If you're planning a backyard Fourth of July fireworks display this year, you'd better shop early.
As the holiday nears, firework sellers are expecting inventory shortages that might leave unprepared buyers staring at an empty summer sky.
Youngstown, Ohio-based Phantom Fireworks recently urged its customers to buy fireworks early due to global supply chain price increases and shipping slowdowns.
“Like many other industries, the fireworks industry has also experienced delays due to shipment challenges facing the global market,” Alan Zoldan, Phantom executive vice president, said in a statement.
In an interview with NBC News, William Weimer, vice president and general counsel of Phantom Fireworks, said prices have "gone up as much as 30%" at larger national stores to control demand and rising shipping costs.
Retailers cite price increases due to shipping issues
Price hikes have affected retailers, from large sellers to smaller businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area, including Rozzi Famous Fireworks in Loveland.
Nancy Rozzi, one of the store owners and managers, said price increases have come from the "exorbitant" prices of shipping containers, and noted that shipments coming from overseas have tripled in price as compared to two years ago.
"No one was allowed to gather, and the whole industry nationwide saw a huge increase in firework sales," Rozzi said in reference to last year's boom in sales. "They increased last year, then they increased again."
She thinks it could happen again this year, seeing an already similar trend, but won't know for sure until the end of this month.
The store itself is still stocked, but it's a question of whether or not they will receive ordered merchandise in time, due to the slowdowns from ports on the coasts.
"People are very, very interested in having fireworks and they seem to like them a lot," Rozzi said. "I love seeing it. They're happy, and we have a good selection. I hope everyone will be back to shop, but we just don't know a whole lot right now."
At Tri-State Fireworks in Wilder, Kentucky, store owner Tony Burns said it’s not the individual fireworks prices that have gone up, but rather the cost of shipping. Containers from China that cost $9,000 in previous years were up to $34,000 this year, he said, in a “take it or leave it” situation.
“It’s not a huge spike in demand, it’s a loss of inventory,” Burns said. “We can’t get them out of China.”
He said he believed the price increases and loss of inventory will continue for the next two to three years because there is not enough time to catch up and produce enough fireworks for U.S. consumers.
Tri-State Fireworks does not supply fireworks to cities or organizations for larger shows, just regular consumers.
Burns said his business partner is a wholesaler and said they are doing as well as they can be on inventory, but predicted that many other stores will be closed by or before July 4, completely out of stock.
“It’s a complicated issue,” he said. “People should shop early, because it’s going to be bad this year.”
Greater Cincinnati fireworks set to launch
Events:What can you do on July 4th in Cincinnati? Here's when and where the fireworks and events are
A few locations in Hamilton County are still planning to hold Independence Day events, including Riverbend Music Center and Stricker's Grove in Fairfield.
At Riverbend, the Cincinnati Pops are hosting "Red, White and BOOM," a patriotic musical showcase with post-concert fireworks. The concert is slated to begin at 8 p.m. July 4.
The small amusement park Stricker's Grove is advertising free admission to the park July 4, with individual ride tickets available for purchase and a fireworks show at 10 p.m.
With one of the largest firework displays in Greater Cincinnati for the Fourth of July, the Red, White and Blue Ash spectacle is planning for a smaller, but just as enthusiastic crowd to celebrate the holiday. The event normally features an outdoor concert followed by a show in the evening, but organizers are slightly downsizing this year to just the fireworks display. The show typically uses about 7,000 shells and accommodates a crowd of over 100,000 people.
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