Shoe and Textile Factories in Vietnam shut down amid Covid lockdowns

In the past few weeks, a number of major textile and shoe manufacturers in Vietnam (including contract manufacturers for Nike and Adidas) have suspended their operations in Ho Chi Minh City and other regions in Vietnam due to Covid lockdowns.

According to the Taipei Times, “Pou Chen Corp,  the world’s largest manufacturer of branded athletic and casual footwear, last week said that it had suspended operations at its plant in Ho Chi Minh City, as virus restrictions shuttered factories in the business hub through Friday.”

If you are sourcing or considering sourcing from Vietnam, be prepared to weather this storm as Vietnam is dealing with the effects of the pandemic.  

A man rides a scooter past closed shops in Vung Tau, Vietnam, yesterday.

Photo: AP

Walmart, Ikea, and Amazon have a dirty shipping problem

One of the dirty secrets in shipping, is that operating huge container ships that ship consumer products across the world creates tons of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.  

In an excellent report called “Shady Ships: Retail Giants Pollute Communities and Climate with Fossil-Fueled Ocean Shipping” by Pacific Environment, they “rank the top 15 biggest polluters by company. Walmart tops the list, generating more greenhouse gas emissions than a coal-fired power plant would in a year.”  

Amazon is ranked at number 8.   

Despite their multiple promises, huge corporations such as Ikea and Amazon are still doing significant damage to the planet, as this report shows. Ikea says it wants to draw down more greenhouse gases than it emits by 2030. Amazon is trying to do something similar by 2040.

The report concludes that “Swimming in profits, major shipping companies have no excuse to not pay up for cleaner shipping options — like adding wind harnessing technologies onto existing ships, which can reduce up to 30% of greenhouse gas emissions per voyage and 8–10% per year.” 

Source: Pacific Environment

Is This the NEW Normal for Amazon Shipping? A Shipping Expert Tells Us What to Expect” from Serious Sellers Podcast: Learn How To Sell On Amazon

In this excellent interview, Refael Elbaz, CEO of Unicargo, a freight forwarder that works with many Amazon sellers, breaks down the state of shipping right now.  

The cost of shipping a 40ft container from Shanghai to Los Angeles has skyrocketed from $1600 pre-Covid to $13,000 to $15,000 right now.  

Also Refael explains cause of delays at the Ports of Long Beach, and a number of other factors that are creating the Perfect Storm for Ecommerce right now.  

Pls include a paragraph about VAA and link to CTA.  

VAA specializes in matching Amazon sellers worldwide with skilled, dedicated Virtual Assistants from the Philippines. VAA was established in 2017 by Gilad and Hila Freimann, who operate a successful private label Amazon business of their own. As their business grew, they quickly discovered they needed extra help in their daily Amazon operations. 

Schedule your Free consultation meeting with Gilad and meet your Ideal VA.

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Live Training 7/26 – “Weather the Perfect Storm to Win Q4 for Ecom sellers” 

Join me on a live training next Monday night July 26th at 6pm EST to learn what to do to weather this storm as an ecom seller so you can crush it in Q4.  You’ll learn

• What are the biggest opportunities in Q4
• What’s different about 2021
• What are the biggest risks to prepare for so you don’t sink your ship

“Weather the Perfect Storm to Win Q4 for Ecom sellers” 

Mon July 26, 2021

6PM EST

Signup here: https://forms.gle/SEMPjYMFSJpAzPPU9

See you then!

Gary

PS: I really don’t want you to miss out live webinar next week so make sure to save your seat by registering here 

Here are some things you may have missed from last week:

• How Maersk Dominates the Global Shipping Industry
• Walmart Surpasses 100,000 Marketplace Sellers
• Amazon expands fulfillment network in India across an area of 10 mn sq feet
• How to build your brand to make it a valuable asset you can sell with Ben Leonard (Replay)

Have a great day!

Gary

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