Shop shelves could be empty come Christmas time with shipping delays and costs ballooning out of control.
With flights grounded due to COVID-19, shipping liners are making the most of the demand and charging five to six times their usual cost.
It may be too soon to crank out the carols and bring out the tinsel but the president of the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation Chris Edwards says it could be time to get your Christmas shopping done.
“May not matter if you’ve been naughty or nice, you may not get anything at Christmas anyway depending on where it’s coming from and how long it takes to be ready,” he says.
Suppliers are facing such global shipping problems, you may as well try and book Santa’s sleigh.
“One, finding space on vessels, that’s really difficult in NZ, two the cost would be outside what people budgeted on and thirdly the delay in getting goods here,” Edwards says.
AC