Affected by Tariffs?

I will be if things get even more expensive. I’ve started to get state taxed on my online purchases from Amazon and AliExpress and online bike stores like Jenson, etc. Will this push consumers to a supposedly cheaper USA made alternative? Right.
 
At the end f the day it's not going to make a whole lot of difference, the main reason China is able to totally eclipse the western world in manufacturing is they have less middle men wanting a cut. We create bureaucracy, red tape in the name of creating jobs but it's all friction in the works of industrial manufacturing, so much so that we simply can't compete with countries where industry has lower overheads. It's a vicious circle, manufacturing gets outsourced which puts people out of work so we create more middleman jobs which results in more outsourcing... keep going and it's all middlemen, an entire economy based on handing each other pieces of paper.

On top of that, China is already several steps ahead, they're well aware that at some point they'll be a victim of their own success. It simple economics, more money coming into the country than going out means the country becomes more and more wealthy until the rest of the world simply can't afford to buy what they're selling.

Unfortunately contemporary economics ain't that simple, if it was just a matter of the cold, hard bottom line then China would have been in that situation more than a decade ago but that's been delayed thanks to the wonders of infinite debt creation, economists have convinced themselves (and their governments) that it's safe to get 100A/Hr out of a 10A/Hr battery and they're certain they can keep going down that road and get to unlimited A/Hr, infinite debt.

Meanwhile China is sticking with real economics, they're spending their amassed wealth on developing industry in underdeveloped countries, places where folks live on less than a dollar a day. In our western media it's all "China China China", the place we should really be watching is Africa.
 
^-- 100% on the mark.

I've been buying ebike parts lately and noticed they are all trans-shipped from hong kong. The shipping has increased in price, but i'm not seeing an increase of the prices of the product.

I wonder how effective these tariffs are.
 
Just last night I was digging thru the tome of taxes. . .
https://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/index.htm

100 chapters of hell
https://hts.usitc.gov/current

Chapter 85
https://hts.usitc.gov/view/Chapter%2085?release=2019HTSARev16


Being a guy who has made a lot of complex things...
Knows how to speak to machines and such....
I can say for certain that the mess which is our Tax Code (whatever you want to call it) is rigged to the max.

...

If you are a small fry (and this may be a bit OT) you basically need to dig in there and find the tax code that best matches what you want to import.

Example:

Crap.png

At first it will seem impossible and repetitive. . . but if you dig and look for patterns you will see that things are highly classified.

Long story short -
This is what leads to a lot of things being miss-marked from over seas - the purpose is to hit a given tax code

...

So anyway -
If you want to save some money on a broker have your tax code ready.

If you want to save money landing make sure you work out your Vanning and Storage

Dont forget that California will try to rip you off for an additional 10% if you do not show them how they made money on the deal. They think only in terms of bringing in income and the thought of non-profitable R&D is garble to them.

-methods
 
For folks looking to build a project -
So landing maybe 8 or 10 of something...

You will save yourself much grief by just paying for Air Shipping
From a major carrier like UPS
Paid for on the shippers side (only agree to a shipped price)
Order Express!

In this way, you approach a reputable supplier in China.
This is a supplier with good reviews.
You negotiate a SHIPPED PRICE, AIR

You pay
They ship
A week later you have your stuff
They handle all the paperwork
Goods at your door.

...

On the other hand -
If you want to bring in 100 of something you need to go water.
That means long lead times and complicated paperwork and delays.

You need a Broker on this end - pick a competent broker.
You will pay for this broker
You have to declare everything that is landing
You have to pay for the tax code work or do it yourself (for the documents)

Parts land and you have to pay for a transport company to take your gear from the docks to the warehouse.

You then can pick up your goods from the warehouse or arrange shipment to your location.

....

This is a big and crazy process that runs 25hrs a day.
Go in assuming everyone hates you and you will be fine.
Do not botch up ... like showing up to the warehouse with a tiny pickup truck so you can take 40 loads to your house

LOL

That wont fly.
Rent a big truck, bigger than you need.

Calculate all of this expense in...
Then calculate an additional 10% for California to rip you
Then calculate in another 20% for bad goods, broken stuff, lost boxes...

In the end -
If you are doing hobby stuff -
Air is the way to go for all imports.

-methods
 
So to wrap up that low level DIY ...

When you look at someone selling goods (say in the US) and there is a markup of 100%, 200%, 300%...

If you really look into it a lot of work is done for the "profit" they are tacking on top.

- Liability
- Absorbing losses
- Customer support
- Unanticipated Logistics

... As for Tariffs?

I have retail folks tell me all the time that they are being dinged by this tariff or that tariff. It comes in waves and it passes. They paint these pictures with a broad brush and those leaning over the person writing the codes have only their own interests in mind....

So...
Some mega-company like Starbucks may want to import a billion pounds of some specific plastic that they make stir-sticks out of...

You can be helped by that
You can be hurt by that

And... I wont even start to think about the Political Wrangling and non-sense from our politicians.

One truth?
We should be manufacturing in the US.
Anything to the contrary will be a target.

-methods
 
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