A lot of people are probably already aware of this but I saw a story on NewsNation last night that Covid-19 has reduced manpower at the LA Port causing a back up of ships waiting to be unloaded. Although unrelated to last week's blockage in the Suez Canal last week, the effect is the same. Hundreds of container ships are sitting idly off the southern California coast waiting for their turn to get unloaded. Since much of our hobby's products come from China, this is undoubtedly affecting the supply chain. I'm seeing more and more items on Walthers website listed as Out of Stock. It's also affecting retail sales as well. I bought a set of traffic lights through Amazon last month and right from the start I realized it would be more than a month for it to be delivered when I saw it was being sent by a slow boat from China. Now we also have the bottleneck at the LA Port so there's no telling when the item might arrive. Fortunately, it's an item I don't have to have immediately.
Yep. Just read an article on how a bunch of container ships are sitting in San Francisco bay waiting for the spots at the port of Oakland to open up and they are delays there. It isn't as if we have been waiting on our toys for weeks, months and years. This will just add to it. I guess this is something for us to jaw about.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I ordered 10 Mubachi FK-280SA-14200 from a place that claimed to have some instock. It was less than $4 a piece with shipping so I took a chance. Interestingly it cam accross the ocean and through LA with no problem. But according to USPS tracking it has been moving within the system heading to it's next destination since the 17th of March when it was at Pocatello ID.
The conversation out there now, is shipping continer shortages.
Mike
My You Tube
There's no aspect of the logistics chain that isn't disrupted or hasn't been disrupted for a year now.
I buy off eBay for almost all my needs because all of the places I have bought from for years have closed. No electronic parts stores anymore and only one RC Hobby Shop left that stock a tiny amount of train items left in Bakersfield.So far I guess I’ve been lucky, no long delays in shipping. My China eBay orders have all been within the eBay shipping times and some have been faster than US orders. My recent US orders have been very fast, all ahead of promised time. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
DRGWGJCOI ordered 10 Mubachi FK-280SA-14200 from a place that claimed to have some instock. It was less than $4 a piece with shipping so I took a chance. Interestingly it cam accross the ocean and through LA with no problem.
Who did you order from? I've been looking for these motors for some time but the supply seems to have totally dried up. I had six on order but they were never received.
Hornblower
I just ordered on 3/30 wire markers to number wires. Delivery estimated at May 25 through June 10. They must weigh about an ounce total. Don't know why they don't plan to mail them.
I do most of my buying from Amazon now. Whatever I buy directly from them will probably arrive within a day or two. If it's from one of their many third party vendors, it can take weeks or months. It's interesting to track the package online to see where the hold ups are.
Lastspikemike Well, now we know why there's a shortage of shipping containers. Sitting on ships and full of stuff when they need to be emptied and returning to China.
Well, now we know why there's a shortage of shipping containers. Sitting on ships and full of stuff when they need to be emptied and returning to China.
It's no different than having a shortage of freight cars. Eventually cargo is going to back up because of no way to ship it.
RR_MelNo electronic parts stores anymore.
I am very lucky to have three very good electronic supply stores I can choose from. Unfortunately the closest one is two hours away, and the three of them are nowhere near one another.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
ndbprr Don't know why they don't plan to mail them.
Don't know why they don't plan to mail them.
Mail them on what? The planes aren't flying either.
On the thought of emptying shipping containers and sending them back. I thought that most were never returned because it was cheaper to ship iron ore and coal and make new ones. Perhaps I am mistaken again?
davidmurray I thought that most were never returned because it was cheaper to ship iron ore and coal and make new ones.
That ship stuck in the Suez had a bazillion containers on it. The US is a net importer, do you think they all get dumped here? If they did we would see stacks of empty containers somewhere
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddyIf they did we would see stacks of empty containers somewhere
Yes and those one were mostly headed to Europe. You see youtube spiels about using empty containers for the basis of a house, an underground bunker, etc.
An empty container on a ship takes up the same space as a full one.
Just try getting stuff out of the USA!!!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
NittanyLion ndbprr Don't know why they don't plan to mail them. Mail them on what? The planes aren't flying either.
I've gotten three packages mailed to me from three different sources in China over the last two months and they all got to me in less than two weeks !
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
BigDaddy davidmurray I thought that most were never returned because it was cheaper to ship iron ore and coal and make new ones. That ship stuck in the Suez had a bazillion containers on it. The US is a net importer, do you think they all get dumped here? If they did we would see stacks of empty containers somewhere
Big piles of empty containers do exist. But, two things happen: either they pile up somewhere (New Jersey is a common place) or they enter domestic service. Chinese containers are a common sight in agricultural areas because they were cheap semi-disposable trailers. Here in DC, for reasons I cannot begin to figure out, yellow 20ft MSC containers are frequently used as storage at construction sites. I guess a lot of them made it to Baltimore and never went home.
