AIBU to ask if you are all hearing about these import/export problems?

[Jacopo]

This seems to be flying under the radar of news reports but many people seem to be having problems with delays on house renovations/repairs/builds because of shortages of essential materials: doors, windows, glass, wood and - most recently - cement. Are other people hearing the same? These are delays of up to six months for essential components, and Brexit, Covid, and the Suez blockage are all being blamed for the holdup in imports.
On the other hand, a number of small UK exporting businesses which I have used (Facebook, Etsy) are reporting that their previous overseas customers in Germany and elsewhere are no longer buying their product because there’s too much red tape and expense involved.
Are other Mumsnetters hearing these reports? Is this what it’s going to be like going forward?

It's a global shipping problem basically due to Coronavirus. The US is having the same problems with trans-pacific shipping (so nothing to do with Brexit or the Suez blockage, although these will have some additional effects for Europe and UK). It seems to be a vicious circle.

There is an excellent article on:
uk.news.yahoo.com/why-world-shipping-crisis-150425568.html
www.businessinsider.com/shipping-crisis-causing-shortages-why-2021-6?r=US&IR=T

If you can't be bothered to read the article, to summarise.

1. Early 2020, shipping companies cancel voyages due to expected reduced factory output due to Coronavirus - they can't afford to run partly empty ships.
2. Late 2020 onwards, demand for consumer goods increases as people swap spending from travel, leisure and hospitality.
3. Boom in demand and lack of capacity at destination ports causes massive delays unloading ships - which then can't return to Asia on time to load up again. It also causes a shortage of empty containers in exporting countries.
4. A container shipment that cost $2,000 in 2019 is now quoted at $15,000 - $20,000
5. Result is shortage of products and price increases.

Yes, a lot of raw materials cant be produced due to Covid (lack of staff), bottlenecks at ports and the shipping container shortage.

There's a whole new industry which has sprung up to help businesses with import/export red tape too.

The Suez shipping canal blockage only exacerbated things so yes, there'll be a knock on effect for a while yet.

There was something on the radio just the other day about all the issues with building materials. I don't remember which programme it was but I know it's been an issue since covid started.

I'm in France, put in an order for building materials to our local builder's merchant on Friday ( cement, fermacell, rail, sand /gravel mix) and all was delivered the following Wednesday. There is a notice saying prices have gone up, and I'm glad I'm at the end of a renovation, but there is no shortage over here....

Yes. Uncle works in construction, this was predicted and told to govt...and of course ignored!

It's not actually quite as bad as they feared it might be. Predictions were 9-12 month delays the 6-9 months being experienced are slightly better

Regarding it not being "in the news" the quality of journalism in this country has seriously deteriorated, few have the balls to challenge the govt on pretty much anything and the few that do tend to get "cancelled" or cannot find any paper or tv company to publish/broadcast such news - we're beyond Orwellian at this point!

I'm surprised people are surprised especially on mn where the likely ramifications were widely and "loudly" discussed

@jcyclops

It's a global shipping problem basically due to Coronavirus. The US is having the same problems with trans-pacific shipping (so nothing to do with Brexit or the Suez blockage, although these will have some additional effects for Europe and UK). It seems to be a vicious circle.

There is an excellent article on:
uk.news.yahoo.com/why-world-shipping-crisis-150425568.html
www.businessinsider.com/shipping-crisis-causing-shortages-why-2021-6?r=US&IR=T

If you can't be bothered to read the article, to summarise.

1. Early 2020, shipping companies cancel voyages due to expected reduced factory output due to Coronavirus - they can't afford to run partly empty ships.
2. Late 2020 onwards, demand for consumer goods increases as people swap spending from travel, leisure and hospitality.
3. Boom in demand and lack of capacity at destination ports causes massive delays unloading ships - which then can't return to Asia on time to load up again. It also causes a shortage of empty containers in exporting countries.
4. A container shipment that cost $2,000 in 2019 is now quoted at $15,000 - $20,000
5. Result is shortage of products and price increases.

Interesting and makes sense, although I'd challenge you on "it's nothing to do with Brexit" - as you (also) say, of course Brexit is having a detrimental effect.

