sorry if this is already in discussion, Seems like the pandemic has been affecting the balloon stock. I have been looking at the stock of some US based balloon wholesalers and they are running out of balloons. Pretty much you can't find Q16s or TT17s in stock. now even the standard 12" are going oos with no restock date. since balloons are not even high priority items I wonder how long this will be a thing. AFAIK no major manufacturers closed down, the production must be real slow.
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
Mentioned this on another thread. Qualatex is having supply issues due to covid restrictions in the work place. Not as many people on "the line" and in their shipping department. The same measures affected the raw material side as well. Give it some time and things will come back. -
Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
My local Walmart's balloon section has been completely cleaned out for several months now. Don't know whether it is Walmart deciding to no longer sell latex balloons, or not being able to get any.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
Now I'm kinda glad my stash is as big as it is... (it's not the size some of you lot have, I must say, though).
I remember a comment somewhere a few months ago that latex supply chains have been messed up and it was just about to disrupt retail. Wish I knew where I saw it. There are other industries consuming latex, too, which will also affect things, as would where some of the major balloon factories are located.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
The latex supply chain has been disrupted by a variety of factors including: (1) a shortage of workers due to COVID, (2) shipping disruptions caused by a near complete breakdown in the shipping container industry (Google "container shortage" for current status of this dire mess), and (3) a huge increase in latex demand by the medical sector.
Someday this will sort itself out but we can expect to see a permanent reduction in the variety of balloon shapes and sizes as well as a reduction in the number of manufacturers.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
I have definitely noticed this at my part time job at a local decorator. She can’t find blue balloons (when she does find them, she’ll buy out the stock). She has an account with a local distributor, and she is ‘forced’ to go to Party City! She has been known to ‘reuse’ blue balloons from previous jobs, if possible.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
I think this shitstorm of pandemic, is gonna make the ones of us who can (I can't), try and maybe succeed in grow their own latex trees and make their own balloons completely from scratch.
[EDIT:I said this as a joke,but, I have found that there is a species of russian dandelion that produce latex of a better quality than the one from hevea brasiliensis and in a good amount. This make this project actually viable, in some way as dandelions are smaller than trees and easier to take care of.]
Like in a greenhouse or something. And then once the market calms it's waters, and big manufactors see that we buy strange, or concrete, balloons to those artisans, the ones who dissapeared may likely come back, or they will try to copy the artisan makers.Last edited by SweetBouncer; 21-09-2021, 15:23.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
If anyone needs TT17s, Amscan 24s, or other brands of 36s, LMK. I still have a decent supply in various colors!!Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
According to reliable sources that I have close to the Globos Payaso factory, the world's supply of latex comes primarily from Brazil, a country that is currently suffering a very strong wave of covid.
And this does not affect only that factory, it is already reflected in price increases in SEMPERTEX, TUFTEX and UNIQUE, likewise many TUFTEX distributors affirm that the company informed them that there would be fewer colors available at the moment, leaving only the line of season (Autumn or desert colors), of course they still have some stock of other colors, but it is only the stock, not new.
Also "Globos Payaso" factory, has just stopped producing the models of balloons that are sold the least in its catalog, it will be a momentary stop but due to shortages they will stop producing the same quantity of 15", 16" and some special balloons.
Basically as long as the pandemic continues, there will be distribution problems in basically all the balloon companies.A looner looking for fun, against violence or people with hightened moral idealism…. I just care about loons, so don’t ruin the fun.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
And by the way, BUSTERBILL is also very right, much of the latex that remained after the world crisis, was monopolized by the demand for gloves by the medical industry.
Which at the moment is perfectly justifiable, I have already lost 2 family members to this damn virus, if the latex that remains can be used to save more lives, I prefer the balloons run out if we can end this damn pandemic.A looner looking for fun, against violence or people with hightened moral idealism…. I just care about loons, so don’t ruin the fun.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
Pretty much every supply chain has been interrupted to some degree. At work we're having a very hard time acquiring FPGAs and other specialized electronic components because semiconductor fabrication is a very long pipeline that takes a long time for companies to stop and start production.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
There is a common internet myth that the COVID pandemic is the leading cause of the latex shortage. Yes, the pandemic has affected the latex industry, just as it has affected every industry. But the pandemic is not the primary cause of the latex crisis -- the latex industry has been in trouble for several years.
In fact, latex industry experts have been warning governments and manufacturers for quite a few years that the global supply of raw latex has been steadily declining. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the main factors are climate change and an obsolete supply chain infrastructure.
For example, climate change has had a huge impact on Southeast Asia and Africa -- the two areas that produce almost all of the world's raw latex. As stated in an industry white paper report "While the demand for natural rubber comes from some of the largest sectors and companies in the world, the vast majority of its supply comes from smallholder-based production across Asia and Africa. 92% of global rubber originates from subsistence farmers with less than 2 hectares of land."
Due to permanent climate changes, rubber trees struggle to survive and fail to produce their historical quantities of latex. The old locations in which rubber trees thrived no longer provide ideal conditions. Rubber trees have been impacted by permanent changes in temperature patterns, by emergent & devastating diseases, by flooding in some locations and by serious droughts in others, (especially in Malayasia), by the failure of small rubber tree farms, and by a variety of other factors. Overall there has been a shortage in the amount of raw latex that is available on the world market vs. surging global demand. And of course prices have been hugely impacted -- the price of latex futures on the commodity markets have fluctuated from under US$500/metric-ton to as much as US$6000/metric-ton in recent years.
If you are really interested in the latex situation, here are some industry assessments that provide facts regarding the latex crisis. This is highly worthwhile reading material that debunks many of the internet myths and misinformation that is so common these days.
Last edited by BusterBill; 04-09-2021, 05:15.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
Just wanted to +1 this response - The other factor that complicates the situation is that there's kind of a long lead time between increased demand and increased supply even under good conditions. Can't just will a mature tree into existence...
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
Wow, what a good answer, BUSTERBILL definitely did the homework.
Make him the second administrator!!A looner looking for fun, against violence or people with hightened moral idealism…. I just care about loons, so don’t ruin the fun.Comment
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Re: there seems to be a balloon shortage
It seems that shipping system in the world also suffers from the pandemic. For the shortage in supermarkets, it may be the crucial reason.Comment
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