Why you should do your Christmas shopping NOW: China supply chain chaos caused by Covid outbreaks are causing 12-month waits for some products
Australians have been warned to get their Christmas shopping done now - or face heartbreak and disappointment.
Covid's deadly Delta variant is hitting manufacturing plants across Asia causing another wave of lockdowns to close factories and send supply chains into crisis.
Everything from furniture to toys and electrical goods is being affected with waiting times blowing out to a year for some products as imports face long delays.
'Even if you are buying it eight to 12 months out, the chances of it arriving on time is zero,' warned Super Retail Group chief executive Anthony Heraghty.
Retailers have warned Australians to get their Christmas shopping done now - or face heartbreak and disappointment (Pictured, a stock image of a shopper in lockdown confronted by empty shelves)
'If it's not in the shed or on the shelf today, for Christmas this year I think the chances of it being in stock come that peak time are incredibly remote.'
The long lead times are a double-whammy for local businesses already reeling from the current lockdowns in NSW and Victoria.
'A lot of people haven't talked about this, but the truth is there are lockdowns in the Asian countries where you're sourcing your product from,' Anthony Scali, chief executive of furniture retail chain Nick Scali, told Sky News.
'So for example, Vietnam, big supplier to Australia of many goods, particularly furniture - it has been locked down now for two weeks. It looks like that's going to continue for quite a while.
Furniture retailer Nick Scali CEO Anthony Scali says his stores are facing a double whammy of local lockdowns in Australia affecting sales and Asian lockdowns limiting supplies
Everything from furniture to toys and electrical goods is being affected with waiting times spinning out to a year for some products as imports face long delays. (Pictured, a stock image of a bare Christmas tree with only one present beneath it_
'Malaysia is another country that's already been in lockdown for six weeks. Now you're getting parts of China going into lockdown.'
Mr Scali said the 'other part' of coronavirus preventing Australians from buying - overseas lockdowns - was often overlooked by consumers.
'We're locked down on the retail part but also having our factories go into lockdown means we actually can't get supplied,' he said.
A global shortage of silicon chips is also threatening to send tech sales into a downward spiral as Christmas approaches.
Lockdowns caused huge problems for the tech industry, which has limited supplies worldwide in TVs through to the latest computers.
Anything that needs a CPU is being affected and Korean tech giant Samsung is warning it may delay the launch of its Galaxy Note phone until 2022.
A global shortage of silicon chips is also threatening to send tech sales into a downward spiral as Christmas approaches, with supplies of Sony's PS5 console still affected
Even Microsoft has been smashed by the shortage, with their new XBox Series X videogame console still unavailable in shops a year after launching
Even Microsoft and Sony have been smashed by the shortage, with both their new consoles, the XBox Series X and PS5, still unavailable in shops a year after launching.
The Australian electrical retail group behind JB Hifi and The Good Guys tried to plan ahead this year after it was caught out by last year's massive stock shortages.
The brands boosted warehouse stock by almost 500 per cent this year with their stockpile inventory soaring from $199.5 million last year to $938.8 million this year.
Online rival Kogan tried a similar strategy but was caught out by huge warehouse costs for the stock which forced them into massive discount sales to cut inventory.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra has warned shoppers to get their Christmas shopping done early. (Pictured, a stock image of a Christmas scene)
'The key message for consumers is don't leave your Christmas shopping till the last minute,' Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said.
'Supply chain issues have been an ongoing concern for Australian retailers throughout the pandemic.
'It's likely to be compounded by these latest developments, in particular as the busy Christmas shopping season approaches.
'If you're purchasing items online, give plenty of time for your product to be shipped and delivered to avoid disappointment.'