Thank you for sharing this. I’m teaching this concept next week. The more real life examples I have the better.
2 months ago
| 5
sadly it's making it unfeasible for people in the US to buy from many places abroad
2 months ago | 2
You’re lucky your Canadian supplier still honoured your order. In the UK several model railway (and other) stores, suppliers and manufacturers, plus the British and Dutch postal services, have suspended all sales and deliveries to the USA until the new tariff regime is clarified. The biggest stumbling block is the minimum charge now levied on all imports now the ‘de minimis’ exception has been removed. There’s also some confusion as to which tariff would be applied when, for example, the product is sold from the UK (10% tariff) but was manufactured in China (considerably higher tariff which seems to change on a whim).
2 months ago
| 2
Thanks for pointing this out. I have several items on pre-order from the UK. I am seriously considering having them sent to New Zealand instead of the U.S. I paid the tariff tax earlier on a model I received from Australia. I am more than a little ticked over this tariff fiasco.
2 months ago
| 1
I had several items that are not available in the USA shipped from the EU that were hit with the tarrif despite technically arriving prior to the end of the deminimus exemption. They were items from german manufacturers that are not listed by US dealers. There were 3 pages of calculations and a bill that added 30% to the total cost. FedEx is clearly not messing around with any chance of being left holding the bag, which is understandable given how exposed they are to uncertain changing conditions. Doubtful anyone will ever see a penny back if the recent court ruling stands. It's going to hit those who make their livelihoods as dealers and manufacturers in the hobby industry as people adjust their buying habits to the new reality for sure.
2 months ago
| 2
The theoretical idea is to trigger a buyers strike that forces the shareholders to change suppliers. The practical result is that that the customer coughs up the tariffs, either by having no alternative or by big corporations pocketing the tariffs on stuff brought into the USA before the tariffs were enforced
2 months ago
| 1
It almost seems like the goal of the Tariffs were the brokerage charges. "On May 6, 2020, the bipartisan USPS Board of Governors, all selected by Trump and confirmed by the Senate, announced DeJoy's appointment as postmaster general and CEO, despite concerns about conflicts of interest." - Wikipedia
2 months ago
| 1
It seems like many canadian shops are not shipping to the US anymore, and vise versa
2 months ago
| 1
Just to give you further context, Anthony, I did a little figuring after looking at Scaletrains' website not to long ago. I found that due to the tarrifs, the price of a Rivet Counter ET44AC and ES44AC, for example, is about $20 higher than this time last year, and that's with Scaletrains absorbing most of the impact from the tariffs! If this trend continues, it will become (and for a lot of people, already has) to expensive to purchase a new locomotive, and nobody wins in that deal, especially the model train manufacturers!
2 months ago
| 2
The big courier companies really gouge you with brokerage fees. Here in Canada the postal service only charges $10. Isn’t part of your problem you’ve lost the exception for items worth less than $800. Welcome to the real world. Most countries have an exception of about $50 so we pay tax on most imports
2 months ago | 0
If we need anything....we best wait for swapsies at your trip next year LOL.
2 months ago
| 1
I ordered some spare parts in February 2025 for my newer Piko Vectron HO scale lok from Piko North America directly. Piko tells me the parts are sourced from China and Germany. They emailed that they expect the parts soon and they will be 30% more than when ordered due to tariffs and the decline in the US dollar to the Euro...
2 months ago | 0
Is UPS actually charged a fee that they pass on? Or are they simply charging you for handling the import duty?
2 months ago
| 1
It's not controversial. It's math. The US is over 127% over GDP on the credit card. If it wasn't for aircraft carriers and the threat of aircraft carriers, the US would be in default already. Interest on the debt gotta come from somewhere. The forefathers would puke in their oarmeal. Tariffs didn't work in the 30s it ain't gonna work here. Or at least tariffs on Canada. All the stuff the world wants is here. The river wiĺl meander to the easiest spot.
1 month ago | 0
This is basically killing my model car retail business (https://www.ebay.com/str/EuroPromo). Nevermind model trains, but I have been importing about $50-75k worth of limited edition model cars every year from Europe, and now the cost has basically doubled due to increased shipping costs & tariffs...I don't think my customers are willing to pay twice as much for these already not inexpensive model cars...
2 months ago
| 4
Anthony Dodge The Model Train Outsider
Going to be controversial here... but here is an example of the reality of tariffs. This is a copy of a UPS CBD on an eBay buy which is being delivered by UPS. (CBD = Cash Before Delivery)
I paid @ US $11.14 for an item in Canada. The "government charge" is the straight tariff all American buyers pay now for an item overseas. Rates vary according to nation. My tariff (tax) on this eBay buy was US $6.47. That is a 58% markup on the purchase price. We are not done. UPS, because they are an importer, also has to pay a surcharge (tariff aka "tax"), which they also pass on to the purchaser. An additional $24.00 Standard fee. Notice, they do not use the word tariff, but my purchases from Canada just two months ago had neither of these charges, as I already paid the postal fee to the buyer. So, for US $11.14, I wound up paying an additional $30 in tariffs.
We pay the tariffs, people, not the other countries or shipping companies. A tariff is a tax on the buyer, period. When the government says that the tariffs have raised X number of dollars. It came from us the buyer, not the makers, not the shippers. US.
2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 12