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Global Inventory Hub - Shopping for Supplies During the COVID-19 Supply Shortage

QUICK NAVIGATION: ITEMS COMMONLY OUT OF STOCK | SPECIAL REQUEST PROJECTS | ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a global supply shortage is making it difficult for school districts, teachers, parents, and DonorsChoose to purchase some essential items, like technology and cleaning supplies. Our vendors are hard at work to ensure that you can get the resources you need for your classroom, but some items may be unavailable, or experience shipping delays greater than 2 weeks. 

While teachers shop for alternate items if their resources are out-of-stock they will not lose their funding from a fully funded project if their original resources are unavailable. 

Below are the latest updates on the items that our vendors have shared are out-of-stock or have limited availability. 

  • If you’re thinking about creating a project for some of these items, read below for tips on the best options for getting what you need.
  • When you’re creating your new project, you’ll see our vendors are categorized by the availability of materials and anticipated shipping delays. For the best chance at getting materials ASAP, shop for materials at vendors in the top section noting “most items from these vendors are in stock and shipping reliably”. 
  • If you currently have a project that hasn’t yet been funded but requests these items, know that the availability changes constantly and we’ll notify you at the time your project is funded if you need to choose replacement items.
  • If you have a fully funded standard project that requests these items, you can check your order status and item availability at any time by logging into your account and looking at the ‘Order Status’ section.
    • Unavailable - If the resources you had requested on your project are unavailable, you’ll be asked to shop for replacement materials. 
    • Ordered - If it’s been more than 3 weeks since we placed your order and it still has not been delivered, please reach out to our team. 

Items Commonly Out of Stock

Last updated: August 2022

Chromebooks, Laptops & Tablets

A global shortage of many laptop and tablet models have made it difficult to find these items in stock. 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • Tablets (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Tab, Amazon Fire) tend to be more readily available than laptops.
  • We encourage shopping for laptops or tablets from Best Buy Education.
  • Chromebooks can only be found at CDW-G. Apple devices can only be purchased from Best Buy Education. There may be limited availability due to low stock and supply chain challenges.

Computer Monitors

We recommend shopping for models from Best Buy Education for the best chance of availability.

Document Cameras

Because so many people are working, teaching, and learning from home, conferencing and instructional technology items like document cameras are in low supply.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • We encourage shopping for document cameras from Amazon Business and CDW-G.
  • As a simple alternative, consider MirrorMeThis, a specially-designed laptop mirror a​​vailable in the DonorsChoose Featured Favorites store. It allows the user to share their keyboard area, where they can place items to display during video calls. 
  • As another alternative, we encourage using a tablet or phone stand or a gooseneck tablet or phone holder with your preferred tech device. Here are some recommendations on how to use a phone or tablet as a document camera over Zoom.
  • For presentation support, consider requesting a second tablet (see recommendations above) or an iPod Touch, which are more likely to be available. 

Headphones

Headphones, particularly the most inexpensive models, often go in and out of stock without much notice.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • We recommend requesting headphones models from Best Buy Education for the best chance of availability.

Cleaning Supplies & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

We encourage shopping for PPE and cleaning supply requests from Staples, Quill.com, Grainger, and the DonorsChoose Featured Favorites Store.

Prepaid Mobile Internet Devices

Because of widespread shortage of these devices and difficulty managing service plans, we do not currently offer these devices. 

Stamps 

You can find USPS first-class postage stamps at Staples.

  • Shop Staples and see “Mailing Supplies” list on the landing page or search by item #:
    • United States Postal Service First-Class Forever® Postage Stamps, 5 Packs of 20 Stamps, item #864143, $65.64 each (100 stamps)

Items With Limited/Varying Availability

The following items are often available in limited quantities or may be delayed in shipping. 

  • Tech accessories including printers and computer monitors
  • Art supplies including Cricuts and watercolors
  • Books including library bound titles
  • Classroom furniture

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • You can still request the above resources for your project, just keep in mind that you might experience some out-of-stock items or some extended shipping delays.
  • Recommended book vendors include Amazon Business, AKJ Education, MahoganyBooks, and the DonorsChoose Featured Favorites Store.

For a more detailed list of suggested vendors for all resource categories, visit our list of where to find commonly requested items. 

Special Request Projects

Special Request vendors are also impacted by global supply chain shortages and shipping delays. You’ll receive an update from our team within one week of confirming your project with your customized next steps. Materials ordered by our team typically take 3 weeks to arrive.

Additional Resources

 

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