None of it is surprising but it's deeply depressing. I was chatting to a small business owner recently and she was explaining that the impact of Brexit on her business has been disastrous. Most of her suppliers are EU based, so her costs have risen significantly. She doesn't make enough of a profit to just absorb these costs so she is having to pass them on to customers, but that is really impacting on sales. It's a very difficult situation, and frustrating to think that, as a nation, we chose to inflict this on ourselves.

Good article jcyclops, I guess there’s some grounds for hope in that the Covid related problems will eventually clear, leaving “just” the Brexit ones. Graphista, it’s not so much that I’m surprised about the Brexit problems - you are right, we had plenty of warning - but more that I’m surprised there aren’t more people up in arms about it all. I mean cement is pretty basic. If we can’t get that, large building projects will stop.

There's a global shortage of bicycle parts.

Yes, I've seen it in the news quite a bit, it's a pretty well reported problem. I hope the Brexit related issues will settle down in time, otherwise we are fucked.

It is a global issue, exactly same shortages here in Canada, so not sure why people are so quick to blame Brexit.

Was chatting to the mechanic servicing my car this morning and he mentioned a part he was ordering from an EU country for another customer had gone up from £600 to £1000. He said because of import costs

Yes, we are trying to get an extension renovation and a tried and trusted builder we have used many times before warned us that the cost of building supplies has risen by 30% and this is unfortunately affecting his quotes.

Loads of people ordering items from the EU are being hit with unexpected customs charges (way more than VAT) and are baffled about how these are being calculated. Companies such as Etsy must be being hit severely because people are refusing to pay the extra charges and items are being returned to sender.

I agree, this is very much going under the press radar at the moment. Not for long though, I suspect.

I've noticed it, sort of. In that I'm getting some construction materials atm, a well known brand available from many retailers & websites. 2 years ago lots of smaller players were somehow able to undercut the bigger retailers, now they can't source the materials and are being hit by huge delays, the bigger retailers both have the stock but also were able to invest in new systems and supply chain changes so aren't being hit by delays to the same extent.

Yes big problem here as dp imports from Far East

Timber prices are going up 10% a month and the steel industry is a mess. Customers just won't be able to pay the prices soon so goodbye to good joinery.

My 9mm osb boards went up from £29 to £39 on Friday

I'm in the EU and used to buy a lot from the U.K. Have hardly bought anything this year. I know it's not quite what you asked but just so people know it's happening in this direction too. Many companies are not shipping to Europe (or are saying they're working on it, 5 months later!); a few are organised in a way that means nothing has changed and they have notices on their sites saying no extra customs fees or VAT will be charged; and some say the customer will be liable for charges and VAT. The last option means it's not worth buying anything over €22 unless you're making massive savings on the cost - a €25 order could incur more in charges than the cost of the order. But apparently it's what the British people wanted

but more that I’m surprised there aren’t more people up in arms about it all

Yea that bewilders and frustrates me too!

Particularly the silence/muted response from the fourth estate!

There are huge waits for white goods too. What a shambles, and what a poor idea. A combination of a stupid idea and an idiotic government.

Yes, Radio 4 PM did a whole week interviewing different industries to see how they were affected by changes to import/export paperwork etc since leaving the EU.

What they didn't do is ask which of the small business owners they interviewed actually voted for Brexit.

Friends, have you seen how OSB panels are made? I recently read how they are made on this blog www.build-review.com/types-of-finishing-osb/ . I used to think that this material is not reliable enough due to the fact that it is made from recycled raw materials, but I was wrong.

Yes even friends who are having relatively small jobs done are getting delays due to materials. Also a number friends with previously thriving small/sideline businesses, think Etsy types have seen devastating losses - they aren't surprised but are hardworking and devastated m

Yes to the second one. I live in Germany and it's taking a lot longer to get online stuff delivered from the UK, and some companies have had to reduce their product lines (British Corner Shop was my favourite, but they've stopped delivering about 80% of the products I used to order from them, although they say they hope to get back to normal soon). M&S still delivers and they're pretty fast but it's a right faff to return stuff now, you have to give in a customs declaration form at the post office.

DH works for a cinema chain and they are definitely having problems with supply of things like food and building supplies.

He was saying this morning that one of their suppliers told them that a big problem is that this country is currently roughly 50,000 HGV drivers short at the moment due to them being workers from abroad who have gone home either due to Brexit or covid, and many of them are now unable to return even if they wanted to.