How shipping delays have affected the cannabis industry

3Win Corp solves shipping problems for customers

International shipments from China to the U.S. look very different today than five years ago. Historically, once products hit the customs ports in California, they are delivered within about 5-6 days. Now, due to the changing landscape of international freight, businesses are seeing deliveries take anywhere from 10-21 days for delivery once they hit the ports. 3Win, a leader in cannabis hardware, weighs in on the solutions to the problems that they see arise for business owners.

CEO Christopher Sinacori of 3Win states, “Prior to the P.A.C.T Act (amendment taking effect in late March 2021) companies had choices, such as: DHL, FedEx, UPS SCS, and USPS small package for shipments. Currently, this is not an option due to the new regulations. We are now relying on relationships we have built with alternative companies to ship.”

The extended transit times are due to many issues related to COVID-19, short staffing with airline personnel and a reduction in aircraft capacity, material shortages in China, etc. Flight schedule changes are also causing delays. Flight cancellations and delays are expected to continue through at least into 2022.

Businesses are seeing even more challenges with ocean shipments getting in and out of ports. Because of the continuing ocean shipment delays, businesses are shifting to air freight, adding to increased air freight shipments at a time when capacity is already limited. All of this has greatly impacted the cost of shipping, as costs have nearly tripled.

3Win is a certified wholesale distributor of CCELL. CCELL is the industry-leading vape hardware company for the cannabis industry. “One of our goals, as an international distributor, is to try help customers not feel the effect of the delays. We accomplish this by non-stop communication with freight carriers, increasing our order sizes, and ordering more frequently. This gives 3Win the best opportunity to have product available to our customers on a consistent basis. In essence, we are making a financial commitment on our end to protect our customers. This is what true partnerships are made of,” says Sinacori.