We're about to start building a house, I'll get back to you on that. ):

I've had three instances in the past year where my credit card has been charged, an item has "shipped" but never arrives. The tracking information shows that the item never moved out of the original city of shipment. In all cases, I was eventually refunded the charge, however it resulted in me being out of pocket for ~2 months each time. Prior to the last year, I never saw anything like this. I suspect that this may be a ploy for cash strapped merchants to get a short term loan as they would get the funds 3 to 5 days after the credit card is charged, and not have to settle the return for 2 months.

How about the new car shortage? My lease is up, the local dealer doesn't have my model in stock. I can order one and get it in December/January. Maybe. And the monthly payment would be twice what I'm paying now.

Went to a Honda dealer to look at CR-V. They had one in stock - the basic model, no frills. Lease is $616 per month!!!! I could buy a car for that monthly payment!

Ordered a night stand from West Elm for DGD for her new college house she and 3 others are renting this year. It was ordered on July 5 with an estimated delivery on Aug 26-28. Not bad as she was moving in at the end of July. Got a notification about a mid-Aug it would be delivered at the end of October. I suspect it is on a boat off Califorrnia and may/may not ever arrive. We are on the hunt again for something that will match her other furniture. I'll cancel this order if she finds something that's not outrageously expensive. I have not been charged and the lady I spoke with recently was very nice and subtly suggested we do that. Ugh!

@jerseygirl07603 z6NJ.....our BMW dealership has one car in stock. ☺ ☺ I found a fully loaded 4x4 SUV w/ 19K miles. I just looked it up & a stripped down version, rear-wheel-drive w/ 19K miles is selling for $4k more than I spent 2 months ago. That's how fast the prices are going up!

I was just told, after contacting corporate...since no one was telling me anything....that the title paperwork has not even been sent out yet.....and they can reissue my temporary tags two more times....for an additional 4 months! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!

We need a four wheel drive Suburban.

Thought this was very interesting from The Atlantic magazine regarding supply chain shortages.

"The U.S. economy isn’t yet experiencing a downturn akin to the 1970s period of stagflation. This is something different, and quite strange. Americans are settling into a new phase of the pandemic economy, in which GDP is growing but we’re also suffering from a dearth of a shocking array of things—test kits, car parts, semiconductors, ships, shipping containers, workers. This is the Everything Shortage," Derek Thompson writes.

"The coronavirus pandemic has snarled global supply chains in several ways. Pandemic checks sent hundreds of billions of dollars to cabin-fevered Americans during a fallow period in the service sector. A lot of that cash has flowed to hard goods, especially home goods such as furniture and home-improvement materials. Many of these materials have to be imported from or travel through East Asia. But that region is dealing with the Delta variant, which has been considerably more deadly than previous iterations of the virus. Delta has caused several shutdowns at semiconductor factories across Asia just as demand for cars and electronics has started to pick up. As a result, these stops along the supply chain are slowing down at the very moment when Americans are demanding that they work in overdrive."

It isn't just pandemic cheques, It's all those people who were/are still working and suddenly the normal ways that they would spend their money such as on eating out or travelling, are now spending that money on their homes where they are now spending most of their time and on sports equipment that will take them outdoors where it's the safest place to be.. I know it's hard to buy a car right now but have you tried to buy a bike lately? Especially e-bikes?

I hear horror stories all the time about delayed arrivals for ordered stuff. WE were going to the Apple store for a new phone and iPad but will wait now that I read this. Also, our Subaru dealer wants us to extend our lease on our 2019 Outback which has never happened before in other leases.

I've been looking for Shout (laundry stain remover) for weeks. Sold out in all our local stores and, as of a few days ago, on-line.

Also, we purchased a fireplace log set in July as it was the last one in stock and it would be a three month wait at minimum if we didn't grab the one they had.

Back in June, I went shopping for a new vehicle. I was told I could still get a 2021 but it would not be in until Oct. If I wanted a 2022 it would be at least 12 months. For a trade, the dealer offered me almost as much as I orginally paid for my 3 year old vehicle. In addition, they wanted a substantial deposit. Last night I received a call telling me my new vehicle had been built and shipped with an estimated arrival of next week. Keep you fingers crossed they honor the orginal price quote and the trade in value and that the vehicle finally arrives.

