Misc Canning lid cost to skyrocket?

Gardener

Senior Member
I've been checking all of the usual places for bulk canning lids, waiting for them to come back in stock. Most of the places I check are still out of stock. Today however, I found this information at www.masonjarmerchant.com. They have lids in stock, but the cheapest regular sized lids are .69 for 1 lid, or .43 each when you buy 288 in bulk. Maybe these prices will come down once lids come back on the market, but in January 2020 I paid .19 each (from Fillmore Container).


From Mason Jar Merchant:
CANNING LIDS - January 9, 2021 UPDATE
CANNING LIDS:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

IS THERE STILL A CANNING LID SHORTAGE?

In most places, yes.
Covid-19 has created havoc everywhere and the canning community is no different. Even now the supply chain hasn't been able to catch up to demand, this leads us to think 2021 may look a lot like 2020 in terms of shortages.
WHY SO EXPENSIVE?

We're doing our best to keep our costs as low as possible.


We have been working very hard to find more lids for you, as we find more we may have to pay more, and that will lead to price increases.

We are buying what we can when we can find it. Prices and level of difficulty to acquire supplies varies, and so our prices will reflect that. We will keep our prices as fair as we can.
WHO IS BERNARDIN?

Bernardin is essentially Ball's Canadian cousin.
Ball, Bernardin and Kerr are all owned by Jarden Home Brands and are all manufactured in the USA. Bernardin are comparable to Ball lids in every way except for the design and that they are normally only sold in Canada. They are still BPA free.
DO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THESE IN STOCK?

If you can add them to your cart and check out, we have them.


If we are already out of stock, the system will NOT let you add the lids to your cart.

It is possible that someone has the lids in their cart and will checkout before you. If this is the case, you won't be allowed to check out until you correct or remove the items that are no longer in stock.

As of right now, we do have all sizes in stock.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
What is worse is that people in canning groups are starting to complain that the Ball/Kerr lids are having a lot of flaws. And the new owner customer service is horrid.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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This will play right into the hands of TPTB, who would LOVE to eliminate home gardens and canning.

I've been concerned about this... it's already hard to justify the cost of lids, but very few will bother when the lid adds 50 cents or more (!!!) to the cost of a pint of food.

Glad I stocked up on Tattlers as well as a case of regular lids.

But... I've been carefully removing and then saving used lids for awhile. I decided to use a bunch when I rendered 30# of lard and canned up the cracklings for supplementing dog food. I canned 47 jars... every one sealed perfectly! The trick is to be as gentle as possible when removing the lid, so as to not twist it or bend the rim. I place a butter knife across the lid so my can opener doesn't dent the lid. And I lift up on it just far enough to break the seal, then lift it off by hand.

It definitely appears that lids can be reused (I wash them by hand, then run them through the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle), probably more than once.

Summerthyme
 
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Farmgal

Senior Member
Thanks for the info. I need to start being on the hunt for more lids. I canned up some beef and deer a few weeks back and I only have a few boxes left.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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This is the place that has the best prices... if you can afford to buy a case of 2800 lids at once.

But even if you only want to buy one sleeve (175 lids... that's interesting, because a sleeve used to be 340 lids!) they have been much cheaper than buying lids by the box at WalMart.

Gee, and to think in the early 2000's I used to drive up to Canada and buy boxes of Bernardin lids at the Canadian dollar stores... with the exchange rate, they cost me between 60 and 70 cents a box!

Summerthyme
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
This is the place that has the best prices... if you can afford to buy a case of 2800 lids at once.

But even if you only want to buy one sleeve (175 lids... that's interesting, because a sleeve used to be 340 lids!) they have been much cheaper than buying lids by the box at WalMart.

Gee, and to think in the early 2000's I used to drive up to Canada and buy boxes of Bernardin lids at the Canadian dollar stores... with the exchange rate, they cost me between 60 and 70 cents a box!

Summerthyme
2800 lids for $50! I'd do it. I buy lids by the flat. And something tells me that is going to be impossible this year.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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No, unfortunately, 2800 lids is around $400. I *think* that price is for a sleeve, which is now apparently 175 lids. That makes their current price for a sleeve at 28 cents a lid. That's 11 cents higher than when I bought a case last Spring. It bugs me, because it's pure price gouging. There no way their raw material prices have jumped almost 80%.

