Ever since COVID struck the world, it has had a negative effect on the availability of webcams. Companies have been facing an ongoing shortage of cameras that have been seen across all retail sources both online and offline.
Logitech, for example, is one of the most popular brands when it comes to webcams thanks to its C920/C922 and Brio (4K) models, proving to be one of the most successful webcam options ever. For years they have been neck and neck with Microsoft, but it seems Logitech has stolen the winning spot for a record amount of time. So there was no surprise that they were hit the hardest and were some of the first models to vanish from availability.
When COVID hit and people started to find themselves stuck at home, sales went through the roof, causing webcams to become a hot commodity that was becoming more and more difficult to find until everyone was sold out everywhere. Major companies found themselves stuck in the back-order zone trying to fulfill as many orders as they could. Each month, promising that the next was going to get better.
Meanwhile, there are many people out there who were quick to take advantage of the situation. Both companies and individuals who rushed to sell their cameras online at 2-3 times the retail price, and extort consumers out of their money who really needed one for work or family. It’s been a rough part of the industry because of this, and it hasn’t gotten much better (assuming you are looking for a major-brand solution like Logitech or Microsoft).
You may think that by now, due to so many individuals returning to work, that the shortage would get better. However, returning to work doesn’t mean being able to spend time with friends and family like they were used to. Therefore, there is still a heavy interest when it comes to video communication.
But what is really causing the ongoing mess, is the back to school traffic and the new trend of taking everything online vs bringing kids physically into the classrooms. This has continued to put a strain on the industry that might have slowed at least a small bit since the start of all of this. Instead, demand continues to be strong, and these models continue to be hard to find.
In the meantime, many smaller companies have risen to fill this demand with off-brand webcam solutions. They don’t offer the exact same quality of video as some of those other cameras, but their prices are appealing for many of them, and it’s better to have something than nothing. So we have seen the biggest increase in new brands (mostly coming from China than anywhere else) than we have ever seen in the history of the webcam side of the industry.
Meanwhile, we continue to see models from the major brands selling at 2-3 times their original cost, which is saddening to think that so many people out there are willing to take advantage of others for their own personal gain (go figure).
So how bad is the back-order for companies like Logitech? If you join a back-order list (let it be via Logitech’s website, or another source), you are looking at a 1-2 month wait. So, if you are looking for something that you need ASAP, you are better off going with an off-brand for now. If you think you can wait, it’s best to get on the back-order as soon as possible or check your local stores daily to see if you are lucky enough to snag one of the few that come in off the trucks once in a blue moon.
Once the school year is well kicked-off, you should hopefully start seeing more availability of models. This may not happen until around November, but eventually, things will start to return to normal. Even then though, with such a number of back-orders in the system, it is going to take them a while before they can fulfill all of them and supply enough to maintain normal store inventories again to help bring prices back to where they are supposed to be.
For everyone out there that has been quick to take advantage of people, the stick of shame swings in your direction.