For our business, we ordered a new truck in Sept. 2020. It was delivered to the dealer in April 2021 but is still at the dealer waiting for back ordered equipment. We bought a second truck off the dealer lot in June 2021 and it is still at the dealer's waiting for back ordered equipment. It is a nightmare trying to get equipment.

Critical truck parts are on nationwide backorder. If a medium or heavy truck goes down, chances are it will be waiting months for the parts to fix it. There are truck tire and battery shortages. Couple all that with the shortage of truck drivers and the supply chain is going to get worse. Even if the items are in the USA, there are fewer and fewer trucks to haul those goods.

Here are a couple of quick tidbits:

Ford has already closed dealer truck ordering for the 2022 model year.

Freigthliner just cancelled chassis orders to a large group of the secondary equipment market.

Mack truck has already closed orders through 2023.

Now explain to me how commerical truck owners are going to meet the California environmental requirements for truck replacement or engine upgrades when there is no avialability? If you think the supply chains in CA are tight and prices are high now, hold on to your hats. It is going to be interesting.

BTW There is always a delay in ordering a new iPhone after it's been announced. Apple is not having a supply chain problem, yet. There have been power supply issues at Foxconn.

When I find surprising each time is what it is that's running short. While I wasn't looking for them, I noticed that every single cotton ball was gone today. What? Why? The weirdest part is, I'll try like three or four stores, and every store will be out of whatever that thing is. Because I'll think, maybe it's because of their drivers, but maybe the next store will be okay because it's a different chain. Nope. So weird!

Cotton is predicted to go up 50%. Buy your clothes, sheets, 'whatever' now. (I only saw the headline; don't know why.)

But isn't that the type of news we've heard about everything? it's crazy how there's a shortage of so many things.

Want to make an offer for a pair of holey garden pants?

There are about a half dozen on hand, so unless there is substantial demand, you won't need to stay up late worrying about non-delivery.

Sorry -- can't offer free shipping (unless you're willling to offer a premium price for the merchandise).

Also sorry - can't be providing matching patching swatches. But ... I think I can provide some old socks (also holey).

ole joyfuelled

Perhaps it's the same for the larger East Coast ports too but the adjacent ports of San Pedro and Long Beach in SoCal are incredibly backed up. There are so many ships waiting that they started sending ships to anchor outside of previously designated anchorage areas. The anchor of one of these ships in an area pressed into emergency service severed an oil pipleline last week and caused an oil spill.

The attached image is from a vessel tracking webisite as of today. The yellow and orange dots in this image (click to enlarge) are commercial ships. Those outside of the close clusters at anchor nearer the beach are the overflow, ships for which there are no anchorage spots and which have been sent offshore to simply drift while waiting.

My brother moved from northern Thailand in mid-July. His stuff is still sitting offshore Los Angeles. He's living in downtown Chicago with rented everything for now.

I heard it is due to a truck driver shortage and dock workers. They were discussing it today on CNBC (financial network), that they can't unload the ships because of a lack of workers on the ground.

It was brought up that if trucking companies raised the pay and increased hours for truckers, it might lure more workers into the field.

Jane

It's weird that some areas have what other areas don't. I do most of my shopping up at my camp in NW PA. I have a hard time finding my favorite pop at my Walmart. But my daughter's Walmart (SW PA) has plenty. She can't find the cat food she uses, but I have no problem finding it at my Walmart. So I buy her cat food and she buys my pop.

I'm glad I'm not in the market for any big items. I wonder if you pay for something in full with a CC and after 9 months the business closes and you still never receive the product, can you still stop payment through the CC company? Is there a length of time on that?

My co-worker bought new furniture almost a year ago and got it in bits and pieces with the final pieces coming in last week. The principal at my school bought a new Subaru this summer and said she sold her used Subaru for more than what she paid for it originally.

My baker friend told me that businesses are stealing workers from other businesses with better pay and benefits, and prices across the board will go up 40%. She has a smallish business and is feeling the effects, having to hire and train, and correct issues of newbies on the fly.

"I heard it is due to a truck driver shortage and dock workers. They were discussing it today on CNBC (financial network), that they can't unload the ships because of a lack of workers on the ground."

