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When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

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Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#101

Post by Terr_ »

rabf wrote: post #61
celeritascelery wrote: post #26

I had this happen to me on an order from Sweden. The order was about $450 + $50 shipping. I used an online tariff calculator and it said it should be 15%. So I was expecting ~$70. A few days before it is supposed to arrive UPS sends me a $242 bill for “tariffs, customs, and brokerage fees”. That basically made it 50% more expensive, but it was either pay it or loose the item. A month later they sent me an invoice tha…

Its funny how little US citizens know about this, meanwhile in the rest of the world we have been paying import duties our entire lives. When an item is posted abroad forms have to be filled detailing the sender, the nature of the goods and the value. Some sellers willl bend the law for you and decalre the value of the goods to be lower than what you actually paid if you ask nicely. The main danger being that if the…

> Its funny how little US citizens know about this

Is it really? It sounds like you're implying it's some kind of woeful ignorance, but I say it's perfectly reasonable:

1. Each US state is already in a open-borders zero-tariff framework with all other states, which covers a very large portion of what people purchase.

2. Until recently, most individual consumers didn't need to think about tariffs on international goods, since most purchases were de minimis rule. (Which AFAICT was in place for ~80 years.)

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#102

Post by iancmceachern »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #42
varispeed wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know one US business that used to make niche electronic product. Most components they used were from China. Got hit by the tariffs that wiped all the operating profit. Guy also had to sell his home and is now couchsurfing. Business is unlikely going to recover. Of course he considered making chips and other components in the US, but he was few billions short to start the fab.

a purported niche/low-volume electronics, but the profit is somehow dependent on BOM price? a tariff bump on a small BOM doesn’t take you from profitable to homeless. if that happened, the business already had seriously bad margins, bad cash flow, over-leverage, or maybe he was just doing it out of love getting paid maybe back for his time or not. tariffs might’ve hurt, but they don’t collapse a healthy niche hardwar…

Hardware companies often operate on a relatively thin margin, especially as compared to say, software companies.

Let's say a companies margin was 40%. The cost of their constituent parts doubles due to tariffs, they are no longer making money as a result.

I hope this helps explain it for you.

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#103

Post by bruce511 »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #75
JSR_FDED wrote: post #6

Tariffs are great. They protect the struggling domestic IT industry and gives it time to ramp up its production of vintage computer parts.

We need manufacturing in the US. The service economy can't survive long term; you have to make things. Tariffs are not fun, but they are an important part of making that happen. But, tariffs on used cameras or vintage electronics does not help bring manufacturing back. Let's just bring back the de minimis exemption for things like this. More industry targeted tariffs, fewer blanket tariffs.

No sure why you are being down-voted. Your argument is coherent and correct.

Targeted tariffs on specific goods leads to the development of local production of that good. Lots and lots of countries have these in place.

Blanket tariffs are, of course, useless. The US doesn't have the climate to grown coffee, so tarifing Brazil serves no purpose other than taxing coffee consumption.

A surgeon uses a scalpel, not an axe. Used well, tariffs are a very powerful tool. Used badly they create more harm, and don't achieve the goal of promoting local production.

Tariffs which are here today, but gone tomorrow, don't created the stable environment which long-term investment in local production requires.

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#104

Post by CursedSilicon »

inferiorhuman wrote: post #85
esalman wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure JD Vance administration will be more vintage-camera-friendly.

Nah, I'm sure he's more focused on vintage furniture.

Likes the creak of some old wood

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#105

Post by CamperBob2 »

topato wrote: post #38
tombert wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still find it baffling that Trump managed to convince people that, somehow, "China" is paying these tariffs, despite the fact that that makes no fucking sense . These companies in China aren't charities; even if the exporter were the ones directly paying the tariffs, it would simply be baked into the price of the good being sold. This really isn't hard. It's literally something I learned on the first day of high sc…

Its scary how many things Trump says, claims that are roughly equivalent to, "1 + 2 = 4", which people just eat up as truth! It feels like all the deficets in our education system (going back decades) are finally coming to roost... so many people lack critical thinking skills and media savvy/awareness. I think its too late to fix it, now that a sufficient majority of people are susceptible to this deception, and a su…

Education isn't the problem with Trump voters, stupidity is.

