Lifeblood of Amazon merchants threatened as coronavirus infects Chinese workers

Bernie Thompson of Plugable Technologies holding a docking station that he sells on Amazon.com from his facility in Redmond, Washington, United States, recently. — Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Amazon.com Inc sellers are bracing for product shortages as Chinese workers – worried about the fast-spreading coronavirus – may be unable or unwilling to return to idled factories.

Brandon Young, who pulls in more than US$10mil (RM41.45mil) in annual revenue from the online marketplace, has a 30-45 day supply of portable Apple Inc watch chargers that could be difficult to replenish because they are built from genuine Apple components that are exclusively made in China.