Parcels to USA

[Richard_C]

The US Postal service has stopped all parcels from China and Hong Kong, with immediate effect. That might be an "oh bother" moment for some US hobbyists who use this site and buy from Temu and suchlike, especially if they have orders on the way.

They have also ended the 'de minimis' tax rules so the recipients pay tax on everything - however small. It's not clear to me if that just applies to China or if it applies to all incoming parcels, so it might affect small scale UK to US orders (and even gifts to friends and relations?).

 

[paulrbarnard]

Only China I suspect at this stage. From the press that’s the only new tariff that has stuck so far

 

[Cobbs]

Only China I suspect at this stage. From the press that’s the only new tariff that has stuck so far

With any luck, these tariffs will be Trump's downfall, when his voters realise they're paying more for so many things.

 

[TRITON]

With any luck, these tariffs will be Trump's downfall, when his voters realise they're paying more for so many things.

They'll never take responsibility for the result of their actions.
Thats the thing about these populists, they move on to blame another group.

In the UK via the likes of the daily heil, I've seen them demonize the unemployed, the long term disabled and sick, immigrants from every other corner of the world, pensioners, the yoof, single parents Et cetera, across 30+ years.
They need a scapegoat to rally the unthinking against.

The conservative right wing especially. They cut social services in somewhere like the NHS, and when the problems of those policies begin to show themselves, then it becomes the fault of "Bed Blockers" (a term coined by the dm), but the truth of the matter is it was the conservatives who with the removal of those services meant older people coming out of hospital were unable to do so, because there was little to no public services to help them.


getting a bit ranty there sorry.


What about having Temu etc send to somewhere like a Canadian shipping company, then on to yourself.
When I sold stuff on ebay, i sometimes was sending my stuff to just such a shipping company, where I imagine the buyer trying to buy because i couldn't/wouldn't send directly to the country they were actually in.

 

[mwinfrance]

There are a massive number of small businesses, small shops, craft workers, etsy "makers" etc who buy their machines and supplies direct from China via aliexpress, or direct from Chinese companies.they will not only be paying more , but even for orders that have arrived in the USA, US customs will be requiring the tariffs "extra surcharge to be paid before they release the items. Parcel delivery being "frozen" means that some small business will just fold with debts, goods already paid for will be "frozen".Last time trump played "tariff war" with China I knew some US businesses who folded as their ( mainly Trump supporting ) customers*, refused to pay the inevitable increased prices. Impossible to source from the USA as no US companies at all produced ( still don't ) the items( industrial sewing machines ) as it had all been outsourced to China.lead time to set up a factory making them in the USA ( and find the skilled workers to make them ) at least 5 years.
The customers "affiliation" were easy to know as they had been supporting him vocally in many craft worker and small business forums, then when things became unavailable , or the prices jumped, they screamed "rip off"..

 

[Cobbs]

They'll never take responsibility for the result of their actions.
Thats the thing about these populists, they move on to blame another group.

In the UK via the likes of the daily heil, I've seen them demonize the unemployed, the long term disabled and sick, immigrants from every other corner of the world, pensioners, the yoof, single parents Et cetera, across 30+ years.
They need a scapegoat to rally the unthinking against.

The conservative right wing especially. They cut social services in somewhere like the NHS, and when the problems of those policies begin to show themselves, then it becomes the fault of "Bed Blockers" (a term coined by the dm), but the truth of the matter is it was the conservatives who with the removal of those services meant older people coming out of hospital were unable to do so, because there was little to no public services to help them.


getting a bit ranty there sorry.


What about having Temu etc send to somewhere like a Canadian shipping company, then on to yourself.
When I sold stuff on ebay, i sometimes was sending my stuff to just such a shipping company, where I imagine was the buying trying to buy because i couldn't/wouldn't send directly to the country they were actually in.

Ranty gets you deleted - curb your opinions at once or suffer the consequences!

 

[deema]

@TRITON social services are provided by the local council not by central government. Local councils have underspent on social care for years with the consequence people remain in hospital long after they are able to go home because the care in the community they need isn’t available / provided.

China is not a utopian society, far from it. Love it hate him, Trump is right about China. So if ever there was anything to protest against or stop buying goods from, China should be top of the list. A tiny bit of research would highlight why the world needs to be concerned.

 

[mwinfrance]

What about having Temu etc send to somewhere like a Canadian shipping company, then on to yourself.

Trans shipping via 3rd parties / countries would still have to declare the country of manufacture on the documents, so Tariffs would still apply, and probably be applied.Customs are not dumb, falsifying customs docs is a criminal offence.

