Has anyone here been affected by tariffs?

[Mary Stetler]

Even Powell at the Fed now admits there has been no "tariff inflation" and he had been quite a critic. Economists have been saying this for many months,

Even if there were some 'inflation' caused by tariffs, at least we are getting some money back from those who have been tariffing us for decades to help with our debt repayment.

 

[Jacob Petersheim]

The tariffs overall haven't really contributed to inflation, but some individuals and small companies may be affected. I just asked the question. Probably the ones most affected are the ones who were getting things directly from China and bypassing the customs regulations previously.

Well, it wasn't just Costco and Walmart who knifed Americans in the back importing cheap outsourced products. Lower on the retail chain you had multi-level pyramids of smaller Benedict Arnold importers. That's where the real whining comes from, mostly on the coasts.

 

[Mary Stetler]

Well, it wasn't just Costco and Walmart who knifed Americans in the back importing cheap outsourced products. Lower on the retail chain you had multi-level pyramids of smaller Benedict Arnold importers. That's where the real whining comes from, mostly on the coasts.

People liked it that they could buy things cheaply, They didn't see that they were supporting the CCP or the poor children in the sweatshops. Now they see the negative that effects(affects?) them. The loss of factories, medicines and jobs, the control China could have if it turned off the spigot...

 

[Don Alaska]

I found the explanation:

---

July 2025: An executive order was issued to end the de minimis exemption (packages valued at less than $800) for all countries, effective August 29, impacting cheap shipments from Canada and elsewhere.

Impact on Packages: This forced U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to process every package, leading to massive pile-ups, like a million-package backlog at JFK.

Shipper Response: Global shippers, including those handling Canadian mail, temporarily paused deliveries to the U.S. due to the uncertainty and potential for massive delays.

Canada Post & Duties: Canada Post used third-party programs to collect duties, but the increased scrutiny and potential tariffs (around 35% for many goods) created significant slowdowns.

---

Exactly! It was aimed at China, but it affected other countries as well. China was the biggest offender and deliberately packaged items to fit under the de minimis allowances. That is exactly what I was referring to but I didn't post a link.

 

[Don Alaska]

Well, it wasn't just Costco and Walmart who knifed Americans in the back importing cheap outsourced products. Lower on the retail chain you had multi-level pyramids of smaller Benedict Arnold importers. That's where the real whining comes from, mostly on the coasts.

Again, once your competitors do something shady and against American interests as a whole, everyone who wants to stay in business is required to follow suit or fold.

 

[Jacob Petersheim]

Again, once your competitors do something shady and against American interests as a whole, everyone who wants to stay in business is required to follow suit or fold.

I doubt it was about competition.

Once globalism bled industrial America carrion-eaters were quick to swoop in and gorge themselves. The greatest numbers of them had never been importers, wholesalers, distributors, or retailers before.

They bring in Chinese products for pennies, mark that up and resell wholesale, that gets marked up against, then maybe again, and finally retailed (Amazon, Walmart.com, eBay, etc. etc.).

 

[Mary Stetler]

I doubt it was about competition.

Once globalism bled industrial America carrion-eaters were quick to swoop in and gorge themselves. The greatest numbers of them had never been importers, wholesalers, distributors, or retailers before.

They bring in Chinese products for pennies, mark that up and resell wholesale, that gets marked up against, then maybe again, and finally retailed (Amazon, Walmart.com, eBay, etc. etc.).

Yes Amazon is now selling TEMU items for a lot more money.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Update on the package from Canada:

Left Toronto November 14. Arrived in Chicago 2 days later. Spent the next 40 days at customs at CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER. Finally left there today, Dec 28th. Destination?

London, England

Did they give me the wrong tracking number? Even if they did, why would this package go through the US and be charged 35% tariffs unnecessarily? If it comes back to the US will they charge another 35%?

 

[Mary Stetler]

Update on the package from Canada:

Left Toronto November 14. Arrived in Chicago 2 days later. Spent the next 40 days at customs at CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER. Finally left there today, Dec 28th. Destination?

London, England

Did they give me the wrong tracking number? Even if they did, why would this package go through the US and be charged 35% tariffs unnecessarily? If it comes back to the US will they charge another 35%?

Not very funny.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Not very funny.

I think it's hilarious. I really do. Once in a lifetime.

Latest Update:
Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND on December 28, 2025 at 10:14 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

 

[Mary Stetler]

I think it's hilarious. I really do. Once in a lifetime.

Latest Update:
Your item departed a transfer airport in HEATHROW, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND on December 28, 2025 at 10:14 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

Oh I thought it was something of yours to be paid on.

 

[Nancy Hart]

Oh I thought it was something of yours to be paid on.

It is a prescription drug I ordered from Canada because it's way cheaper there even without insurance. The Pharmacy declares the value, finds out the tariff, and adds it to my bill. At that point in time it was 35%. I paid it when they shipped it back in November. The delay is mostly because they have to check every package now. It used to be they only checked those of value more than $800. I won't be able to use that pharmacy again until that rule goes away.

 

[Mary Stetler]

I am waiting till international crypto happens screwing up all financial transactions. Coming to a theater near you.

 

[Don Alaska]

I am waiting till international crypto happens screwing up all financial transactions. Coming to a theater near you.

International crypto already exists. It is not mandatory however. You can see what has happened to Western postal services from Nancy's experience though. This is the first I have heard of things leaving the U.S. to come back to the U.S. Stuff within the country and entering the country are totally screwed up by the new "efficiencies" (read AI). Maybe the same has happened here.

 

[Mary Stetler]

International crypto already exists. It is not mandatory however. You can see what has happened to Western postal services from Nancy's experience though. This is the first I have heard of things leaving the U.S. to come back to the U.S. Stuff within the country and entering the country are totally screwed up by the new "efficiencies" (read AI). Maybe the same has happened here.

I am thinking of the ways Trump is working on balancing the budget with crypto. Also revaluing gold, lowering the Fed rate...
People have been screaming get the money out of the mattress. Go Here! Go There!
I can't do crypto. I can't remember 36 integers and I would be like the guy who lost his password. How many millions did he lose?
I went to redeem my credit card rewards for cash yesterday. Normally I would just tell them how many points I wanted to redeem and they would put the credit on my card. Yesterday they wanted my bank routing number to redeem the full amount $250. I did not want to give that. So I went to option B to put the money on my card. They said I had to put down the amount in 3333 points per. The end result was less than $250. I called customer service and they said they changed how they did things last August. But why would they make it harder to give the money back to their company card?! He said he thought it was to make it more likely we would put it in our bank account.
That Makes No Sense, Eric!!! I don't like this change. (But there was nothing I could do about it.)
Everyone wants more info from us.
Something evil this way comes.