A search and quick perusal of articles from a variety of sources suggests the problems have many causes.

Apparently the information systems and info sharing capabilities used in US ports for all parties involved in the arrival and transshipment onward are antiquated and less capable than what's typical at ports in other countries. Other countries clear containers from port areas and move them on their way more quickly by using trains to a much greater extent than is done in the US. port systems. Another example mentioned that I saw in several different pieces was that many large importers - Amazon was cited and there are several others - have large warehouses and product handling facilities inland, in the so-called Inland Empire area about 70 miles from the ports. Most containers move there by truck - one truck for each container rather than travelling by rail. Another cited problem, for containers that do travel by rail to the Midwest, often to a railroad operated yard near Chicago. is that the yard is overwhelmed by the volume it needs to process. At one point, it closed to new arrivals for a period so that it could work down the existing backlog.

The picture painted is a poorly organized and poorly functioning transportation "network" that is not much of a network. It's backed up at many choke points and is ill equipped to handle the increased volume.

A week ago my mega grocery store had zero paper products, no Purina One dog food, no chicken thighs and were low on other items. I went to a small local store and they were stocked to the brim with all the products the megastore didn't have. Tonight though the big store was partially filled.

Check out the car dealerships --they are obviously down stock. Several friends have not been able to get washers/dish washers. Our Church renovation is currently at a stand still part way done waiting for materials to arrive we hear are on those boats outside of LA harbor waiting to be unloaded. They are saying we are looking at 7 most delay. Shutting down our supply chains, paying workers premiums to sit at home--not working out for us on many levels.

I get my one prescription from Optum RX-They are out of them and no idea when they will get them. Had to call the doctor and have him order a different one. I wonder if there will be a shortage of medication too.

I wonder if there will be a shortage of medication too.

think about where most medications come from. not too many makers here in the states.

i ordered a pair of wrought iron outdoor chairs in September on-line. Said delivery in 12-14 weeks...

received an email about 2 weeks later - Delivery April 14th!

they are made in USA. problem i am guessing is material and labor shortage.

i am just hoping they don't cancel the order altogether:(

DH just went on line to order Carthartt jeans, could not place order, could not B/O, no option for buying at all. this was on their website

My experiences with supply chain delays are minimal, but here's an interesting article in The Washington Post, which is owned by Jeff Bezos.

I am currently waiting for my order from Pure Protein for my protein drinks. I placed the order on Oct 1 and was told it would take 1-3 business days. I still have not received my order, and the revised acknowledgement says 4-8 business days. I hope it gets here before I leave for Los Angeles. Also, most of their products are not even available at all.

@Lynda (Zn9b/23 - Central CA Coast), what you state is similar to a concern of mine. I have little doubt that Apple and the big box stores will hang around. It's the local fireplace business I'm most worried about. If they're not getting product, then they're not working. Not sure how long they can weather carrying costs for doing little business.

Not supply chain related, but a large Dutch aluminum producer is halting manufacturing due to the cost of energy. Is that inflation?

"paying workers premiums to sit at home-"

What does this mean/what does it refer to?

Zalco - here's the story on Aldel, the aluminum producer who is stopping production until early 2022 due to increasing electricity costs.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/dutch-aluminium-maker-aldel-halt-output-due-power-prices-2021-10-08/

Inflation is starting to creep up so watch governments try really hard to curb the rise. Rising transportation costs and energy costs are part of the reason for the increase in inflation.

Thanks, blfenton. I read about it in the FT, as well. I still wonder if we are not seeing signs of inflation here. In which case supply chain issues, meeting inflationary pressure, could spell out some serious turbulence for the global economy.

All our local restaurants and stores have Help Wanted signs out. A commentator on the local news said Amazon and big warehouses are where their employees are going for much more money.

Shutting down our supply chains, paying workers premiums to sit at home ...

Even I know what that means ... workers could stay at home, and until recently, receive get a weekly C19 enhanced unemployment check. Many could earn more at home with their butts on the couch than they could have earned at work ... plus fewer expenses; childcare {if any} plus lower/no transportation expenses.

