Some fireworks prices exploding

Worldwide trends in shipping and production hit the Washington firework market this summer.

American Pyrotechnic Association Executive Director Julie Heckman said the shortage was caused by a perfect storm of supply and demand factors.

“Basically, it’s due to the unprecedented demand for backyard consumer fireworks during the pandemic,” Heckman said. “Retailers basically exhausted their inventory in 2020. All of these products are made in China, and China shut down production for part of the year during the pandemic just like we shut down. That put a delay on the production process, and then everybody’s competing for the same cargo on ocean vessels, and the allotted space for hazardous materials such as fireworks is very limited.”

Heckman said 30% of nationwide firework shipments were stuck in transit, stranded by transportation labor shortages in the U.S.

World’s Cheapest Fireworks tent owner Dave Robbs said he was running on short supply.

“Nobody can get them, my wholesaler is currently closed because they can’t get fireworks,” Robbs said. “I was able to get one other partial order, and that is it.”

The shortage forced Robbs to double the prices on some of his items.

“Transport prices went up so wholesaler prices went up,” he said. “Then because wholesaler prices went up my prices had to go up, anywhere from 50-100%.”

Jake’s Firework Tent Manager Zach Bonebrake said his prices had gone up, too, but not by as much.

“Some of the prices have gone up, not recently, but compared to last year,” he said. “It’s something like, on the bigger stuff, maybe $4 or $5, but you’ve got to think about inflation anyway, and with COVID, everything’s going up.”

Municipal firework displays are not expected to suffer from the backlog. J & M employee Monte Whitlock, who helped supply Washington’s firework show this Sunday, said display fireworks used in these shows had a market of their own.

“With a lot of shows canceling and everything last year, that helped with our inventory,” Whitlock said. “A lot of the shows that canceled last year were already packed and ready to go, and we just stored them over the winter for this year.”