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

The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

spectrum.ieee.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 184 posts

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#171

Post by carlosjobim »

mindslight wrote: post #167
carlosjobim wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of mob behaviour is also dehumanizing your opponent, like you just did. You are showing very predictable behaviour.

It's funny how the argument always comes back to how you're being "unfairly" written off, while the only objective argument you've actually offered is "tariffs can be good too" - presented as if you're some independent tariff enthusiast skeptical of Trump himself and not just a full on America-hating cult member. Bot or not it doesn't really matter. It's clear you're not going to change your opinion of Dear Leader un…

Oh yes a cult member he is, he must be stoned! He hates our country, he must be killed!

You have immersed yourself completely in mob mentality, but this is just a discussion board, so you don't have any power of the mob behind you. You're just screaming into the void. On a ride down the track with the destination paranoid schizophrenia. Because that will be the result if you spend too long thinking that everybody who doesn't think like you is an AI robot, a cult member, a foreign spy, or whatever you're going to call me in your next comment.

My "Dear Leader" is not Trump, it's another tariff guy who probably hates Trump just as much as some people here. Tariffs are not my main issue, but it's the main issue in this comment thread titled "The many ways tariffs will hit electronics". If you read my other replies in this thread, I have outlined some positive and negative effects of tariffs.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#172

Post by ssl-3 »

mindslight wrote: post #161
ssl-3 wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already do bulk imports, and they have have been doing it for years. With their "Standard Choice" shipping, for me where I am, that means that my stuff is sent from New York to me in Ohio with USPS. There's no customs forms attached when it comes my way, nor should there be: I didn't import anything. How it gets from wherever it started to New York is not my problem -- just as it isn't my problem with the other…

Ah, I didn't know that with Standard Choice they already did the importing themselves. I figured they were doing something like bringing the bulk containers into a customs free zone, splitting the individual packages up to get them ready for delivery, then brokering them as individual imports so they fell under de minimis and sending them out to be delivered. Since what you say would imply that if I order something f…

I'm 100% sure about the differences in customs form presence.

Stuff that ships regular-way comes via usually comes via China Post and always with a customs form that is usually somewhat dubious (wrong item description, wrong value, checked "gift" box, etc). This always feels like just I'm buying from an individual seller and importing directly; like the equivalent of how buying internationally from small sellers on US eBay is.

Stuff that ships Standard Choice comes without any of that (and also often gets consolidated into a singular larger bag that has smaller bags from different sellers inside of it). When they're not consolidated, then the individual bags are always re-labeled with a paid USPS mailing label over the original. However it is that my Standard Choice orders are handled, they always show up in my mailbox looking like very-normal domestic mail and there are no customs forms to be seen.

So least in terms of logistics, Standard Choice has every appearance of being very centralized and bulk-oriented -- including within the US.

In terms of certainty: That's all that I'm certain of, and I'm only certain that it is this way for me here where I am.

The rest (eg, how this actually plays out in the future) is speculation on my part. I think my speculation may be correct, but I do not know that it is correct. I feel confident, but I won't be able to know if my confidence is misplaced until after the dust settles. They're obviously free to restructure any or all of this, and are incentivized to do whatever it is that makes them the most money.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#173

Post by mindslight »

ssl-3 wrote: post #172
mindslight wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, I didn't know that with Standard Choice they already did the importing themselves. I figured they were doing something like bringing the bulk containers into a customs free zone, splitting the individual packages up to get them ready for delivery, then brokering them as individual imports so they fell under de minimis and sending them out to be delivered. Since what you say would imply that if I order something f…

I'm 100% sure about the differences in customs form presence. Stuff that ships regular-way comes via usually comes via China Post and always with a customs form that is usually somewhat dubious (wrong item description, wrong value, checked "gift" box, etc). This always feels like just I'm buying from an individual seller and importing directly; like the equivalent of how buying internationally from small sellers on U…

(baseless speculation) perhaps China Post requires a paper customs declaration on packages, whereas commercial clearance is free to keep that information electronic and present it to US Customs electronically?

FWIW my Choice packages have been showing up by consumer car courier rather than USPS.

I've got a couple of things still coming that I ordered late. They should be clearing customs before the 2nd, so hopefully I won't have to find out what actually happens!

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#174

Post by ssl-3 »

mindslight wrote: post #173
ssl-3 wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 100% sure about the differences in customs form presence. Stuff that ships regular-way comes via usually comes via China Post and always with a customs form that is usually somewhat dubious (wrong item description, wrong value, checked "gift" box, etc). This always feels like just I'm buying from an individual seller and importing directly; like the equivalent of how buying internationally from small sellers on U…

(baseless speculation) perhaps China Post requires a paper customs declaration on packages, whereas commercial clearance is free to keep that information electronic and present it to US Customs electronically? FWIW my Choice packages have been showing up by consumer car courier rather than USPS. I've got a couple of things still coming that I ordered late. They should be clearing customs before the 2nd, so hopefully…

Sure, maybe. That's definitely another possibility.

I only know about this >.< much about how things like customs and tariffs actually work.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#175

Post by Aloisius »

ty6853 wrote: post #136
Aloisius wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The rich borrow against gains That they have to pay back with interest. This made a little sense except for short-term loans when one had liquidity issues when interest rates were close to zero or in very, very limited circumstances where someone knew they were close to death - but that more has to do with the broken way we handle taxing inheritance. With the prime rate is 7.5% today, it makes far less sense. > "re…

>Capital expenditures aren't subtracted from revenue. They have no effect on profit. This is a cheap slight of hand to confuse unsophisticated readers. It has effect on taxable profit since much of cap ex is deductible.