Waiting on two orders, one of daffodil and one of lily bulbs from Brecks. An email said they were shipped Sept 21 and Sept 28. I know I can plant up until snow flies but I'd prefer to get them in the ground by the end of this month.

Sorry, that's politicized baloney.

What percentage of recipients of these benefits live within commuting distance of a congested port or logistics center? Is it okay to get the benefits if you've lost a job if you're in Kansas but not if living near Charleston or Houston or Long Beach?

Have registered Republicans and residents of red states, people who think of themselves as principled and who share these extremist views, returned government checks or refused to register for benefits?

Does losing a job and qualifying for benefits automatically qualify someone to be a truck driver?

Nonsense.

"Check out the car dealerships --they are obviously down stock"

I am only in my 40s, but in my life, I've never seen new car dealership lots almost empty. A bizarre scene.

I’m in the kitchen remodeling biz and sell cabinets. Appliances have long waits for delivery, and cabinets can take 6 months now from American factories. I have several jobs in production right now and I might expect a cabinet delivery and then I’m told it will be a few more weeks. Clients are living without working kitchens for months. I decided to retire at the end of this year and I stopped taking on new projects in June. I wish I stopped sooner!

I forgot about this one….I got a crack in my car windshield back in early May when the DOT was re-paving a large section of highway I travel almost daily. The crack grew to about 5” and is in the upper right corner (passenger side) so not really a distraction. It still isn’t replaced because apparently BMW is having difficulty getting in any windshields. It has the HUD (heads-up display) so you can’t just get any old windshield and i only want original BMW equipment, not a knock-off. Part of the delay was an early miscue between my insurance company and the BMW collision center, but that was resolved (hey, things happen), but here we are.

I am seeing spaces on the supermarket shelves. But luckily it hasn’t affected my favorites.

Yeah I notice little things RN. Like cat litter has been running low at Wallyworld. So I bought a huge box even though I just bought a huge box a couple weeks ago. (only have the one moggy) so - I contribute to further shortages lol.

Holy cow! Here we go again with paper products, tp and paper towels.

Here in Australia the perspective is a little different. Right now, there don't appear to be too many shortages, but the experts are warning they're coming, along with higher prices, for things like meat and fresh produce. The abattoirs and meat processing plants have had their production cut by something like 20% to comply with covid-safe work regulations. Farmers have been heavily reliant for years on the backpacker population to pick fruit and harvest crops, but of course they're not here because of our closed borders, and the program to bring in Pacific Islanders to replace them is still quite small.

Aside from those largely domestic issues, we're coping with some of the same problems that the rest of the world is facing. Covid has closed down some of the big ports, especially in Asia, which has obviously disrupted supply chains. Ships are sitting offshore waiting to unload, and that has contributed to a shortage of shipping containers. And we keep hearing of ships whose whole crews have had to be quarantined because Covid is running through the crews.

Worldwide car manufacturing is well down on normal levels because of the shortage of chips due to Covid outbreaks in the main manufacturing countries (Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc). Reduced manufacturing capacity in Asia generally as a result of Covid is further contributing to supply issues. And of course China is having its manufacturing capacity hamstrung by coal shortages (in part a product of its trade skirmishes with Australia) which have led to ongoing power outages. I understand Apple and Tesla in particular have been affected.

So, we're looking at a perfect storm of circumstances contributing to the problem. That said, we have no shortage of toilet paper here in Aus so all is good 😉

Major countries producing semiconductor materials or providing different manufacturing steps (there are many and they are different) include China, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. Not Vietnam.

Inside edition is on the case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSrovfADQ5o

I stand corrected on Vietnam but I stand by the larger point of my comment.

There's an interesting article in today's NY Times about one node of the distribution system that's clogged like others. The port of Savannah, GA, is currently holding 80,000 shipping containers, which is 50% more than normal. Included in that number are 700 containers that have been waiting at the port for 30 days or more, waiting for their owners to pick them up.

Also mentioned is that the congestion is a worldwide phenomenon.

Anyone interested can look at sites like vesselfinder.com and zoom in to see the status at various ports. Major ports in Western Europe, in the US, and throughout major ports in Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China) have unprecedented queues of ships at offshore anchorages waiting for berth space to become available to load or unload.