Update on 3M Respirators and other items related to Corona virus

First, if you have questions, PLEASE EMAIL:  SUPPORT@EIO.COM. We are NOT answering questions posed in the comments of this or any other blog. We are answering ALL EMAILS to support@eio.com within 24-48 hours, Mon - Fri.

We appreciate the continued patience of you, our customers during this period of limited supply for 3M respirators, other personal protective equipment (PPE) and now cleaning supplies.

Many of you are questioning whether or not people have actually received their orders for masks from us – and they certainly have – but this is highly dependent upon the SKU that was ordered as well as how much inventory we have received from 3M. The large majority of orders from the end of January up through the early weeks of February have shipped. There were a few stragglers, orders from January being shipped from our most recent shipment, but those were masks that had a longer lead-time or had other special considerations. As we continue to get shipments from 3M we will ship what we can when we can.

Unfortunately, due to the continued need for essential operations that require 3M masks, 3M is managing quantities of shipments to ensure that there are adequate masks for all 3M distributors as well as first responders and essential government staff.

PLEASE DO NOT EXPECT TO ORDER AND HAVE THESE ITEMS SHIP IMMEDIATELY. If you need a mask immediately, please order from another supplier that can meet your expectations, however it is unlikely anyone has these in stock with 3M ensuring a fair distribution of respirators. If you are going to place an order with unrealistic expectations to have these items within 2-7 days, or if you’re planning to get mad and be negative about your experience, we ask that you not even place the order.

We have been informing customers since the beginning, for those who’ve asked, that we’re estimating a 3-6 week lead time from the time you place the order until it ships to you. THIS IS NOT A GUARANTEE, it’s a GUIDELINE. If you cannot wait, if you need to cancel, please contact and work with us by emailing support@eio.com. We respond to all emails within 24-48 hours, we are not open on weekends. We will cancel your order, we will work with you. We were advised at one point that our orders for masks would arrive in April, however the increasing demand may have changed this timeline and we are looking to secure a solid date for the resumption of normal shipping.

Complicating matters, the entire state of California, where we are based, has received notice of a statewide lockdown for a minimum of 2 weeks, possibly longer. We are able to remain open as we qualify for several of the exemption categories, and we will be continuing to process and ship orders for as long as possible. Should this change, we will make an announcement.

We have received an official statement from Michael Roman, CEO of 3M. You can read the entire statement here. Roman had this to say:

“At 3M, our highest priority is the safety of our people and the public. We are responding to the rapidly changing COVID-19 outbreak by providing supplies where they are needed the most… Our products – including respirators, surgical and procedural masks and hand sanitizers – are being used globally in the response to the outbreak. We expect demand for these products to outpace supply for the foreseeable future.

We are committed to balanced distribution of our products that both supports the public health and governmental response to COVID-19 and ensures product availability to our existing industrial and healthcare customers whose operations rely on our products. Unfortunately, with the evolving situation, more of our production capacity must now be dedicated to supplying healthcare and government/emergency response.

We have notified our authorized distributors that we are prioritizing orders to help serve our base business – including hospitals – due to high global demand. Our business teams will work diligently to communicate with you about any potential disruptions. We are closely monitoring and responding to any potential impact to our broader supply chain and customers.”

In essence, this means that foreseeable future, any order for masks is going to take a long time to fill, and the demand for them will continue to be higher than the supply for the foreseeable future. This means that if you place an order with us, the wait will be a long one, and we cannot confirm a shipping date. If you need a mask urgently, please do not place the order with us, we will be continuing to take orders for customers who are willing to wait on a “made to order” basis.

We are not attempting to fill orders and ship product, however we have an unprecedented situation and we appreciate if you could be patient with us. If you would like to donate your order of masks, instead of cancelling or receiving it, please reach out to us at the aforementioned email address.

This evolving situation and demand for PPE and now cleaning supplies has led to a higher demand for cleaning supplies has led to an increased demand for isopropyl alcohol and other chemicals. We cannot recommend this for sanitizing as it is electronics cleaner, so please do not place orders for anything beyond the intended use.

Should any other items we sell become high demand due to the corona virus panic, we will attempt to be transparent about availability taking into account lessons we’ve learned in dealing with the 3M respirators.