Summerthyme
 
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kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
No, unfortunately, 2800 lids is around $400. I *think* that peice is for a sleeve, which is now apparently 175 lids. That makes their current price for a sleeve at 28 cents a lid. That's 11 ce t's higher than when I bought a case last Spring. It bugs me, because it's pure price gouging. There no way their raw material prices have jumped almost 80%.

Summerthyme
Maybe. With the supply chain kinked, it may be that they've been hit with increased prices. I still have enough lids to start the next season and see what happens.
And I have a popcorn tin full of Tattler lids, if needs be.
And I may try reusing. I have a monster pile of used lids that I was saving to see if I could turn them in for recycling or use them for crafts. The big question is, how do I get the deep indent out of the sealing material?
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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Maybe. With the supply chain kinked, it may be that they've been hit with increased prices. I still have enough lids to start the next season and see what happens.
And I have a popcorn tin full of Tattler lids, if needs be.
And I may try reusing. I have a monster pile of used lids that I was saving to see if I could turn them in for recycling or use them for crafts. The big question is, how do I get the deep indent out of the sealing material?
That Amish tell me the simmer used lids in water to which "some" baking soda has been added, to soften the sealing compound. I've never tried it... the used lids I used for canning the cracklimgs definitely had indented compound, but since I was essentially doinga "stress test" with them, I didn't even simmer them... I sanitized them in some winemaking sanitizer. They still all sealed, and having opened one to try with the fogs, I can attest they are on *tight*.

Summerthyme
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
That Amish tell me the simmer used lids in water to which "some" baking soda has been added, to soften the sealing compound. I've never tried it... the used lids I used for canning the cracklimgs definitely had indented compound, but since I was essentially doinga "stress test" with them, I didn't even simmer them... I sanitized them in some winemaking sanitizer. They still all sealed, and having opened one to try with the fogs, I can attest they are on *tight*.

Summerthyme
We generally re-use the lids more than once. Generally, we can get 2-3 tries before they fail. We catch them before they get stored so it works well.

I would love to be able to restore them. Thanks for the info on how to do it.
 

Just a Nurse 2

Senior Member
Up here in Canader, at my local Wally World, they seem to be transitioning their canning jars from Golden Harvest to Bernardin ... with a price increase of $4/dozen jars
 

WildOliveShoot

Contributing Member
Glad I stocked up on Tattlers myself. They take some getting used to and I miss the ”pop” but really glad I have them.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
No, unfortunately, 2800 lids is around $400. I *think* that price is for a sleeve, which is now apparently 175 lids. That makes their current price for a sleeve at 28 cents a lid. That's 11 cents higher than when I bought a case last Spring. It bugs me, because it's pure price gouging. There no way their raw material prices have jumped almost 80%.

Summerthyme

See my thread in the BS about steel prices.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
What is worse is that people in canning groups are starting to complain that the Ball/Kerr lids are having a lot of flaws. And the new owner customer service is horrid.

This is because people are buying the knock off Ball lids, off of Amazon and various fake sites, that are coming from China! Half the time the lids don't even have the sealant on them.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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See my thread in the BS about steel prices.
I did. Like I said, there is NO WAY material prices jumped that much *in the last 6 months*. Yes, they are jumping now, but they are jacking the prices up on lids made with the previous cheaper materials, using "supply and demand" as the excuse.

Still, nowhere near as bad as the sellers on Amazon and EBay who were charging up to $20 a BOX for lids!

Summerthyme
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
This is because people are buying the knock off Ball lids, off of Amazon and various fake sites, that are coming from China! Half the time the lids don't even have the sealant on them.
I thought so to. But they are showing pics of ones from Ball boxes. And even worse are boxes of Ball canning jars that are seriously flawed. One woman got an entire box with thermal cracks along the bottom. Another had a box where half of them had glass flaws along the side walls.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I thought so to. But they are showing pics of ones from Ball boxes. And even worse are boxes of Ball canning jars that are seriously flawed. One woman got an entire box with thermal cracks along the bottom. Another had a box where half of them had glass flaws along the side walls.

Those ball boxes are copycats.
 

Gardener

Senior Member
Fillmore Container says they are anticipating having bulk lids in stock in April. They don't know when they will get bulk Ball items back in stock.
 

TxGal

Day by day
Went to the closest Kroger to us today, they had canning jars and lids in stock. Also, early season veggie plants out front in displays. Great time to be looking for canning jars and grabbing them while they are somewhat plentiful. Didn't check prices, sorry.
 

Gardener

Senior Member
So today when I checked Fillmore Container, they have one type of bulk regular canning lids in stock. Wholesale Lids: Bulk Regular Mouth Canning Lids | Fillmore Container
They are $73.50 for a sleeve of 175 lids, which is .42 each. Last January they were .19 each.