 

[TRITON]

China is not a utopian society, far from it.

I'd say it is more a utopian society than the US.

In fact it seems more aligned to the type of system of authoritarian government that Trump sees himself running.

But what do we really know about living in China ? outwith the right wing press's portrayal of them.

 

[mwinfrance]

social services are provided by the local council not by central government. Local councils have underspent on social care for years with the consequence people remain in hospital long after they are able to go home because the care in the community they need isn’t available / provided.

China is not a utopian society, far from it. Love it hate him, Trump is right about China. So if ever there was anything to protest against or stop buying goods from, China should be top of the list. A tiny bit of research would highlight why the world needs to be concerned.

Politics ( local or international , or ones political views ) are not supposed to be here ( outside of OT2 ) so even if one's "bestie" is a mod..It would be better if that was respected. Spectric said ( about an hour ago ) "no politics" presumably that applies to everyone , even "besties" ?

 

[deema]

I'd say it is more a utopian society than the US.

In fact it seems more aligned to the type of system of authoritarian government that Trump sees himself running.

But what do we really know about living in China ? outwith the right wing press's portrayal of them.

I used to run two factories in China, one on Beijing and the other Nanjing. I think I had a really good insight into China. I’d suggest trying to live there for a while to get a totally different view point when comparing China to the USA. I have also run a factory in the USA so can make real world comparisons.

 

[Eshmiel]

Political not-post but guess away at the content.

 

[mwinfrance]

I used to run two factories in China, one on Beijing and the other Nanjing. I think I had a really good insight into China. I’d suggest trying to live there for a while to get a totally different view point when comparing China to the USA. I have also run a factory in the USA so can make real world comparisons.

Not disputing your personal experiences, or even necessarily disagreeing with your assessment.But the thread was supposed to be about the practical consequences of Trumps actions.Not whether one "system" is better than another.Such discussions are supposed to be for OT2, because as Spectric said they can, and often do get unpleasant fast. I'm curious why you don't just subscribe and get "political" in OT2 as opposed to injecting your politics* into threads outside of OT2, "outside" in OT and others, where it gets the threads shut down, often by your mate. Unless that is your aim in doing so .

* you are not the only one, but AFAIK, the only one with a mod "bestie" ..Ceasar's wife and all that.

 

[Chris152]

I'm curious why you don't just subscribe and get "political" in OT2 as opposed to injecting politics into threads outside,

Not everyone has the money to do that. So if you can't afford it, politics is off limits. Funny world eh.

 

[mwinfrance]

Not everyone has the money to do that. So if you can't afford it, politics is off limits. Funny world eh.

Agreed, but then again, as someone who runs and hosts fora elsewhere, and who has been a member of a good few since the days of BB and newsgroups, I've always thought that politics and religion have no place in "public accessible areas of fora" , because someone always abuses it. Those who do, usually do have the money to pay to access private areas, but apparently prefer to post their political opinions or religion in public areas as a kind of "dare to contradict me and engage and the thread will be shut and you'll be silenced".IMO an extremely pernicious form of what is nowadays known as "gaslighting". Meanwhile they themselves get to be subtly ( or sometimes not so subtly ) political , either due to being a mod ( saw that in a very long established pro websmaster forum over 3 decades ) , or because they have a"connection" with someone who has mod scissors, and is loath to sanction them accordingly. I know I'd find it hard to sanction a mate, or the mate of a mod publicly for not obeying the letter, or the spirit, of forum rules. I suspect some posters might play upon such a reluctance.

 

[Spectric]

I have also run a factory in the USA so can make real world comparisons.

So some bullet points, clear up this misconception that China only makes cheap & cheerful because logic should tell you that you cannot go into space using a recycled washing machine. I would say the biggest difference is cultural and attitude to work .

 

[Richard_C]

I carefully avoided commenting on whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, just the practical impact.

because logic should tell you that you cannot go into space using a recycled washing machine.

Have you seen a Mercury or Gemini capsule

 

[Agent_zed]

Politics ( local or international , or ones political views ) are not supposed to be here ( outside of OT2 ) so even if one's "bestie" is a mod..It would be better if that was respected. Spectric said ( about an hour ago ) "no politics" presumably that applies to everyone , even "besties" ?

Genuine question, although probably for the mods, are politics not allowed outside of OT2? I saw @Spectric mention this in another thread (now deleted) as being part of the rules of the forum. I looked at the rules but it made no mention of politics or where they may or may not be posted, unless I missed something.

I don't mind either way but would be useful to have clarity and the forum rules updated so I know what I can and can't do, rather than find myself in hot water by accident.