KITCHENER -- Choosing a new couch or dining room table is challenging enough on its own, but it’s even more difficult now that many stores are dealing with furniture shortages.

Abdualla Alsefaou has been shopping for a new bedroom set for weeks to replace the aging furniture in his Waterloo home.

So far, he’s had no luck.

“To look for good quality, you have to pay a high price. It’s going to be challenging for people looking for something reasonable.”

Imran Parekh, the manager at Victoria Furniture House in Kitchener, says the price hikes are a result of COVID-19 outbreaks causing production delays at overseas factories.

“We used to sell [two pieces] for $2,500,” she says. “Now we are selling [them] for $3,500.”

There are also steep import tariffs from China, some as high as 295%.

“It’s a little bit of a panic in the market,” says Parekh.

The tariffs are meant to make the furniture market more competitive for Canadian manufacturers, but some stores say they’re unable to match import prices.

“At the end, who is paying?” asks Parekh. “Customers are paying, because for us, if we get expensive [furniture], we sell expensive [furniture]. We have no choice.”

She says local manufacturers also don’t have the production power to meet demand, and some customers are waiting up to 15 weeks to get their hands on domestically-made products.

“It’s going to be tough,” admits Alsefaou. “I don’t know how long, but it’s going to take longer to make a decision.”

The Furniture Junction in Cambridge is also dealing with an inventory shortage.

“Customers have to wait longer, and pay more money for the same kind of furniture as it was before the pandemic,” says owner Taljinder Singh.

He want to the government to step in and review the tariffs, and additionally, offer more support to business owners.

“We are trying our best to decrease our margins so people can afford it,” Singh says.

Without help, he worries his business won’t be able to survive.