Is the shipping problem delaying the SE line?

[Jrlamont]

Hi all, just wanted to hear general thoughts about the impact of the shipping issue in the US and the SE line and see if anyone else has had issues getting their ordered guitars. I know PRS is doing everything they can, so this is definitely not a complaint thread rather it is to understand the actual issue better. PRS is amazing and I'm not focused on them as the problem.

I ordered 2 - SE guitars (24-08, and Zach meyers) back in March from Sweetwater and I am still waiting on them. I was originally told September, now being told January. Sweetwater said it is due to import problem and they say January is now maybe too optimistic.

Is anyone else experiencing something similar? I have seen the pictures of the hundreds of container ships sitting outside of the ports in California, does anyone know how this is impacting the SE line if at all?

 

[AP515]

I don't know, but I don't see how anyone escapes the backup. Shipping containers waiting offshore has to stop all traffic.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Just blame Boris Johnson, we all do!

 

[Jrlamont]

I don't know, but I don't see how anyone escapes the backup. Shipping containers waiting offshore has to stop all traffic.

Fair enough. I dont see how it wouldn't impact it either. I guess, mostly I have no idea how PRS imports the SE line. I'm just trying to learn a little about the backup rather than jumping to conclusions or making assumptions.

I know I will eventually get the guitars, and the longer I wait, the sweeter it will be when they arrive. But I also see this becoming a real issue too. I am worried about a guitar shipment, which is a nice problem to have. Some people are worried about essential supplies like food and such, so it definitely could be worse.

 

[AP515]

...I know I will eventually get the guitars, and the longer I wait, the sweeter it will be when they arrive. But I also see this becoming a real issue too. I am worried about a guitar shipment, which is a nice problem to have. Some people are worried about essential supplies like food and such, so it definitely could be worse.

Guitar interests aside, the last part of your comment is prophecy. I hear of shortfalls of essentials next year. Food harvests were very poor this fall and farmers are saying the winter will be bad for shortages. I have a friend who supplies Northern America with veggies from the South America and he says he can't ship his produce because of the shipping container shortage and a labor shortage because other countries are paying their day laborers not to work, just like the US. It's not looking good for fresh produce in the stores in the coming months. At the risk of sounding all gloom and doom, I suggest getting a month or 2 supply of durable food storage as a safety net.

 

[Jrlamont]

Guitar interests aside, the last part of your comment is prophecy. I hear of shortfalls of essentials next year. Food harvests were very poor this fall and farmers are saying the winter will be bad for shortages. I have a friend who supplies Northern America with veggies from the South America and he says he can't ship his produce because of the shipping container shortage and a labor shortage because other countries are paying their day laborers not to work, just like the US. It's not looking good for fresh produce in the stores in the coming months. At the risk of sounding all gloom and doom, I suggest getting a month or 2 supply of durable food storage as a safety net.

Well darn... that makes me feel better about my guitar situation.

 

[dogrocketp]

PRS ships their guitars in containers in their gig bags, in moisture resistant bags, inside cardboard boxes, with the headstock tips buffered by foam. By the way, the government isn’t paying people not to work, many of the wages are so low that people do better if they stay home. Several I have talked to would like to work and make a living wage. That’s not the case in many service industries.

 

[Ovibos]

By the way, the government isn’t paying people not to work, many of the wages are so low that people do better if they stay home. Several I have talked to would like to work and make a living wage. That’s not the case in many service industries.

This.

And one of the ares impacted is drivers - bus, truck, etc. This affects musicians with instrument shipping and touring. Living Colour had to cancels some recent dates due to inability to get transportation.

 

[CandidPicker]

As was previously mentioned in a post, because of increased online orders 1) pandemic-related, 2) pre-holiday related, 3) better economy, and because 1)west coast ports are not open 24/7, 2) backlog of ships arriving in port, 3) decrease of available truck drivers, this translates to a greater wait time for foreign overseas shipping.

The only way one might mitigate this process is to pay a premium for expedited shipping via air travel. While more expensive, but in fact produces a faster arrival time, expedited shipping may be one of the only solutions that can prevent your purchase stalling offshore while shipping ports handle the overload.

While this will likely cause a lot of indignation because consumers want things their way and refuse to overpay, especially when they've been watching for bargains and deals, shipping may very well be the bugaboo this season.

Retail dealers and sellers await your business, but they may not live up to their promise of whatever timeframe shipping stated on their website, unless they also are a shipping and delivery business themselves. Case in point, amazon, that has its own fleet of ground delivery trucks and drivers. Jeff Bezos foresaw the increased need for a better delivery system than what currently exists, especially when we see the conditions mentioned in my first paragraph.

I am quietly awaiting for Fractal's invitation to purchase their most recent product release, and expect that that may occur by month's end or beginning of November. I signed up on Fractal's waitlist Sep 28 5:59 PM / Confirmation message received Sep 28 6:00 PM. I estimate (because Fractal is located in New Hampshire, US) that shipping transit time will only be about 2 to 3 days. When I previously ordered Fractal products, handling time was 1 business day, plus 2 days transit time.

Shipping foreign overseas goods has already produced a backlog that may last well into the New Year, unless port managers finally realize that they, too, will need to stay open 24/7 and hire more workers that can handle the responsibility. The United States is one of only a few countries whose ports are not open round the clock. Union workers have somehow maintained control of this and won't likely budge until better management of the port system occurs.

Wait? Yes, be patient. You'll need to be if the major mail and package carriers won't be able to deliver your orders on time. It began last year during the pandemic. It's happening again, except no one foresaw the need, except some retailers like amazon.

 

[AP515]

...By the way, the government isn’t paying people not to work, many of the wages are so low that people do better if they stay home. Several I have talked to would like to work and make a living wage. That’s not the case in many service industries.

Ok, lets look at it. Wages are low. I agree. Yet, they didn't stay home the previous many years that crops were in the fields to harvest. They worked the fields, even at low wages. It was only when the government paid more in unemployment than they earned in the fields that they stayed home. So call it what you will, the government paid them to stay home. Should they be paid more? Sure. Will you pay more for cantaloupes so the farmer can pay a higher wage? Farmers will pay what the market will bare. And once you pay more, the cost of living increases and the wage is again low.

 

[HANGAR18]

I've done a LOT of bartering and trading in my life (usually out of necessity as I generally don't have a lot of cash laying around) and this week I started pondering the idea of trading my 2013 F150 pickup truck for a bunch of PRS guitars. I have a newer pickup truck that the wife doesn't want me to sell and used truck prices are REALLY high right now so I thought, seeing as how guitar prices are much higher that I would otherwise be willing to pay for them, why not trade my backup truck for a bunch of PRS guitars?

All I've gotta do now is find someone willing to do a deal like that.

 

[tdarian]

I've done a LOT of bartering and trading in my life (usually out of necessity as I generally don't have a lot of cash laying around) and this week I started pondering the idea of trading my 2013 F150 pickup truck for a bunch of PRS guitars. I have a newer pickup truck that the wife doesn't want me to sell and used truck prices are REALLY high right now so I thought, seeing as how guitar prices are much higher that I would otherwise be willing to pay for them, why not trade my backup truck for a bunch of PRS guitars?

All I've gotta do now is find someone willing to do a deal like that.

How many SEs is a “truckload”?

 

[HANGAR18]

How many SEs is a “truckload”?

Truckload:
1 used Private Stock doubleneck or 1 brand new normal Private Stock guitar.
or
3 brand new 10-Top or Wood Library PRS guitars.
or
15 brand new SE series guitars from the Indonesia factory.