As a wordsmith of sorts, I’ve been asked by several entities to explain why a number of lines and highly sought after items still haven’t arrived. In a word, COVID.

The Corona virus has had a huge impact on virtually every aspect of the supply channel, from manufacturing to logistics and everything in between. Obviously, if there are far few workers making each item then it takes quite a bit longer to deliver each model to market. Now, add to that the fact that workers in China have already begun their annual migration from the factories to their native homes ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year, some with the expressed desire of not returning to the factories, for whatever reason, and you have a situation that can turn the most resolute planner into a Mad Hatter.

Second, a great deal of manufacturers have re-located from the Chinese mainland to other countries in the hopes that they can continue producing low cost goods with some degree of regularity and at affordable prices. The problem, as some have begun to realize, is that COVID has had a direct impact on shipping, causing many ships to take far longer to reach their ultimate destination here in North America than what was originally forecast. One distributor we work with claims that in several instances it has taken over two months for a container ship to leave Bangladesh to reach one of our west coast ports. One ship, that left Bangladesh in November, is still moored in Kobe, Japan. Naturally, this has led to congestion at these very same ports, which again creates a bit of a logjam in the system as they are then forced to wait for the next available truck or train to take them to the distributor. Add a few nasty weather fronts to the mix, delays with all of the major carriers coming out of the holiday season, and you have the recipe for a perfect storm that produces endless delays from start to finish, as well as a ludicrous way to make any reliable forecasts.

Having said all that, it truly does not help to send us an endless stream of messages asking about the whereabouts of your order when we update our web site on a daily basis as soon as we have learned new information from each of the manufacturers and distributors we deal with. Moreover, we send out regular newsletters which shows, in handy graphical form, the latest arrivals along with those items expected in the not-too-distant future. We also have gone to great lengths to explain everything we do on our First Time User Information page in an effort to be as transparent as possible amidst this pandemic. If, at the end of the day, you still do not understand that COVID has caused a great upheaval in the market, we would prefer that you do not place your order with us since we simply do not have the time to explain this over and over again ad nauseum. I know its probably not what you want to hear at the end of the day but I’d prefer to give you the bare facts than blow smoke your way with false promises and heady illusions. That said, stay healthy, stay safe, and above all else, hug and kiss your loved ones in lieu of mindlessly staring at an empty space on your bookshelf as you await the next collectible to arrive. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.