OUT OF STOCK

[nighterfighter]

Is it really that surprising though?

Let's say we have 3000 teams, and let's say that half of them are going to order a certain item, such as a Talon SRX. If each team wants to order 10 of them. that is 15000 Talons that have to be shipped, within the first week. That is a LOT of items.

There ARE alternatives, like was said earlier, buying them in advance. You CAN also use different speed controllers, such as Jaguars, Victors, or regular Talons. Sure, it isn't the same, but do they still perform an adequate job? Yes.

I'm sure AndyMark is working as hard as they can to get these back in stock.

Consider this another engineering challenge. In the real world, I'm sure you don't always have everything you need right away.

Is it frustrating? Sure is. I know my team wanted to use the new Talon SRX, but alas we waited too long to order. Oh well, we will make due with something else.

[MechEng83]

I just got an email that the item I wanted from AndyMark is now in stock. Too bad another item I decided on today is now out of stock... such is the life.

[R.C.]

WCP just got our talons/victors in stock today if anyone needs them.

-RC

[FrankJ]

There are some in First Choice (500) limit 1 per team. Expect them to go fast though.

The only reason I see to order the Talon rather than a victor is if you are planning to use CAN

[ken.3038]

I need gearboxes for Mecanum wheels and don't want the (can't afford)the expensive gearboxes that are left. Monday after Kick Off and they are all sold out? How about the new items like the part you need for making a linear lift? But it is okay I really like AndyMark and will figure out something else and make it work.

[Wyatt Jordan]

If you already have gearboxes such as the AM Nano Tube and are making a drive train consider cutting them in half. We have some left over from our 2013 season and are thinking about cutting and extending them with 1/8" 90 for this year.

But yeah if you don't have anything sorry, you're gonna have to wait for AM

[sasha831]

Originally Posted by nighterfighter

You CAN also use different speed controllers, such as Jaguars, Victors, or regular Talons.

I see what you did there

[mistersands]

I hear you. We need a RAW box and they are OoS. Looks like it may just be the wormbox for us if RAW doesn't come back into stock soon. But if I wait for RAW to come back, I worry Worm will be out of stock.

[Taylor]

As a distributor, AndyMark is at the mercy of its suppliers. I'm sure the manufacturers of the original products (CTRE, REV, IR3, etc.) are working hard to restock the Kokomo shelves.
I'm sure the weather hasn't helped. Schools have been shut down Wednesday and Thursday; transportation has undoubtedly suffered as well.
One thing to remember about Out Of Stock is that it isn't permanent (unless you're looking for discontinued items). I've also found that when placing an order, you can request them to hold items until your entire order is in stock. That way you can save on your shipping costs.

The previous statements could be extrapolated to VexPRO and all the other suppliers as well (except the weather - I doubt Texas has endured subzero temps lately). Suppliers don't necessarily know the game before kickoff, and even if they did, they couldn't possibly know how teams will design for the game. But in all cases, FIRST suppliers take customer service very seriously and will work with teams to ensure they have good experiences.

[IndySam]

I can't state emphatically enough to call AndyMark or VexPro when something you need is out of stock. They both have wonderful people that understand the time crunch you are under and can tell you when things may or not be back in stock.

[JamesCH95]

Why this comes as a shock to teams every year is beyond me. The parts shortage immediately after kickoff happens every year and has been happening every year I've been involved with FRC.

It's just another part of the challenge that is most certainly realistic.

[Tom Line]

While we're at it, let's talk about the root cause of the issue.

FIRST is small. The organization is shockingly small: a lot of people thing FIRST a huge company when they're actually tiny.

So are a lot of their suppliers. Cross the Road is tiny. Andy Mark is small. Banebots. 221. Robot Shop. Vex Pro is pretty small too. They serve a very 'niche' market. The demand happens in a 6 week time span, and any inventory they don't sell ends up as taxable stuff sitting on a shelf costing them big bucks.

I work for Ford, and anyone who orders cars can tell you that we actually run out of cars from time to time. Especially hot selling models - you may end up waiting weeks for one. Same for all the other auto makers, and we're talking about a hugely mass-produced item with a fairly predictable market volume curve. It's like X-Box's and Playstations at Christmas when a new model comes out. Good luck getting it for a reasonable price - unless you preorder or stand in line for days.

None of this makes anyone feel better, I'm sure. When something is out, it sucks. However, it's the reality of any type of real manufacturing.

[MrJohnston]

We are certainly accustomed to dealing with items that are out of stock... We do try to pre-order things as much as possible. For instance, we have some things we specifically like to do in a tank drive system - what we most commonly use, so, before the season approaches, we order the parts for it. That doesn't solve the problem, of course. It does help.

I did just get off the phone with Vex as we we needed one replacement part... It was out-of-stock, so.... Last night we braced ourselves and mentally prepared ourselves to complete redesign the drive train, pending my conversation with Vex. Luckily the part will be back in stock in the next day or two and I should be able to have it by Tuesday next week.

[RachetIsLife]

Yah I'm really sad that the goats are out of stock on Andymark me and my team wanted 10 of them!

[BrendanB]

Yeah its frustrating.

I placed an order with AM right after kickoff with game pieces and a lot of other items we wanted for week 1 prototyping being careful to only place items in our cart that were in stock.

5 business days later and it still hasn't shipped out because one item either went out of stock or was out of stock and they only ship full orders according to my email inquiry.

Was it that hard to reach out to me and ask if I wanted the rest of my order instead of holding it up for a week?