So now I have to decide if I jump and buy some now, or do I wait and hope the price comes down when there are more in stock. I have enough lids for this year, but not for next year. Part of me hates to pay that much, and part of me is worried I won't be able to get them later.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I was mildly surprised when I went to Dollar General about a month ago. They had an over abundance of Ball canning jars and lids. I took advantage, and bought up several boxes of lids. I'd like to get some 1/2 gallon Ball canning jars, and will be checking in at Tractor Supply to see if they have those. I didn't see any at Dollar General.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
So today when I checked Fillmore Container, they have one type of bulk regular canning lids in stock. Wholesale Lids: Bulk Regular Mouth Canning Lids | Fillmore Container
They are $73.50 for a sleeve of 175 lids, which is .42 each. Last January they were .19 each.

So now I have to decide if I jump and buy some now, or do I wait and hope the price comes down when there are more in stock. I have enough lids for this year, but not for next year. Part of me hates to pay that much, and part of me is worried I won't be able to get them later.
Holy cow! There's no way you can justify that price for a single use canning lid!
I'd strongly suggest that everyone who relies on canning for food purchase at least a few of the Tattler (or the other brands that are out there- I have only used Tattlers, so I can't speak to their quality or reliability) reusable lids and start practising with them!

There definitely is a learning curve, but after you figure out the slightly different procedure (I'll admit, I DO NOT tighten the rings after removing from the canner. I tighten them as tight as I always do, then *back the ring off 1/4"* - a quarter INCH, not a quarter turn! Then i process as usual)

Aside from that, I learned the most important thing is to be *very* careful to leave enough headspace in the jar, and avoid siphoning at all costs. The reusable lids just have a rubber or silicone ring... it doesn't melt/soften around bits of food like the sealing compound on regular lids do. Any siphoning will mean no seal.

I'd also suggest buying at least one extra ring for each lid, as the rings definitely don't last forever. However, when I first got them, I experimented by washing and reusing a ring, putting a small Sharpie mark on it each time. I used it 11 times and it was still working, although it was looking a bit "tired". I bought several "lock n lock" cylindrical containers that I stack the rings in. That keeps them flat... I'm concerned if they were just scrunched in a bag or container they could end up with creases that might impede sealing.

Summerthyme
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'd also suggest buying at least one extra ring for each lid, as the rings definitely don't last forever. However, when I first got them, I experimented by washing and reusing a ring, putting a small Sharpie mark on it each time. I used it 11 times and it was still working, although it was looking a bit "tired". I bought several "lock n lock" cylindrical containers that I stack the rings in. That keeps them flat... I'm concerned if they were just scrunched in a bag or container they could end up with creases that might impede sealing.

Summerthyme

Do you have a picture or link to those containers?
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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Here are some... you need at least 3" diameter for the regular mouth size, and 3 3/4" for the wide mouth.



I found the Lock n Lock brand about 10 years ago... I see it must be advertised on teevee, but I don't watch that stuff. I was a bit leery about how well the "hinges" on the lids would hold up, but after 10 years of use on a couple dozen lids, I've had exactly one break... and it still seals fine us I g the other 3 tabs. But what I loved best about them is they sold REAL borosilicate glass... the stuff "Pyrex" brand *used to be* made of. I bought several glass containers and I used them all the time for small casseroles, etc. I'm not sure if they still sell thst stuff... a quick glance at the QVC site is onky calling them "glass" :-(

Summerthyme
 

Jackpine Savage

Veteran Member
My DW just received an in stock notice from Filmore just a couple days ago for the lid and ring combo. I'm glad we are still pretty well stocked.

We've had a few failure with Tattlers this winter, 3 or 4 jars now that appeared to have sealed after canning but no longer have a seal. I'm thinking we should order more rubber rings, the ones we are using are probably five to six years old. I wonder if there is anything that can be used on them to prolong their life, like Armor All? :lol:
 

Bps1691

Veteran Member
I'm waiting for April/May. That's when they usually start showing up in the AO at the small groceries and the Rural Kings/Farm and Fleets. That's when we'll know the pricing (I expect to be much higher than last year) and availability (selling quicker than normal).

I plant potatoes on Good Friday (family tradition) at that is usually just a couple of weeks before the Jars and Lids start showing up at the retailers.
 