Mark R. NittanyLion ndbprr Don't know why they don't plan to mail them. Mail them on what? The planes aren't flying either. I've gotten three packages mailed to me from three different sources in China over the last two months and they all got to me in less than two weeks ! Mark.
Air volumes are still way, way, way down even if you've lucked out. It also makes a difference who handled that package and what the policies are on both ends of the trip.
Getting mail out of Europe to the US is still a mess from a lack of transatlantic passenger flights to cram mail into.
Lastspikemike They cleverly put the access doors on each side instead of just at the one end. The guy(s) who "invented" the shipping container did no such thing.
hornblower DRGWGJCO Who did you order from? I've been looking for these motors for some time but the supply seems to have totally dried up. I had six on order but they were never received.
DRGWGJCO Who did you order from? I've been looking for these motors for some time but the supply seems to have totally dried up. I had six on order but they were never received.
TNETOCURY which when I order somehow became QUAINTANCE DEBRIS REMOVAL AND JUNK LLC. Yesterday I contacted the USPS about why my package has been sitting in Pocatello ID for two weeks. The reply stated it that the tracking number was associated with an address in France? and that it went to ID do to a postal code that is the same??? and will be forwarded on or returned to sender????? They suggested I contact te sender as the name on the package is different in their image. ( they didnt send me the image. I have asked them to.)
So either I got the wrong tracking number and maybe it is stuck in LA somewhere or Maybe the whole thing is a scam. I have contacted Pay Pal to see if they can verify the tracking number and get to the bottom of this.
davidmurray On the thought of emptying shipping containers and sending them back. I thought that most were never returned because it was cheaper to ship iron ore and coal and make new ones. Perhaps I am mistaken again?
I had heard that same statement, but some years ago.
There also is some sort of shortage of pet food which I gather is also now largely a product of China and caused by the same backup of containers. I have noticed certain brands and flavors of cat food were not on the shelves last time I shopped. I was not aware that so much of it was made in China. I do recall years ago that dogs were dying from eating Science Diet dog food made in China, because the Chinese had been diluting the dog food with, of all things, melamine -- the stuff plastic dishes are made of!
Dave Nelson
It's cheaper to make the containers in China than to ship them back empty. They do ship some containers back to China, many of them have cardboard made in the USA since the Chinese cardboard is not sturdy. That's why you see many products from China with 2 layers of cardboard. I know this as fact as I was in the toy industry. A few other things go back to China from the US, but that is no where near the amount that stay here. In NJ by Newark airport, they stack them so high, it looks like the great wall of China (or it could be...).
Neal
Pls let's stop raving about Amazon. It also suffers from shipping issues. They apparently, lost one of my orders and needed a refund. Off to get it from a craft store. Sigh!
kasskaboose Pls let's stop raving about Amazon. It also suffers from shipping issues. They apparently, lost one of my orders and needed a refund. Off to get it from a craft store. Sigh!
I've had a couple issues with Amazon but none that they didn't make right. Items they stock in their own warehouses usually arrive within a day or two. I just bought an odd shade of green spray paint and it arrived today two days after I bought it. There's no telling how much time I would have spent trying to find a store that sold it.
With third party vendors, delivery time can vary quite a bit and that's where most of my problems have arisen. Whenever they can't deliver an item in a timely manner, they notify the buyer and give him the option to cancel the order for full refund. Amazon saves me lots of time and money. It's now my go-to store for most items I buy. I don't always get the best price but I save lots of gas by having them deliver merchandise to me.
nealknows It's cheaper to make the containers in China than to ship them back empty. They do ship some containers back to China, many of them have cardboard made in the USA since the Chinese cardboard is not sturdy. That's why you see many products from China with 2 layers of cardboard. I know this as fact as I was in the toy industry. A few other things go back to China from the US, but that is no where near the amount that stay here. In NJ by Newark airport, they stack them so high, it looks like the great wall of China (or it could be...). Neal
There's still some trade war echoes too. China reduced their volumes of US ag imports and more and more of that was going in containers. They can handle bulk products in containers now, like corn, in huge plastic bags. Fewer of those containers are finding their way home to be filled up with lawn furniture or whatever and cycle back.
They sell used containerts close to me, start at $500.
There are used containers for sale around here but they call then portable storage modules.
Joe Staten Island West
Well, not exactly hundreds of container ships. Maybe dozens around US ports.
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-118.1/centery:33.7/zoom:11
Red are tankers.
Green are containerships, Bulk freighters and general cargo.
Dark Blue are passenger.
Light blue are tugs, etc.
Pink are fishing.
Purple are private yachts.
Hover your cursor over the ship and it will tell you its name, and if you click on it, it will tell you where it came from, date of sailing and when it arrived at its current locale. Some will keep their data private, but those close to a port usually show the name.
There are a lot of containers out there.
If you wish you can view any part of the worlds shipping lanes.
You can widen the view and you will be amazed at the number of ships sailing the Seven Seas
James in Texas
That was so cool.