COVID-19 Shipping Delays, Free Shipping and Potential Price Increases
As you may have heard in the news, shipping delays are happening across the boards due to COVID-19.
We are doing our best to ensure orders for e-commerce and wholesale are going out the door promptly. On the manufacturing side we have seen unprecedented ingredient and raw materials delays. We have had suppliers who gave us new lead times of one year (!) for packaging we use regularly. We have container and truck shipments going much slower than normal.
On the e-commerce and wholesale shipping side, orders shipping via all carriers are taking longer than normal. USPS and Canada Post in particular are taking WEEKS longer than normal for packages to arrive. The Washington Post reported on some of these issues just before Christmas:
"Some processing plants are now refusing to accept new mail shipments. The backlogs are so pronounced that some managers have reached out to colleagues in hopes of diverting mail shipments to nearby facilities. But often, those places are full, too. Meanwhile, packages sit on trucks for days waiting for floor space to open so the loads can be sorted." - Washington Post
At the same time our shipping is delayed, prices of shipping have gone up. For many orders we give "free" shipping which means the shipping cost comes out of the product price. Since shipping actually costs us quite a bit and prices are going up, we are going to have to evaluate our free shipping thresholds this year. For now they will remain the same but they may have to change at some point.
Right now for USA e-commerce orders we have free shipping for orders over $49. We also have free shipping specials for wholesale orders.
In our manufacturing and shipping facility we have strict COVID protocols and any staff who show signs of symptoms are to go home immediately and get tested and quarantine. We have had a long standing policy for years that no staff are to work who feel sick, as we need to maintain sanitation in our production space. With our small team, we don't hire temp workers so we have to make it all work with our limited staff.
Future price increase concerns:
On the ingredient and raw materials side, we are seeing farmers, distributors and manufacturers alert us to possible permanent price increases ranging from 10% up to in one case almost 100%. In some cases we will be able to absorb these price increases but with some ingredients we will have to see as the year progresses. It is becoming more expensive to manufacture basic body care, soap and cleaning products which is concerning.
We are continuing to do our best to manufacture products quickly, ship products quickly and keep up with demand as well as keep our pricing fair, despite the challenges of COVID-19. Thank you for understanding and your support!
