"Changes to De Minimis Rules" Topic
9 Posts
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| Marcus Brutus | 04 Aug 2025 7:57 p.m. PST |
Just wondered how changes to the De Minimis Rules by the Trump administration will effect US gamers wanting to order figures from overseas suppliers? |
| Dave Woodchuck | 05 Aug 2025 5:40 p.m. PST |
It'll stink until something gets worked out. It does encourage working on the ol' pile of shame until things get settled. |
 Bobgnar  | 09 Aug 2025 11:42 p.m. PST |
It should bring miniatures and related gaming items from UK to US to more of a trickle than the current postage rates are doing. Imagine custom duties on every eBay purchase, and the processing fee! |
| The Last Conformist | 10 Aug 2025 11:12 p.m. PST |
After Brexit caused processing fees on packages from the UK to the EU, retailers eventually wised up and many handle the paperwork and tax payment on their side, meaning you dodge the fee. (You still pay the tax, of course, but for smaller orders the fee was often the bigger cost.) Of course, the cottage firms common in the hobby tends to be the ones least likely to provide such service, but it's gotten better. (It's similar with ordering from the US, where customs have gotten more consistent in applying tax – it used to be quite random if any given parcel was hit – but shipping costs always made that an expensive option.) |
| captaincold69 | 16 Aug 2025 7:18 a.m. PST |
I for one have been priced out of the EU gaming market. It SUCKS that hardly any gaming items are made in the US. It's Etsy for me until I buy my own printer. 
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| kodiakblair | 16 Aug 2025 9:04 a.m. PST |
@captaincold69 The reason why few wargaming items are US made is twofold. Buying from the US is hugely expensive and most of the world's wargaming community reside outside the US. You may baulk at a 10 or 15% tariff but that's actually very reasonable. Should UK or EU wargamers decide to purchase from the US they have 20% VAT to pay on both the goods and the shipping; might even have 3% import duty depending on the size of the order. In short, your domestic market is too small and your product is expensive for the much larger marketplace. |
| FlyXwire | 22 Aug 2025 4:21 a.m. PST |
Again, you don't have to understand it, you will feel it. |
| Grattan54 | 29 Aug 2025 6:08 p.m. PST |
Actually there are a number of US based companies that have a wide range of figures for sale. They may not be what you are looking for but the companies are out there. |
| SBminisguy | 29 Aug 2025 10:29 p.m. PST |
Grattan54+1 Should UK or EU wargamers decide to purchase from the US they have 20% VAT to pay on both the goods and the shipping; might even have 3% import duty depending on the size of the order. In short, your domestic market is too small and your product is expensive for the much larger marketplace. Yep, something little considered until this event brought it to the light. BUT -- you're wrong about the US market, which comprises 44% of UK/EU wargames sales. Yep, that's right, the US alone represents almost $520 USD MLLION market for y'all. So, not so small. And as you pointed out, Europe has enjoyed a structural advantage over US wargame producers because on top of import fees, the UK and EU's VAT-based import regime makes small direct-to-consumer orders from the U.S. relatively expensive, where the reverse was not true which is one reason why US wargame exports to the UK/EU are only about $60 USD million annually. I don't think even a 10% tariff will seriously change that balance given the dominance of GW and other established primarily UK-based wargame companies. But it could lead to some changes in how US wargamers shop for their gaming needs, and maybe there could be new forms of purchase. For example, I know one FLGS that is experimenting with its own 3D print shop for miniatures and terrain. |
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