around two weeks, while they try to get enough workers to function.
On top of those disruptions, we also are seeing unprecedented levels of traffic in the shipping lanes. Basically most items are produced in Asia, and to get from Asia to the U.S., they typically ship in containers on boats. We are apparently seeing an increased demand for goods right now, which is interesting in itself. But it has caused a huge increase in the number of container ships on the sea, clogging up the shipping lanes. This also causes delays, as they have to give each other enough space. And then when they get to the ports, there are often huge backups of vessels waiting to dock and unload. This causes the ports, with all those protocols also in place, to get extremely backed up.
I have never seen anything like this, and I would venture to say that if someone had been in this business for 40 years, she might say she also has never seen anything like this. It's truly a crazy time.
As a result, you will notice on the site there are a large number of products that show "Waiting List." If you see that, and you really want that product, go ahead and sign up to receive a notification when that item comes back in stock. You will automatically get an email as soon as that item is back. Or, if you need an ETA, just email us at service@officedesk.com and we would be glad to tell you when it is expected to arrive. Just remember that the timeframe may not be guaranteed, because of all that is going on. But we will give you the best information we have!
We will take pre-orders as well, if you want a product and you are willing to wait. You can enter a pre-order and be the first to have that product ship to you - all you have to do is call to place your order, and then one of the units being produced, or in the process of shipping over from the factory, will be shipped out to you as soon as it arrives.
In the end, please know that we will do all we can to keep you updated, to stay on top of your order, and to make sure you get the product you ordered as quickly as possible. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and may all of us be extra patient with those companies we do business with during this time, remembering that everything is just a bit more challenging than normal right now.
Many blessings to you, and thanks for stopping by.
Kevin
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