"Tariffs, eh?" Topic

So – not so long ago there was turmoil on international shipping due to tariffs being introduced. They're now struck down by the Supreme Court, but there are new 10%, or 15%, global tariffs from tomorrow. But only for 150 days, unless a new unspecified calamity hits poor calamity ridden usa.

It's all quite confusing.

Is everyone changing their shipping terms again?

That SP decision was very limited. There will still be tariffs.

Raising the tariffs to 15% on Allies was harsh. But lowering tariffs to 15% on the Chinese was an unexpected boon.

I would imagine Temu et al exports to the US will drop dramatically in price.

Let's be brutally honest here.
There is no policy. There never was a policy.
There's nothing that anyone can rely on.
It's all up to the whim of one man who is as mercurial as … a spilled bottle of mercury.
Such policy as there is changes with mood swings. Congress is ignored.
Advisors aren't worth a bucket of warm spit. If they give advice that contradicts someone's changing fancy, they're ignored.

Good luck trying to rely on anything.
I just want my refund. 😄🤷🙄.

Heck. Even our enemies can't rely on anything.

Really quite lovely!

+1 OFM

+2 OFM.

I have to disagree with you here, John. U.S. trade policy with the Heard Island and McDonald Islands was well thought out, measured and carefully planned.

There are several other statutes he can use to impose tariffs, and they all come with their own restrictions and other nonsense. The bottom line is, as people have said, you can't tell what's going to happen. So everything slows down. People won't want to buy, won't want to invest. If you wanted to gum up the economy for everyone and there wasn't a convenient respiratory virus handy, this is what you would do. Well, this and constantly threatening war everywhere, that's another good way to create uncertainty and make people put their wallets back in their pockets.

+3 OFM. Good one Bobspruster I got that!!

Will this affect the return shipping and fees cost of offshore painting services? (Return shipping to the USA)

It is unpredictable the same way your opponent's moves are unpredictable. Trump uses tariffs as bargaining chips. That may or may not be a good idea -- we shall ser the results -- but there is no pretense that it is a long-term stable policy.

It's not so much a policy thing as an extortion racket thing.

Make a trade deal to buy him off today, and next month he'll slap the tariffs back on to extort another concession. No country in their right mind should make any trade deals with him now.

Doesn't matter. 10-15% is less than the uncertainty of currency fluctuations, and usually less than shipping. There's an order pending with Nas of Irregular2and6 right now. There will be another in April and a third in June. I want 2mil Napoleonics until I can fight Leipzig, and 6mm AT for every theater and period of WW2 as fast as I can afford to order them. I'm getting a little tired of suppliers disappearing on me, or improving products into another scale.

Its not just the US that imposes tariffs

20thmain

I think you and your country have much bigger problems than tariffs.

link

Section 122 tariffs under which the 10 or 15% tariffs are being imposed expires in 150 days unless approved by Congress which is highly unlikely therefore it will change at that time.

@14Bore – but the usa keeps changing them every few days or weeks, hence my original question "is everyone changing their shipping terms again?"

It took a few months to adjust to the big tariff announcement, now that has been ruled illegal but instead there's a different tariff for 150 days and then the promise of a different tariff regime…and maybe a different one a few months after that. Hence the thought that this might mess shipping up again. Or not.

OH NO, NOW MORE TARIFFS PROMISED on poor Canada!! 😱

"TRUMP CONGRATULATES TEAM USA HOCKEY! t.co/5w8FfuWcXN / X


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Tariffs are a bargaining tool, not a first end all

Threads like these always allow me to spot the Trump haters, who seem to be quite prolific and vocal on TMP.

Personally, I'd rather have the cheap shipping from the UK to the USA return, but that will never happen regardless which party controls the government. That expense alone killed me buying from the UK several years ago.

Trump haters prolific and vocal on TMP?

I say, bad form.

"Trump haters prolific and vocal on TMP?"

You just noticed? 😉

This is their 6th or 7th attempt at the tariffs since he started them. 3 in the last few days. But hey, it keeps them off the streets. 😉

But Trump supporters and fans are just fine is that it?

"Trump haters prolific and vocal on TMP?"

That would be me, Sir!
But I did vote against Hillary and Joe. 🙄

And I might get the DH for "politics", but the lovers get a free ride. Strange, hainna? 🙄

"But Trump supporters and fans are just fine is that it?"

🤔
Sure they aren't all perfect and there are some bad apples.

But

We have not been in the streets supporting criminals and impeding the officers doing their lawfully assigned duties.

We didn't assassinate a man for expressing views we disagreed with on a college campus.

We didn't march in the streets supporting terrorists and supporters of terrorist, nor attack Jewish students.

(Actually other than the one unfortunate incident, we rarely go into the streets when something happens we don't disagree with and when they do, they don't burn and loot. Even in that incident, they did not burn or loot).

