[jjeaff]

It's probably a sane choice for most products to -not- prepare for very rare disasters like a hundred year pandemic. After all, markets optimize for profit, not convenience or safety.

These shortages will all smooth out relatively soon. It can cost a lot of money to be prepared for everything.

[dcow]

Sometimes the most efficient option is not the safest or happiest or winning option. If our prime goal was cheapest lumber 99% of the time, then sure a traditional market is very good at that. I would happily pay for 1% more expensive lumber all the time to avoid paying for 1000% more expensive lumber (read: not being able to buy lumber) when I really need it.

[missedthecue]

Would you pay 40% more for lumber to avoid 1000% price spikes though?