Build Times
*UPDATE* Our Build times have improved and are currently approx. 10 - 12 week with most of our manufacturers
Our build times on new orders are currently between 28 - 32 weeks.
*This does not include items in our "In-Stock or "Clearance" sections.
*New orders for Elran products currently have build times of approximately 48 weeks.*
If you’ve been shopping for furniture lately, You have heard the same story all the way across the board. “Everything is taking longer than usual.” Unfortunately, this has become an unavoidable truth for the furniture industry. Stores are quoting lead times in terms of months instead of weeks. Manufacturers are pushing back their ETAs further and further, and furniture that’s in stock is getting harder and harder to find.
What are the reasons for such delays?
COVID-19: First and foremost, manufacturing plants have been forced to work at extremely reduced capacities or in many cases shut down all together due to mandated quarantines and social distancing orders. This did not stop orders from coming in from customers. In fact, orders increased. This created an unprecedented amount of back orders that manufacturers are still trying to work through.
Unparalleled demand: Since the mandated shut down of virtually the entire country and most of the world, more and more people are working from home. Families are having to build their lives around staying at home. Being comfortable at home has become more important than ever, and more people are investing in their homes that might not have if circumstances were different. The money that families would have possibly used to attend sporting events, concerts, or simply just going out for dinner is being invested into their homes. This has caused an unprecedented increase in furniture orders, and there seems to be no end in sight.
Back Orders: While new orders were up nearly 70% shipments of orders rose only 7% in that time period. From January 2020 to January of 2021 manufacturing backlogs were up 175%. This is causing orders that were promised to finish in a matter of weeks to take several months to complete.
Inventory Shortages: The fact that new orders are taking so long to complete has caused the demand for in-stock items and floor models to skyrocket. Even though a floor model may not be "exactly" what a customer is looking for they are settling and purchasing off of the floor. Stores are finding themselves completely out of stock, and stock orders coming in deplete very quickly.
Natural Disasters: In February most of Texas was crippled for several days from a severe snowstorm. One of the places effected by this snowstorm was one of the biggest manufacturing plants for seat cushion foam in the United States. This plant is crucial to the manufacturing of American made furniture. Many American made furniture manufacturers are extremely proud that they use materials only from the U.S. and do not outsource. This pushed production back even further.