Strollers are a hot item these days!  Of course, it’s understandable when there’s a lot of great strollers to pick from, such as strollers from Uppababy, BOB Trailers, Baby Jogger, etc.  However, we’ve also been experiencing significant delays in receiving some them, leaving parents feeling frazzled and retailers taking the fall.  In my own defense, I have to say “It’s not my fault!”

It’s partially a lesson in international freight shipping…demand is exceeding supply and there aren’t enough ships to bring goods to market.  With the economic slow down in 2008 and 2009 shipping companies reduced their shipping capacity from Asia to the US.  Now that we’re coming out of that downturn, demand for consumer products in the US has gone up leaving companies scrambling to find space on cargo ships – the same space that would be needed for your stroller.  It’s true, most of our strollers are manufactured in China and lengthy shipping delays have led to shortages in stroller availability.

Until shipping capacity increases it’s likely that we’ll continue to experience some delays.  So if you’re waiting for a stroller, hang in there, your ship will come in soon!

If you’re curious for more information check out this article from Bloomberg or this post over at Daily Market.