Does anyone know when Vex stops fulfilling parts orders and goes on winter break? I would like to know when is the last day I can order parts. I’ve poked around their website and can’t find a schedule. :o
Only a guess, but I would imagine that they are only closed on Dec 24, 25, and maybe new years even and new years day.
Most businesses don’t shutdown for a week or two like schools do.
IFI does! Happens every year.
I would try and place your last order be December 22 if possible. We throw in a few more motors, pots, bearing blocks, and c-channel in our pre-Christmas order to get us through what most people have as their intense build (or re-build) time.
Interesting, didn’t know that. You would think that they would place a notice on their webpage so people can clearly know this? I would be mighty frustrated come December 28th if I tried to order something only to find they are shutdown without any notice.
They tend to post notice.
-Nick
I guess my point is that the notice should already be posted. If you post the “notice” once you are already shutdown, it doesn’t help.
Customers should know well in advance, so that they can prepare orders accordingly.
Is this just a guess or do you have that from a reliable source?
I finally went ahead and emailed their sales people and asked when they shut down. I will post the answer, if I get one before the end of the year. :rolleyes:
Yes, this was our problem last year. The school winter break is a great time for rebuilding, if not theeee time for it. But with the Vex offices closed, you are on your own or calling up friends and rivalries to beg and bribe for parts. It all adds to the drama of building a robot. Last year a team gave one of my teams a Christmas ornament with a picture of their robot on it. My kids began jonesing a feature they saw on that robot and used the Christmas ornament as a means of replicating the feature they admired. They were worried, though, because they had to scrounge for parts to do it. 
Wow, I got an answer back almost immediately.
I’m surprised that web based orders will be shipping during the break. They used to post a notice that everything was shut down until after New Year’s day, so I’m a little confused about what they mean by that.
The notice might be out of stock?
ha! #truthhurts
Don’t worry guys. Vex’s Facebook page said they are releasing a bunch of new vex pro parts.
That means real vex parts have to all be in stock. As well as all vexiq parts.
Why is there a relationship between the release of Vex Pro parts and the availability of Vex other stuff?
Manufacturing set up.
Cash on hand for production without needing to sell current stock.
They wouldn’t have moved on if all the most popular products of their central business are all out of stock and the last major product release is all out of stock as well. Obviously all their VEX and VEXIQ parts are in stock now.
Um… uh… 
Their high strength 84 tooth gears are out of stock. So are their normal size 12" drive shafts. So are the Aluminum C-Channel 1x2x1x25. As are the Screws, 8-32 x 1.000" The Field Game Objects are out of stock along with the battery extension cables. The VexNet 2.0 keys ship in one week. The 10" VRC Trophy is out of stock as are most of the award plates that go with the trophies.
FullMetalMentor, I believe that tabor was being his usually sarcastic self in his last post, and was commenting on the fact that they are focusing on the release of parts for, in tabors opinion, one of their lesser product lines, when their major lines are still low on stock.
Pretty sure Griffin was joking that if VEX is bothering with their VEXpro line, they should have everything handled with their VEX and VEX IQ line, when in fact they are not (obviously the two have nothing to do with each other, but it was chuckle worthy).
As a side note, if the 84-tooth high strength gears could be back in stock, that’d be greeeaat.
I feel so lucky~ just ordered 84 high strength before it went out of stock~
Hope they will keep working before school ends this week and get 25 hole aluminum c channel back in stock again…
Oh.
I had almost even started to ask if he might be sarcastic. But then the panic set in as I recalled how I had learned that the 84 tooth gears were out of stock.
The kids keep changing the changes to the changes of their re-design alterations, so I never know what they need. Except more parts. Parts that are always out of stock.
Therefore send not to know
For whom the stock has run out,
It runs out for thee
He gets me. He really gets me 
Most likely with VEX IQ and general growth, they now have enough demand that it makes sense to run the warehouse over the break this year. While the offices will be closed for the break, warehousing jobs are (usually) separate and done by different workers that will be there to do fulfillment, while the offices are closed. Unless you’re an ecommerce giant like Amazon (although they run 24/7/365), a one or two day break or delay is nothing that requires much notice or announcement.
I’ll probably ask about what is happening at the Canadian office, if they’re open as well that would be great, but I don’t know if it makes sense in Canada.