'Out of Stock' UK

[Polar Bear]

We did a day trip to Ambleside last week partly for a day out but also partly because we both needed new rain jackets.  The biggest outdoor gear shop in Ambleside was well stocked with the racks positively brimming over with size medium.  Anything else and you could forget it.  It was a similar story in most of the other outlets and choice was distinctly lacking.

In the end we both bought jackets in the Rohan shop.  Pricey but very good quality and even more importantly, available.

[TimC]

Cement products. I'm building an extension. I need cement, or readymix mortar. For the latter, the sole seller on Amazon who has any stock (none of the local DIY sheds do) is charging £15 for a 20kg bag. That's a bit steep. But wait - you want two bags? That'll be £45. Three will be £100. This is fucking crazy!

[orienteer]

My builder can't get sand, says HS2 (being constructed nearby) has bought it all!

[Peat]

There's that many empty containers at the railhead for East Midlands Gateway* (A newish complex of all the main logistics players) they've bought in extra lifting gear to stack them higher. I don't know how it'll be sorted, or who's paying.

On this, I gather that since the EU put an end to shipping all it's plastic waste to Asia to burn, we are now buried in the things.
We aren't exporting anything to Asia, so all the containers are migrating here. No-one wants to pay (the ever increasing cost) to move air back to Asia, so they are making new containers their end and adding it on the bill... So much for single-use plastic. Single use ISO's are the next environmental crisis.

[Peat]

I also heard that the bike industry has basically pre-bought the lions share of the worlds Aluminum supplies for this year.

My informant told me if you wanted to get ski-poles, get them now as there won't be any stock come winter. 

[Canardly]

Cement products. I'm building an extension. I need cement, or readymix mortar. For the latter, the sole seller on Amazon who has any stock (none of the local DIY sheds do) is charging £15 for a 20kg bag. That's a bit steep. But wait - you want two bags? That'll be £45. Three will be £100. This is fucking crazy!

Try a Wickes OPC search Tim. It will be call and collect only and may involve a drive but it is £4.15 a bag where available.

[DuncanM]

There's that many empty containers at the railhead for East Midlands Gateway* (A newish complex of all the main logistics players) they've bought in extra lifting gear to stack them higher. I don't know how it'll be sorted, or who's paying.

On this, I gather that since the EU put an end to shipping all it's plastic waste to Asia to burn, we are now buried in the things.
We aren't exporting anything to Asia, so all the containers are migrating here. No-one wants to pay (the ever increasing cost) to move air back to Asia, so they are making new containers their end and adding it on the bill... So much for single-use plastic. Single use ISO's are the next environmental crisis.

Can we turn the containers into housing at this end? 2 birds, one stone.

[Peat]

Well, I'm told that a load of the Scottish Islands have had the same problem for years already and that they basically give them away. Thus everyone has one as a store in their garden.

[Cudzoziemiec]

There's that many empty containers at the railhead for East Midlands Gateway* (A newish complex of all the main logistics players) they've bought in extra lifting gear to stack them higher. I don't know how it'll be sorted, or who's paying.

On this, I gather that since the EU put an end to shipping all it's plastic waste to Asia to burn, we are now buried in the things.
We aren't exporting anything to Asia, so all the containers are migrating here. No-one wants to pay (the ever increasing cost) to move air back to Asia, so they are making new containers their end and adding it on the bill... So much for single-use plastic. Single use ISO's are the next environmental crisis.

Every morning a train load of shipping containers leaves London carrying domestic waste to a combined incinerator and plastic recycling plant near Avonmouth docks. It carries 300,000 tonnes of waste a year and generates 307GWh of electricity a year, and there are at least nine other such sites around the UK. However, I expect this still only comes to a small proportion of domestic waste and recyclable plastic. As for the containers involved, I presume they're reused on the same run time after time. They probably wouldn't be much good for other cargo after that!

[Paul H]

We aren't exporting anything to Asia, so all the containers are migrating here. No-one wants to pay (the ever increasing cost) to move air back to Asia,

OK, I may regret asking this...
What happens to the empty container ship?

[Peat]

Good point.

At a guess, I would say the container migration is a trend, not an absolute. Containers are obviously leaving our ports going places, some to or at least part-way to Asia.

[TimC]

Cement products. I'm building an extension. I need cement, or readymix mortar. For the latter, the sole seller on Amazon who has any stock (none of the local DIY sheds do) is charging £15 for a 20kg bag. That's a bit steep. But wait - you want two bags? That'll be £45. Three will be £100. This is fucking crazy!

Try a Wickes OPC search Tim. It will be call and collect only and may involve a drive but it is £4.15 a bag where available.

Thanks - I'll give it a go!

[quixoticgeek]

We aren't exporting anything to Asia, so all the containers are migrating here. No-one wants to pay (the ever increasing cost) to move air back to Asia,

OK, I may regret asking this...
What happens to the empty container ship?

The container ship isn't empty. It's just it may do China -> Europe with 20000 containers on board. But goes back with 10000 containers. It's not in Maesk or evergreens interest to ship empty containers back for free, so either they wait until the containers are full, or just write them off.

A lot of what the UK exports is services. They don't need to go in an ISO. What we import is physical goods. This causes issues.

Not sure what the solution is...

J

[Ashaman42]

I'd like a workshop/garage/shed so I could take one of the half length..

Does that help?

[Paul H]

We aren't exporting anything to Asia, so all the containers are migrating here. No-one wants to pay (the ever increasing cost) to move air back to Asia,

OK, I may regret asking this...
What happens to the empty container ship?

The container ship isn't empty. It's just it may do China -> Europe with 20000 containers on board. But goes back with 10000 containers. It's not in Maesk or evergreens interest to ship empty containers back for free, so either they wait until the containers are full, or just write them off.

A lot of what the UK exports is services. They don't need to go in an ISO. What we import is physical goods. This causes issues.

Not sure what the solution is...

J

A little digging out of curiosity and that isn't it. 
It seems we do ship a lot of empty containers back to China, it is in the carriers interest for their clients to have empty containers and unsurprisingly it is more economical to load them on a ship heading that way anyway than manufacture new. The issue has been turnaround times, with ships unable to wait for the empties to take back.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-shipping-container-idUSKBN28K0UA

[andyoxon]

So, bike tyres...  new issues?   PlanetX seemed to have four different road tyres, all out of stock, for popular sizes. 

[Cudzoziemiec]

Isn't that normal for Planet X?

[Little Jim]

I rang our LBS today to see if they had any Schwalbe Durano Plus tyres in as I need some new winter tyres.  He laughed politely at me and said they hadn't been able to get them for ages, and about the only winter ones they can reliably get atm are Goodyear 4Seasons so I've ordered a pair of those.  I didn't even know Goodyear made bike tyres, but they have got to be a better bet on the flint and thorn surfacing around West Berkshire and Wiltshire than my go-faster summer ones.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Sure it was Goodyear? 4 Seasons is a Continental model. I have them and like them. Perhaps Continental is owned by Goodyear?

[Little Jim]

Yes, I was confused too, but Google says they exist. You may be right, perhaps one company owns both brands.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Appears to be a different, coincidentally named, tyre.
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Goodyear/Vector-4-Seasons-Tubeless-Tyre/R6ZN

In fact, the Continental is named GP 4 Seasons:
https://www.merlincycles.com/continental-grand-prix-4-season-folding-road-tyre-700c-45210.html

So not quite the same. But I also didn't know Goodyear made bike tyres. Reckon it's probably a new thing for them.