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Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

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Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#253

"Amazon says it never considered listing import charges on main site - report" https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cpvrrre4zlkt?post=asset%3A0240...

Yes, Amazon is denying it though it would make sense.

“The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” the company said in a statement. “Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-29/white-hou...

Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sales tax cannot be per-calculated, since it is charged on the total sale. Rounding errors will get you. (when I worked fast food 30 years ago one value meal was $3.18, but two were $6.27) The government pays attention to this type of thing and they will get you for those pennies. (remember there are many governments, it is possibly all the local governments in question would decide not to pay attention, but that doe…

> Sales tax cannot be per-calculated, since it is charged on the total sale. Most of the developed world pre-calculates sales tax. If McDonalds charges you $10.32 in Australia, the government gets $0.84(8181812...) of it. Rounding isn't an issue because you don't write a check for each individual $0.84(8181812...), you pay them the aggregate amount on a regular basis.

Here is a list of 20 district sales taxes in California alone (out of ~150).

Los Angeles County Measure H: 0.25%, 10-01-2017 to 03-31-2025

City of Orland Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2017 to 03-31-2025

Rio Dell City Transactions and Use Tax: 1.00%, 04-01-2015 to 12-31-2024

City of El Monte Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2009 to 03-31-2025

City of San Pablo Reduction Transactions and Use Tax: 0.25%, 10-01-2017 to 09-30-2022

Town of Truckee Trails Transactions and Use Tax: 0.25%, 10-01-2014 to 09-30-2024

City of La Habra Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2009 to 03-31-2025

City of Seal Beach Transactions and Use Tax: 1.00%, 04-01-2019 to 03-31-2025

City of Westminster Transactions and Use Tax: 1.00%, 04-01-2017 to 12-31-2022

City of Pismo Beach Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 10-01-2008 to 03-31-2025

Pacific Grove City Transactions and Use Tax: 1.00%, 10-01-2008 to 09-30-2022

Town of San Anselmo Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2014 to 03-31-2023

City of Sausalito 2014 Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2015 to 03-31-2023

Mariposa County Healthcare Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2005 to 03-31-2025

Mendocino County Mental Health Treatment Act Tax: 0.50%, 04-01-2018 to 03-31-2023

Mendocino Library Special Transactions and Use Tax: 0.125%, 04-01-2012 to 03-31-2023

City of Atwater Public Safety Transactions and Use Tax: 0.50%, 07-01-2013 to 03-31-2023

City of Capitola Transactions and Use Tax: 0.25%, 04-01-2005 to 03-31-2025

City of Campbell Vital City Services Transactions and Use Tax: 0.25%, 04-01-2009 to 03-31-2025

City of Davis Transactions and Use Tax: 1.00%, 10-01-2014 to 03-31-2025

* https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/formspubs/cdtfa105.pdf

Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#255
post #234
post #45

I wonder if they keep this after Trump's gone, especially for countries whose tariffs were high before Trump. I as a customer would prefer they did. My uninformed guess is that this hurts the bottom line in at least the short term if customers are less likely to purchase an item which sports high tariffs (even if they might otherwise buy the item if the precise tariff were hidden). And the long term benefit to global…

> I wonder if they keep this after Trump's gone, especially for countries whose tariffs were high before Trump. I as a customer would prefer they did. They won't. It's clearly meant to target Trump specifically. It's not as though there were absolutely no tariffs of any kind on various products before this year, so ask yourself why they're so concerned about showing tariffs NOW and not say, any time in the past.

The US's weighted average tariff was previously something like 1.8%, and even then that was pumped up by tariffs on various agricultural products and on cars (ie stuff people were unlikely to buy on Amazon). Most developed countries are in the 1-2% range.

Their Brazilian site might be one place that it would make sense, in that Brazil does have rather high tariffs.

Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#256
I was just talking to a couple friends of mine, about this, yesterday. They run a medium-sized manufacturing business that has almost all their work done overseas.

Another friend of mine was just laid off, as a transportation broker, directly because of the tariffs.

The tariffs have the potential to drive tens of thousands of small- and medium businesses into bankruptcy, overnight.

I feel as if this was not well thought-out. Maybe megacorps, like Tesla, can weather it, but many smaller businesses have no buffer.

That said, the manufacturing imbalance and trade imbalance is a very real problem that needs to be solved. I just feel as if we are approaching it in a manner that is simplistic, and favors only very large corporations.

Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#258

I was just talking to a couple friends of mine, about this, yesterday. They run a medium-sized manufacturing business that has almost all their work done overseas. Another friend of mine was just laid off, as a transportation broker, directly because of the tariffs. The tariffs have the potential to drive tens of thousands of small- and medium businesses into bankruptcy, overnight. I feel as if this was not well thou…

It’s as if these policies were created without any concern for the well being of SMBs and consumers.

Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I expect businesses to bump prices. Bump em because of tariffs, bump em some more to pad the margins because what is an extra 5%, bump em even when they're not affected by tariffs because everyone else is doing so, and delay un-bumping them once tariffs fall again.

Back when the price of crude oil was in the news a lot, if a rise was announced, gas stations would immediately hike prices, even though it takes like a month for the oil to be refined into gas and delivered to the station.

Gas stations generally break even on gas due to high local competition. They'll try to profit from a service center or a shop.

Re: Amazon to display tariff costs for consumers

#260

I was just talking to a couple friends of mine, about this, yesterday. They run a medium-sized manufacturing business that has almost all their work done overseas. Another friend of mine was just laid off, as a transportation broker, directly because of the tariffs. The tariffs have the potential to drive tens of thousands of small- and medium businesses into bankruptcy, overnight. I feel as if this was not well thou…

> I feel as if this was not well thought-out.

No need to hedge. Anyone with their head on the right way around can see how much thought went into it.

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