Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

bunniestudios.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 357 posts

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#11

Post by Ensorceled »

IanDrake wrote: post #10

These new tariffs are posturing. Trump seems to understand how to negotiate and is willing to take short term hardship for long term gain. We need to have balanced trade agreements. Not balanced in the sense of trade amount, but balanced in the sense of tariffs and subsidies. Access to US consumers is a big bargaining chip. If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will. I think we all understood we had an…

And the rest of the world? Some how the US is the most powerful economy in the world, it’s corporations the richest but the US is being ripped off?

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#12

Post by hugh4life »

I'm neutral on the tariffs, I am(or was) actually excited about China getting into the memory market to help keep the other memory makers honest... but it's important to have an alternative source of those components in case there would be trouble between the US and China. There needs to be a way to nudge businesses to have a source of components out of China.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#13

Post by megaman22 »

mtw wrote: post #5
mchannon wrote: post #4

If the cost of food doubles, your cost of a meal out doesn't double, but merely increases by a lesser amount. This is a 25% bump, a portion of which will be borne by the manufacturer, seller, shipper, and money handler. I don't see how it's even close to possible for customs to intercept 50% of the mail coming in from China to ensure they've paid the tariffs. So, things will range from unenforceable and unenforced, t…

This is just wrong. If the cost of food doubles, then price of eating merely increases by small amount ?? Where did you get that fact? Any studies??

Your $25 steak dinner cost about $6 in foodstuffs. If a tariff raises the cost of that raw material to $8, it would be absurd for that entire meal to now cost $32. Much of the cost in restaurant prices is wages, and rent, and other overhead, not the actual food.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#14

Post by tinus_hn »

IanDrake wrote: post #10

These new tariffs are posturing. Trump seems to understand how to negotiate and is willing to take short term hardship for long term gain. We need to have balanced trade agreements. Not balanced in the sense of trade amount, but balanced in the sense of tariffs and subsidies. Access to US consumers is a big bargaining chip. If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will. I think we all understood we had an…

> If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will.

All these countries he hasn’t alienated yet, which is a list that mostly consists of North Korea.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#15

Post by IanDrake »

Ensorceled wrote: post #11
IanDrake wrote: post #10

These new tariffs are posturing. Trump seems to understand how to negotiate and is willing to take short term hardship for long term gain. We need to have balanced trade agreements. Not balanced in the sense of trade amount, but balanced in the sense of tariffs and subsidies. Access to US consumers is a big bargaining chip. If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will. I think we all understood we had an…

And the rest of the world? Some how the US is the most powerful economy in the world, it’s corporations the richest but the US is being ripped off?

I’m not sure you understand how nations work. We elect people to work in our best interests. We are in competition with other countries.

Our blue collar jobs have stagnated since we’ve been off-shoring manufacturing to China.

The poor in the US were getting poorer. Not everyone has the ability to transition into a thinking job and we need a balanced economy for these people.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#16

Post by tinus_hn »

megaman22 wrote: post #13
mtw wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is just wrong. If the cost of food doubles, then price of eating merely increases by small amount ?? Where did you get that fact? Any studies??

Your $25 steak dinner cost about $6 in foodstuffs. If a tariff raises the cost of that raw material to $8, it would be absurd for that entire meal to now cost $32. Much of the cost in restaurant prices is wages, and rent, and other overhead, not the actual food.

The overhead also grows because the waste is more expensive. Also if things the employees need, like food, become more expensive, they’ll need more wages.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#17

Post by zorgat »

thisisit wrote: post #2

Curious how will this affect the Chinese sellers (both fake and genuine goods) on Amazon/Ebay?

Their merchandise won't incur any tariffs because the typical Amazon/eBay purchase is under the $800 de minimis. So that's another way Chinese merchants will have an advantage over US resellers.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#18

Post by melling »

Ensorceled wrote: post #11
IanDrake wrote: post #10

These new tariffs are posturing. Trump seems to understand how to negotiate and is willing to take short term hardship for long term gain. We need to have balanced trade agreements. Not balanced in the sense of trade amount, but balanced in the sense of tariffs and subsidies. Access to US consumers is a big bargaining chip. If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will. I think we all understood we had an…

And the rest of the world? Some how the US is the most powerful economy in the world, it’s corporations the richest but the US is being ripped off?

Everyone is spinning their own narrative.

Can’t we simply find all the tariff data and examine it, with any necessary context like amount in dollars traded?

I’d rather start with the numbers than an emotional appeal like you have given.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#19

Post by dalbasal »

Out of all possible trade barriers, I think tariffs are generally the better option.

The alternative is subsidies, quotas or "unofficial" barriers like product safety rules or other burry-you-in-bureaucracy setups. Tariffs bring in taxes (as opposed to costing the public) They're easier to understand. This one makes Chinese microwaves x% more expensive. It's clearer who is paying for it (consumers) and who benefits, as opposed to pretending a policy is intended to protect consumers. Importantly, they are easier to change. Politicians can make a decision and do it. With other options, it's harder to implement patches or predict the results of any change.

Basically, they're simpler, more explicit and more honest than any other approach. ..if you've already decided to have trade barriers.

Re: New US Tariffs are Anti-Maker and Will Encourage Offshoring

#20

Post by IanDrake »

tinus_hn wrote: post #14
IanDrake wrote: post #10

These new tariffs are posturing. Trump seems to understand how to negotiate and is willing to take short term hardship for long term gain. We need to have balanced trade agreements. Not balanced in the sense of trade amount, but balanced in the sense of tariffs and subsidies. Access to US consumers is a big bargaining chip. If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will. I think we all understood we had an…

> If China won’t deal, there are other countries that will. All these countries he hasn’t alienated yet, which is a list that mostly consists of North Korea.

That’s just hyperbole.

The US is throwing its weight around for the first time since Reagan. Last time it worked out pretty well.

Things have changed a lot since then with the rise of China and the EU.

With the new big players in the world it’s time the US put on its big boy pants and renegotiated its place.

Post reply on HN