Digital Piano Shortage | Report & Warning | Order and Shipping Problems because of Covid-19 | in 2021
No Digital Pianos for 2021? Reminds me of the previous "toilet paper" problem we had in early 2020...the demand is high and the supply is very low and hard to find. It is happening to digital pianos right now due to Covid-19! Please read this important new report.
Digital Pianos have always been popular with piano students, families, professional musicians, studios, piano teachers, and others for many years as a great way to enjoy piano playing as the newer models have really gotten much better in realism and quality. Some of them are truly amazing. Now due to Covid-19 and the extreme restrictions our country has had on traveling and life in general, people have become more isolated than ever before and have been looking for something good do do in their homes other than playing on their iPads, computers, or watching more endless TV or videos. With that in mind, digital pianos have become been more popular over the last 6 months than ever before. In fact the digital piano manufactures cannot keep up with worldwide demand and in the US some newer digital piano models are backordered up to 2-3-4 months or more in some cases until factories can catch up with the demand and shipping time can be reduced and we are not sure that will happen anytime soon. This is also due to restrictions on factory workers at the overseas factories and how those workers are allowed to work. There are restrictions on how many workers can be in the factory at one time along with restrictions in movement within those factories. These new restrictions causes big slowdowns in production output which puts a strain on the manufacturers having available inventory to ship and sell. In other words...demand is very high and supply is very low, not just here in the US but in various countries around the world.
If that all wasn't enough to cause major problems in getting new digital pianos, due to the rapid increase of on-line shopping during the worldwide pandemic, logistics companies like FedEx, UPS, Amazon, and freight companies in general are at maximum capacity right now in shipping all over the country. So what does all of this mean for the months ahead in 2021? It definitely does not look good if you are wanting a good new digital piano in a timely manner. These days, if you do not learn the art of "patience" in waiting for what you want, then you may not get it at all because other people will jump ahead of you on the "waiting list" for these products. This is not just true for digital pianos but also for other consumer products such as furniture, appliances, bicycles, parts, machinery, etc...all the things that people want and need for the inside of their homes as well as the outside of their homes.
With product backordered from companies like Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, Korg, and Casio to name a few, and logistics/shipping companies like the ones I mentioned earlier at maximum capacity in shipping product, the buying demand of shoppers is overloading "the system" and my prediction is that you may not get your digital piano purchase at all unless you order it NOW depending on the item you want. Think I am kidding or being overly dramatic? I am not. The "writing is on the wall" so to speak. The pandemic is creating havoc around the world in so many ways and even though some of us thought it would be going away by now...it obviously is not. Also, even though there are new vaccines becoming available for covid-19, there still are no guarantees how long they will work and how long it will take for a significant amount of people to get them...that will all take time. There are even new warnings for certain vaccines that they might not be appropriate for certain ages. It is all so new that there are bound to be issues and that will continue to put the brakes on normal product availability anytime soon.
People in the music industry that are "in the know" are already talking about it and are worried. As I mentioned earlier, on-line sales have risen dramatically for all kinds of consumer products because we are all indoors more and are looking for more and better things to do, for us and our children. With a huge surge of on-line shopping and demand for new digital pianos in all price ranges and in all configurations, you will likely not be able to get what you want or get it when you want it. Also, if you are waiting for a "lower price" that will also like not happen for along time because of big inventory shortages. The real question is "will you be able to get one at all at any price?" That's what the suppliers and manufacturers are worried about and then that trickles down to the consumer.
Be prepared, think about what you want now, what you can afford, and order it now! With FedEx, UPS, Amazon, and others being pulled in every direction, the factories not being able to keep up with demand because they are on a much lower output due to Covid-19 restrictions and not enough warehouse space for these companies to stock what they need, good luck on getting your favorite item! Yes, the manufacturers want your business and the shipping companies want your business, but they can only do so much. Another thing holding up shipping and causing long delays is the product coming in from overseas is now getting backed up at the main ports and docks receiving the shipments. Shipping and receiving ports & docks up and down California where most products from Asia (Japan, China, etc) are coming in from are also causing big problems. This is because they are extremely backed up in the water and at the docks because of Covid restrictions on the dock workers and the factories trying to catch up with demand and too many ships are trying to get unloaded at the docks all at one time. In fact, these days they are actually asking freight ships that are coming towards the docks to turn around and sit it our for 2 weeks or more because they have too many ships waiting in line already. It's like being on a plane and the runway is full and their is a long backup on the runway so your plane needs to fly around in circles for hours or even turn around and go back to the originating airport or another airport somewhere else. Think I am kidding? I am not...you can go check on Google and see what it is like at the docks in California. It's really a big mess and it's going on right now and probably will continue to be that way for a long time. This obviously will not make you any happier but we are all dealing with it on a personal level and it is affecting other consumer products (and pricing) in a big way.
Do yourself a big favor. DO NOT wait until the last minute to purchase what you want to get for you or someone. My strong advice is...DO NOT WAIT because you will likely be sorry and then can't say I have not warned you. These ongoing product shortages in the digital piano industry is a big problem and we see it first hand all the time. The manufacturers keep warning us to expect product and shipping challenges over the next many months like never before. They also tell us that they have never in their history seen it like this before. For them it's a good problem to have in that so many people are wanting digital pianos for their families and/or for themselves and purchasing more digital pianos than ever before in the US. But with such low production from their factories due to covid-19 and additional problems getting these pianos shipped to the US and unloaded on the docks and then transported to their US warehouses in a timely manner, piano shoppers/buyers will likely continue to have problems getting the digital piano that they want. .
We are in unprecedented times and things are not normal as everyone knows. You cannot expect that your expectations will be met when it comes to buying and getting the products you want in the next many months ahead. Will you actually be able to get a new digital piano at all and/or get it in a timely manner? That's the real question and by what I am seeing right now, the answer is maybe not, but if you do you may be one of the few because the manufacturers will or already have run out of stock on that model or maybe in the color cabinet you would want. Don't take a chance...be an "earlier bird" and pick out your digital piano now and get it ordered or you will likely lose out and the wait time will be even longer and your wait will be longer!
Want to know more about this subject and the challenges ahead in getting a new digital piano that you want? Also, do you want to know how to still get a few of the popular new digital pianos for even LESS money and also not have to wait quite as long or at all in a few cases? Then you need to contact us right away so we can talk about it. I am here to help you get the digital piano that will work well for you and your musical needs and within your budget. Whether you are looking at new Yamaha, Casio, Kawai, Korg, Roland, Samick, or other brands, contact us before you buy anything anywhere so that we can give you helpful advice. You'll be glad you did!
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me right away at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