Remember that this is his second term. Every American voter had the benefit of four years of "education" regarding Trump's character and competence. A majority of them responded by freely and enthusiastically demanding four more such years.

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#107

Post by bruce511 »

tjbiddle wrote: post #79
lostlogin wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would this ever work? The vast bulk of tariffs are surely paid by the buyer, not the seller.

It's more nuanced than that. Tariffs do not always 100% immediately get passed on to buyer. If there's a $100 product you'd like to purchase and there's a 100% tariff, it won't be $200. That product was made abroad, let's for $20. So the tariff should be $20, not $100. The US-based owner will go to the supplier, say they're getting squeezed by tariffs and first they'll try to see what they can do to recategorize the…

Squeezing the supplier may work in the short term, especially for goods already ordered, and produced, which can't be sold elsewhere.

But in the short-medium term it creates uncertainty for the supplier. (The on / off / on nature of these tariffs doesn't help.) For some goods this means suppliers will develop new markets, or will adjust prices up for American purchasers.

For example, say I have an orange farm. Say I have been selling to the US for ages. Simple, reliable sale, no need to look for other customers.

This year there's turmoil. We take a hit because US buyers need a discount (or might cancel the order.) OK, I'll take the hit. But I'll also put out feelers for other markets for next years crop. Maybe Saudia Arabia is looking. Maybe Europe is looking. Next year, do I develop those relationships, or do I reserve my crop for my US buyer?

Tariffs are not necessarily the problem. They are an important long-term tool used to support local production. Uncertainty though is a huge problem- it's easier to sell elsewhere.

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#108

Post by mlinhares »

xnx wrote: post #62
JSR_FDED wrote: post #6

Tariffs are great. They protect the struggling domestic IT industry and gives it time to ramp up its production of vintage computer parts.

[flagged]

You'll have to remove the potatoes as well as those can come from Canada.

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#109

Post by rootusrootus »

bruce511 wrote: post #103
WillPostForFood wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We need manufacturing in the US. The service economy can't survive long term; you have to make things. Tariffs are not fun, but they are an important part of making that happen. But, tariffs on used cameras or vintage electronics does not help bring manufacturing back. Let's just bring back the de minimis exemption for things like this. More industry targeted tariffs, fewer blanket tariffs.

No sure why you are being down-voted. Your argument is coherent and correct. Targeted tariffs on specific goods leads to the development of local production of that good. Lots and lots of countries have these in place. Blanket tariffs are, of course, useless. The US doesn't have the climate to grown coffee, so tarifing Brazil serves no purpose other than taxing coffee consumption. A surgeon uses a scalpel, not an axe…

> The US doesn't have the climate to grown coffee

Well, Hawaii does, but your point is good, thank you.

Re: When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

#110

Post by bruce511 »

epolanski wrote: post #53

As an European, I'm kinda pissed we don't retaliate the duties. I'd rather take a financial hit than act so weak and passive. I swear between chat control, selling out EU's privacy to US tech companies (you can check how many times Palantir & others met commission members, it's public), the insanity of the ICE ban and this tariffs passivity I'm very unhappy. Also, it's too convenient to only focus on material goods w…

Leaving aside the other (valid) items in your list, reciprocal tarifs really aren't helpful.

Firstly, they're unnecessary. Just do what Canadians are doing. Stop buying US goods. Stop going to the US on holiday. Shop keepers get the hint real quick.

Secondly, they just make goods more expensive for you. They gave no impact on American producers.

So it may feel like the EU is doing nothing. But really, there's nothing they need to do. Tarifs are a tax levied by the US govt on US citizens. Sure demand might drop a bit in the short term, but that just drives producers to find other markets. Which in the long run is a good thing.

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