Online and brick and mortar stores are seeing disruptions in stock, but there are plenty of other online retailers to choose from.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
Webcams. Hand weights. Fitness trackers. Office chairs. As people settle into quarantine routines at home, some common items are becoming increasingly hard to find online and in stores. Amazon’s and Walmart’s online stock is sold out for a number of popular items, and Amazon has delayed shipping nonessential goods unless they’re already in your local warehouse.
It’s time to branch out. Many online stores still have plenty of quality items to help you work and live more comfortably at home over the coming weeks and months.
While you may miss the convenience of a one-stop shop like Amazon — particularly if you’re a Prime member — trying an alternative online retailer and going direct to the manufacturer website could be more effective in the short term. (And if your local grocery store seems low, here are six other places to shop for food.)
Home office equipment: Webcams, laptops, desks
Many electronics stores, including Best Buy, are offering in-vehicle at-store pickup of merchandise ordered online.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
If you’re working from home, you’ll want electronics and office equipment like a keyboard, webcam, mouse and desk. Here are online retailers to try. Some also have brick and mortar stores you can visit, with the appropriate social distancing.
Best Buy: If your local Best Buy is still open, you may be able to arrange to have your order brought out to your car. Free shipping on orders $35 and up.
Walmart: Free shipping on orders $35 and up.
You can buy smartwatches and fitness trackers direct from the manufacturer.
Angela Lang/CNET
Target: Free shipping on orders $35 and up.
Office Depot: Shipping costs $6 and up or free with orders $35 and up.
B&H: Free shipping on orders $49 and up.
Newegg: Some items free to ship.
Overstock: Free shipping on any order.
Fry’s: Free shipping on orders $35 and up.
Jet: Like Amazon but discounted and owned by Walmart.
Fitness equipment, home workout gear, fitness trackers
With gyms around the country closed, many people are developing their own home workout routines.
César Salza/CNET
Life in self-quarantine is pretty sedentary unless you make room for physical activity and exercise. Check out our guide to home workout options, then find the equipment you need at these retailers:
Dick’s Sporting Goods: Curbside pickup, free shipping on orders over $49.
Academy: Curbside pickup, free shipping on orders over $25.
Bass Pro Shops: Curbside pickup, free shipping on orders $50 and up.
Cabela’s: Shipping costs $5 or free on orders $50 and up.
Moosejaw: Shipping costs $5 or free on orders with $12 in Moosejaw gear or $49 and up.
FitnessZone: Free shipping.
REI: Free standard shipping on all orders while stores are closed.
Sears: Free shipping on orders $59 and up.
Medicine and medical supplies
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer aren’t the only items stores have run out of. Over-the-counter medications, bandages and other medical supplies are missing from supermarket, superstore and drugstore shelves across the country. Amazon seems to be prioritizing medication order shipments, but still could have issues with keeping enough stock. For your health care needs, try these other retailers as well:
Walgreens: Offering drive-through order pickup, free shipping on orders $35 and up.
CVS: Offers curbside pickup, shipping costs $5 or free on orders $35 and up.
RiteAid: Shipping costs $6 or free on orders $35 and up.
TheOnlineDrugStore: Free shipping on orders $49 and up.
OverstockDrugStore: Shipping costs $5 or free on orders $50 and up.
Household items, home goods, kitchen equipment
If you’re cooking more these days at home you may be in the market for some upgraded kitchen equipment like this KitchenAid mixer.
Chris Monroe/CNET
If they’re out of stock at Amazon, Walmart, Target or any of the other usual suspects, try these retailers for kitchen tools, decorations, home goods:
Bed, Bath & Beyond: Free shipping on orders $39 and up.
Macy’s: Free shipping for Macy’s cardholders and on orders $25 and up.
HSN: Free shipping on some items.
Wayfair: Shipping costs $5 or free on orders $49 and up.
Sur la Table: Shipping costs $6 and up or free on orders $59 and up. Local store delivery provided exclusively through Shipt.
Don’t forget the secondhand market
Facebook Marketplace connects buyers and sellers like Craigslist does, but with the added benefit of profiles so you can see who you’re dealing with.
Angela Lang/CNET
Just because there’s a pandemic doesn’t mean you don’t want to try to score a deal. Normally, I’d recommend steep discounts on items listed through Amazon Warehouse Deals, but you should also consider secondhand marketplaces.
Arranging an in-person transaction through Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace while practicing social distancing may be a challenge, but if you meet in a public location you could transfer payment to the seller with PayPal, Venmo or Apple Pay and they can leave the item on a park bench, table or sidewalk in view of you.
Some things you should never DIY, like hand sanitizer.
Angela Lang/CNET
eBay: Shipping varies by seller.
Mercari: Similar to eBay.
Bonanza: Similar to eBay.
Ebid: Auction-only marketplace.
Facebook Marketplace: Local pickup.
Craigslist: Local pickup.
Although it may be tempting to go the DIY route when you can’t find items you need in stock at local stores or online, your homemade replacements might not be up to the same quality as commercial products. Handmade face masks may not protect against the novel coronavirus, and home-brew hand sanitizer could end up ineffective against germs. What you can and should DIY, however, are these 11 tasty dinners using pantry staples.
Watch this:
Will coronavirus crash the internet?
4:35