Other Coronavirus Shortages - Bikes, Pools, Playsets, Anything Outside? (1 Viewer)

[Lehigh98]

Wondering if anyone else has noticed that the market has really tightened up for anything outdoor recreation related as we head into summer.

I called in to my local bike shop to get my younger son a bigger bike and although we lucked into one that will be ready in a few weeks, almost everything that we were interested in that's in his size is on backorder to 2021.  The guy said that not only are new bikes sold out but they're running out of parts to fix older bikes.  (Just try and find replacement tire tubes at Target or Walmart.)  I was also looking for one of those temporary Intex pools and they're sold out everywhere and going for 3x retail on eBay.

I was tearing down up the kids old swingset / playset and although the wood was rotted I put the slides up for sale hoping someone would take them off my hands.  Overnight I got over 30 unique responses.  I resisted them at higher prices and got $800 cash for three 16 year old slides.

So if you have any of this stuff you were thinking of getting rid of, now's the time to post it on your marketplace of choice. (I used Facebook and got a ton of responses)

Anyone have an idea of the best websites for tracking stock of specific items?  I used to use them around the holidays for hard to find stuff but not sure what's the current best site.  Still hoping to snag a pool if they come back in stock rather than spending a ton on eBay.

Anyone else noticed any other interesting shortages?

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Yeah bikes are definitely hard to find, my wife has one sitting in a black hole of a FedEx warehouse (apparently the one in Oak Park MI is seeing delays of weeks or months).  My sons got “lost” there too but that was before I had heard what was going on, we found him a used one of Facebook marketplace though

intex pools always tough to find, we got one last year around 4th of July I think, I’d keep checking on those, think we eventually got through Target

i just tore down my kids old wood swing set today, probably 25 years old (it was my sisters) so I didn’t even think of selling it.  Chopped up in little pieces now so that ship has sailed

 

[acarey50]

Bikes are definitely crazy right now - I'm friends with the owners of a local bike shop, and they have been beyond slammed ever since the lockdown - they also can not get new bikes in, just about anything that retails for under $3K is sold out, and parts are getting harder to come by. My son needed a repair on his bike, a rear derailer snapped, and the part was backordered for 5 weeks - we ended up upgrading his bike instead (at least a year earlier than I had wanted too, but son paid half) and are going to give the old bike to our nephew.

Most fitness related items are also sold out or hard to get. Weights and weight benches, etc. are sold out, and those selling online now are marking things way up - especially the nicer stuff.

I am holding out as much as I can on getting anything as I am guessing that once things reopen more and gyms open up, etc. the used/home gym market will be flooded with a ton of stuff driving prices down.

 

[comfortably numb]

Hmmm...so if my kids act up I could sell their bikes on ebay?

Win/win/profit 

 

[jobarules]

Took me a month to get a Bowflex c6 bike I ordered

 

[comfortably numb]

Are pelatons going for more than normal?

 

[Betterbelieveit]

Skateboards. I had to get on my hands and knees at Target to find the last one for my daughters 10th birthday. Fifth place I went to. And fishing gear. Any of it.