Greetings!
Welcome to the October 2021 newsletter...we hope this email finds you healthy and doing very well as we enter into another holiday season.
This newsletter will give you an update on recent and next arrivals, best sellers, low stocks, and probably the most anticipated...our November release schedule.
But first, many of our dear customers ask "how are you doing?". We always appreciate the concern...as we often wonder the same about our customers. We're living in strange times and I'm certain that each family is affected in unique ways. So, how is Fire Replicas doing...
Shipping Crisis: It seems that the most prevalent topic over the past year has been the shipping crisis. As I'm sure you all know by now, it is somehow managing to get worse, instead of better. I have my theories about that which is going on behind the scenes, but it matters not. The reality is that it now requires over 3 months for our products to arrive, compared to only 5 weeks before this mess started. Unfortunately, like many small businesses, we are a very small fish in a large ocean, so we have little influence over the situation. This lack of influence includes the inability to simply bring in product to an alternative port that doesn't have a harbor full of over 100 anchored vessels! So we continue to wait as much larger companies including ocean lines, forwarders and the Port of LA make all the decisions for us. Very frustrating for our customers, and for us. So once again we say 'thank you' to all of you for your patience.
Our Factory: Ironically, despite much stricter COVID rules, quarantine regulations and rolling energy conservation blackouts in China, our factory continues to ship on time, without any delay. I have always respected our leaders and skilled workers in our factory, but my appreciation has grown significantly as I scratch my head about our inability to fix issues in our own country. Again, I have my theories...
Release Schedule: Due to the changing reality regarding inbound shipping, we will most likely slow our release schedule again, in order to allow some time for our new releases to get closer in their respective journeys to Memphis. I don't like the lengthening time between an announcement and its arrival. The only solution is to wait until a particular release has been in the Port for 4-6 weeks before making an announcement. I still can't believe it has come to this. I remember not too long ago that we could forecast out an entire quarter, and anticipate shipment arrivals long in advance.
Real Time Updates: If you're waiting for the arrival of a new release model, please continue to check back to the website as we'll update the "Estimated Shipping" date underneath the price of the item as often as we receive new information.
Increasing Costs: It seems like costs are going up everywhere, and our recent experiences are no exception. However, despite our inbound shipping increasing 2-3X, we are still holding on to our offer of Free UPS Ground Shipping in the US and trying hard to absorb the cost increases without passing them on to our customers. We appreciate the investment that each of you makes in this high-end product line, and don't take lightly its significance to your own budgets.
Inventory: As with any scale model company, unsold inventory is a metric we watch very closely. Thankfully, we produce very limited quantities of each release, so we're OK in this area. However, during this Holiday Season, as in the past, we will be giving each customer $50 in "Holiday Cash" to spend on select items. This is our effort to make some of our products more affordable during the giving season, as well as aid in reducing inventory on certain models. Keep an eye on this promotion closer to Thanksgiving.
Speaking of Thanksgiving...we hope you and yours have a Blessed Thanksgiving holiday. As for us, we're incredibly thankful to have a business that provides for our family and our small town causes that mean the most to us. None of it is possible without all of you...so a heartfelt 'Thank you'.
An annual reminder that our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year's. We seem to be increasingly busy and away from our desks lately, so if you call, please leave a message and we'll get back to you asap!
Read on for updates on best sellers, new arrivals, new releases and more.
And as always, thank you for being part of the elite group of Fire Replicas collectors.
Nicholas