Digger

Veteran Member
I have used Tattlers for years a few here a few there. This year they really proved their worth. One thing I have found is if I use a new ring (one that has no rust or off finish) I get perfect seals. If one fails to seal, it is always a ring with the finish not new like. My thought on this is that the off finish pulls on the rubber seal and affects its ability to form a seal. I also tighten mine all the way then back off just a little bit, no more than 1/2 an inch. I tighten the rest of the way when they come out of the canner.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Wife is able to get ball lids from walmart..... prices are up, but not too bad.

It was the same for me at Dollar General. The prices were up, but not bad. I went ahead, and got them at the going price, because I fear what the prices will be come Spring.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Same here. We are getting a couple of boxes with each grocery trip.

Yeah. Same here. I bought 4 boxes on my last trip. I've got a lot stocked, but if we have to start again growing most of our own food, I want to make sure we have plenty. I am also buying the rings, too.
 

h_oder

Veteran Member
Here are some... you need at least 3" diameter for the regular mouth size, and 3 3/4" for the wide mouth.



I found the Lock n Lock brand about 10 years ago... I see it must be advertised on teevee, but I don't watch that stuff. I was a bit leery about how well the "hinges" on the lids would hold up, but after 10 years of use on a couple dozen lids, I've had exactly one break... and it still seals fine us I g the other 3 tabs. But what I loved best about them is they sold REAL borosilicate glass... the stuff "Pyrex" brand *used to be* made of. I bought several glass containers and I used them all the time for small casseroles, etc. I'm not sure if they still sell thst stuff... a quick glance at the QVC site is onky calling them "glass" :-(

Summerthyme
Simax brand (Amazon) seems to have the borosilicate glass

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Jeepcats27

Senior Member
My husband has heard me complaining about no canning lids or jars. He was watching TV tonight, The Moonshiners show. They were upset that they Could not find any jars or lids for their product! They went to a general store and tried to order a pallet of jars with lids. The manager just laughed and said everyone else wants them too. The manager said he had sold 18 thousand cases of jars this year and couldn't get anymore. So it is not just us canners that can't get get their jars or lids!
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
There used to be a co-op here that would order a truckload directly from the manufacturer every spring. They had to reach a minimum of orders to get it done. And they usually did with a bit of a struggle some years. I suspect, if they still exist, they will have no problem meeting that minimum this year.
 

Old Gray Mare

TB Fanatic
Just talked to Lehmans.com. They are now saying late spring maybe May on existing orders. They can't get lids and claim it's because of demand.

How hard is it to slap some rubber and adhesive on a piece of formed metal?
 

vestige

Deceased
Just talked to Lehmans.com. They are now saying late spring maybe May on existing orders. They can't get lids and claim it's because of demand.

How hard is it to slap some rubber and adhesive on a piece of formed metal?
Very hard.

Kinda like putting 5 grains of Unique in 45 acp casings.

(And that is light)
 

SackLunch

Dirt roads take me home
So if lids prices skyrocket I could end up paying $0.50 per lid to can corn in pints that I can buy already canned for $0.50 for 14 oz? :confused:

That's gonna talk a lot of fun out of my canning habit. <sigh>
 

Gardener

Senior Member
New update from Fillmore Container: Ordering Tips for 2021 - Fillmore Container
This update is geared towards their wholesale customers. In addition to 2 piece canning lids, they sell glass jars, bottles and lids for wholesalers. So think about foods you buy from the grocery store or farmers market that come in glass containers. This supply chain difficulty affects them as well as those of us who home can.




From the link: We’d love to share that the return to pre-COVID supply chain logistics is in sight…but it’s not what we’re hearing from our manufacturers. One might say that when it comes to keeping packaging supplies in stock, 2020 was a practice run for 2021.
If you know us, you know that the high-pressure sale is not our style and that our purchasing habits had historically avoided out-of-stock issues. We aren’t trying to be alarmist, but to share any information that may help you plan to the best that your resources will allow.
Update From Manufacturers
Because of the significant and sudden increase in demand last year, manufacturing facilities do not have what they normally would on their floor coming into the new year. While they have made efforts to maintain and increase manufacturing, there have been, and will continue to be limits on how quickly production can run.
Manufacturers need to maximize their production run schedules for efficiency- which results in longer lead times on most items. Those involved in all parts of the supply chain will also continue making choices for safety of their employees – which will likely increase lead times and ETAs.
The longer lead times, inability to provide ETA’s, partial shipments and delayed load issues that we’ve seen in 2020 will continue to result in roller-coaster style re-stocking into this year.
 
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