Wondering where your stuff from overseas is? Shipaggedon!

[Marie13]

Several of those ships are full of empty containers. They sit really high in the water.

The exports from China exceed what we send to them which decreases the availability of containers there, but it is also expensive to ship empty containers back to China.

American farmers are being denied export bookings because it’s more profitable for the empty containers to be shipped back to China to come back to the US, rather than be exported filled with agricultural products to China.

 

[Jared0425]

Kinda of a side issue with all of this deals with the Jones Act. Butting up against that issue is the new EPA regulations dealing with emissions. Here in the Great Lakes region our lake "boats" will not meet the requirement along with 80+ percent of our domestic fleet. Our ships have a full schedule and yet cannot meet the demand.

With the trucking shortage, rail car shortage, and parts shortage, I think our economy is about to teeter.

 

[Jcp2]

I think people will just get used to “needing” less stuff.

 

[tridacna]

Looking to buy a new car. The salesman showed me the window sticker and penned in a $6,000 surcharge! I declined and am purchasing the lease of my existing car instead.

 

[Marie13]

I think people will just get used to “needing” less stuff.

That only goes so far. What if your fridge has broken and you can’t find a new one? Car needs parts that aren’t in stock?

 

[BoltSnap]

Car needs parts that aren’t in stock?

You will learn to recycle parts from junk yards. In Libya we have some of the largest junk yards in Africa. Hardly anyone buys new parts, most people go to the junk yards for parts. Junk yards actually import junked cars from many Western countries and bring them in for parts. You get to be creative when you are in need and don't have many options.

 

[Lorenzoid]

That only goes so far. What if your fridge has broken and you can’t find a new one? Car needs parts that aren’t in stock?

Maybe our country will start manufacturing more consumer goods as it begins to make economic sense. (And manufacturing them to be repairable.) It amazes me how cheap fridges are nowadays, and when they break, you often just buy a new one rather than repair it. It took a lot bigger chunk of my parents' income to buy fridges, TVs, clothing, and all the other consumer goods we take for granted as being "affordable" (and throwaway) by virtue of being produced in low-wage, low-regulation countries.

 

[Marie13]

You will learn to recycle parts from junk yards. In Libya we have some of the largest junk yards in Africa. Hardly anyone buys new parts, most people go to the junk yards for parts. Junk yards actually import junked cars from many Western countries and bring them in for parts. You get to be creative when you are in need and don't have many options.

Guess you’re the Cuba of Africa.

 

[Jcp2]

Maybe our country will start manufacturing more consumer goods as it begins to make economic sense. (And manufacturing them to be repairable.) It amazes me how cheap fridges are nowadays, and when they break, you often just buy a new one rather than repair it. It took a lot bigger chunk of my parents' income to buy fridges, TVs, clothing, and all the other consumer goods we take for granted as being "affordable" (and throwaway) by virtue of being produced in low-wage, low-regulation countries.

Like I said, we’ll adjust with variable amounts of pain, but there’s not going to be a catastrophic collapse.

 

[BoltSnap]

Guess you’re the Cuba of Africa.

Hahaha, I guess so. I know people who export junk cars to other African countries from Libya too. They bring "heavily" used cars from the US and Europe and then transport them to other African countries to sell there.