> since much of cap ex is deductible

Since when?

Last I checked, capex was not deductible. You can deduct depreciation of assets over time, but that's not going to offset profit to create a loss unless you're spending far more money than you profited (by say, taking out loans).

There is the expiring bonus depreciation provision on a limited limited class of assets which would let you create a loss, but even that's subject to recapture if you sell those assets.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#176

Post by alabastervlog »

Whoppertime wrote: post #164
alabastervlog wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually-rich people pay little or no income tax. Most of what they pay is capital gains, and usually the long-term rate (15% or 20%, depends), which is lower than all but the lowest two (0%, 12%) of seven brackets applied to people who actually work for a living. Plus they don't pay FICA on that, which is another ~7.5% for W2 and ~15% for contract workers. Also, they often manage to avoid even paying the long-term c…

It depends what you mean by rich people. Do you mean people like Doctors and Lawyers who work for their money, or do you mean investors and CEOs who created a company worth millions/billions, and the shares they own in that company mean they are also worth millions/billions. Because I can tell you the former certainly pay income tax, and I have heard from many doctors and lawyers that they weren't planning on working…

You're not really rich if you have to work for pay to maintain a (relatively) expensive life style. It's the distinction between the rich and the "professional class" or "upper-middle class". The really rich are capitalists, in the sense of making their money from owning stuff.

Looks like the top marginal rate's about 50% (including the top state rate of ~13%), but that's also way past the point where FICA's dropped off so it's not quite as bad (relative to middle tax brackets) as it looks. I can definitely see turning down ~50% of (say) $2,000 in exchange for a free Saturday if I'm already making north of a quarter-million a year (individual—brackets are higher for joint filing). Hell, when I was a freelancer, for every single vacation I took the main cost was foregone income, so I've even done basically that exact thing, though without being in that high a tax bracket. In fact, even today, I could probably take on paying work many weekends, and never do, so I make the same choice all the time despite being well under the top tax bracket.

Like, working the weekend normally isn't worth it for most people who can possibly afford not to do it, tax bracket be damned. Did these doctors and lawyers work a pretty normal number of hours that week? If so, I don't really understand what you're getting at. Seems like they just wanted to frame a normal thing most people do as a complaint about taxes.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#177

Post by Tadpole9181 »

int_19h wrote: post #148
krapp wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's not a king, he's CEO In Chief. This is the inevitable result of a society which pathologically mistrusts government on principle, but which worships celebrity and free market capitalism. It's surprising the pretense of being a Republic lasted as long as it did.

If we actually had pathological mistrust of government, Trump simply wouldn't have the power to do all the crazy shit he's doing. But we don't. What we do have is pathological mistrust of our political opponents in the government. More so on the right, but it's fairly pervasive. So "small government" gets used as a way to trip up your opposition when it's in power, but as soon as you get the reins, it's full steam ah…

Prior to 2016 I had no such thing, nor did pretty much anyone I know on the left. I disagreed with, for example, Romney, but I didn't pathologically fear or mistrust him. Bush was a war criminal, but what president hasn't been since WW2?

This started with Obama. The audacity of a black man to be president had so many people I thought were reasonable saying, with no hint of Jest, that he was the Antichrist. Suddenly mustard flavors and suit colors were signs of the apocalypse. And ever since then the left have been "the enemy within" meant to be rooted out.

Trump, of course, spent his time amplifying this message. And his campaign and presidency is what drove the left into pathological fear.

Conservative racism poisoned the blood of our nation yet again.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#178

Post by frogperson »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #15

I've honestly never understood the point of the tariffs. 1. They're massively unpopular and likely to cause electoral losses in '26 and '28 which will immediately undo them 2. Consumers know the tariffs will likely cause a recession, and will likely be undone in 4y. Pretty much every major spending purchase that can be delayed, will. 3. Companies know 4y is not enough time to invest in new supply chains or new manufa…

You are not thinking like a mob boss.

The tarrifs have no economic purpose, they are a bullying tactic. Congress controls the ability to levy taxes for a good reason, which is to prevent executive abuse. Trump and his republican supporters are using the tarrifs like the kings of old to negotiate favors and support.

The tarrifs were applied across the board, and will slowly be trimmed back as people kiss the ring.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#179

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #94
tzs wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or it would make it politically quite tenable to get rid of tariffs and greatly raise income taxes on people making over $150k.

They already do pay the vast majority of income taxes.

That's because they make the vast majority of the income.

People really don't comprehend how much money the top 0.01% makes.

Re: The many ways tarrifs will hit electronics

#180

Post by mindslight »

carlosjobim wrote: post #171
mindslight wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny how the argument always comes back to how you're being "unfairly" written off, while the only objective argument you've actually offered is "tariffs can be good too" - presented as if you're some independent tariff enthusiast skeptical of Trump himself and not just a full on America-hating cult member. Bot or not it doesn't really matter. It's clear you're not going to change your opinion of Dear Leader un…

Oh yes a cult member he is, he must be stoned! He hates our country, he must be killed! You have immersed yourself completely in mob mentality, but this is just a discussion board, so you don't have any power of the mob behind you. You're just screaming into the void. On a ride down the track with the destination paranoid schizophrenia. Because that will be the result if you spend too long thinking that everybody who…

I've read all your replies in this thread. Your points boil down to "tariffs can be good sometimes". That might sound insightful to your buddies while stoned, but it doesn't even really amount to an argument.

Yet you continue pouring most of your effort into complaining about how you're being judged and treated so unfairly. uh-huh.

Post reply on HN