McIntosh

That gives everyone an excuse to start charging more i.e. inflation.

Oh I am sure that will be one of the ripples that follows. But everything else is as well, been to a lumberyard, grocery store, gas station etc lately?

I ordered a MA252 2 months ago.  Last week I was told by my dealer it'd be shipped by the end of the month.  Then the next day I got a call that it was ready to be picked up. A nice surprise but also, evidence that their tracking system isn't the best.

In my business, fleet truck sales, we have had to take extra caution on where we leave trucks. People are stealing catalytic converters for the platinum and rhodium and selling them for an average of 150.00 each. Some of these are as much as 4000.00 to replace because they destroy all connecting parts plus labor. They use cordless reciprocating saws and can be in and out in a few minutes, and in commercial areas they can make as much noise as they want. 
That said, look for cable prices to go up, as rhodium is common on connectors. 

To the OP, good luck on getting your new Mc Pre-amp, what unit did you order?