We did not make 3 assassination attempts on the President of the United States, one of which came close to success. Also a foiled attack on the VP and a SC Justice. I mean Joe, Barrack and Kamala led charmed lives.

We didn't flood the country with millions upon millions of illegals.

We do not stop those we disagree with from speaking on college campuses.

We did not stop talking to relatives and friends because they voted for Kamala or Biden.

We enjoyed yesterday's hockey victory by the U.S. and were proud of them and our country. But all Trump voters I know are proud of our country, so that's nothing really new. 🙂

It seems some on the other side are not that proud.

"There's A Name For The Discomfort You're Feeling Watching The Olympics Right Now
If waving the American flag or chanting "USA!" turns you off right now, you're not alone."

Subject: There's A Name For The Discomfort You're Feeling Watching The Olympics Right Now | HuffPost Life


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But I'm sure others will disagree. 😉

Also if Bill is watching, this thread should go the way of the others like it.

Perhaps Porky said it best?

YouTube link

Actually, Mr. Tibbles, I thought both Trump haters and lovers have been relatively restrained on TMP, and Bill has done a fairly decent job of keeping the lid on the pot.

This is unfortunate, in that I was slowly coming around to feeling that other countries were learning how to handle the tariffs, and it would soon be possible to order things from overseas with some confidence that the actual cost would be whatever the website said it would be, and there would be no huge surprises coming.

Grelber

I have no trouble with Trump haters. It is thge nature of the two party system that many of us have to choose the lesser evil. And reasonable men may disagree on which that is.

When I taught American Government at our local university, 20 years ago, I always enjoyed putting two hypothetical candidates positions on the board, arranging it so that most students would be split. Unless one is a single issue votere, and that is fine to be, what DO you do when Mr. A supports the two policies you love most, but four you fear and hate nearly as much?

I think most of us vote AGAINST someone.

35th, I don't think any of the Trump haters on TMP did any of the things on your list ?

Also if Bill is watching, this thread should go the way of the others like it.

Asking whether changes to the tariff regime will affect shipping costs and delay the sending of orders is not an appropriate topic for the Shipping and Customs discussion board?

Pourquoi?

"35th, I don't think any of the Trump haters on TMP did any of the things on your list ?"

Did "his" original question specify "TMP"? Answer: No. The previous questioners, question did reference "TMP". But the secondary question was general.

But I would guess a few on TMP might take part in some of those. Although most are too old, overweight, or both to take part. 😉

But I will ask, How many of you supported the mass invasion of our country and or supported the Biden Administrations response that nothing could be done to stop it, unless Republicans in the congress gave them more money? (Obviously proven to be a lie, in only a few days of the Trump administration). 🤔

"Asking whether changes to the tariff regime will affect shipping costs and delay the sending of orders is not an appropriate topic for the Shipping and Customs discussion board?"

Well

These discussions (all 7 or 8 so far) never stay within the bounds of tariffs. They "always" devolve into direct or indirect attack against the President. Which eventually devolve into attacks unrelated to tariffs. Sometimes even leading to attacks against the…… USA! USA!.

Alas, if they could only stay within "how will this affect my toy soldier shipments". Or even the positives and negatives of tariffs in general. But of course the hate is too strong and the dark side's pull, much too powerful. 😉

Then we, the true "Jedi" must respond. 🙂

So in keeping with tariffs:

Politico

"President Donald Trump's historic tariffs, some of which the Supreme Court struck down Friday, remade trade in 2025 — and no country experienced as big a shift as China.

Thanks in large part to U.S. tariffs that at one point reached triple digits, the Asian manufacturing powerhouse's share of the overall U.S. import market fell to 9 percent in 2025, compared to 13.4 percent in 2024, according to the Commerce Department's trade report for December released Thursday.

That is China's lowest market share since the early 2000s. Less than a decade ago, China accounted for one-fifth of annual U.S. imports.

U.S. imports from China fell to $308 USD billion in 2025, their lowest level since 2009 and a drop of more than 42 percent from the record high of $539 USD billion in 2018."

I do that was a large reason for tariffs.

Canada was the second big loser, followed by S Korea, Singapore and Germany.

These discussions (all 7 or 8 so far) never stay within the bounds of tariffs.

Is it unfair to point out that the person who has taken this thread furthest off-topic is yourself?

Perhaps Bill could just delete your posts to enable a return to a less heated debate?

Oh, and when asking about shipping on the TMP shipping and customs board I thought it was implicit that I was discussing wargames related shipping. A few months ago there were suppliers saying they couldn't ship, then they'd have to charge more shipping to comply with the tariffs, then there were people saying they'd paid the extra and customs had then slapped sometimes $100 USDs on top.

There was confusion.

Things have changed, once more.

It really is reasonable to ask what traders think they might do now.

Reread your thread, was it I who made the first innuendos or direct attacks? I think not.

I only responded.

Also be honest 20th, have you not attacked, indirectly attacked or +1 on other TMP threads directed against the president or US policies? Many of those threads since nuked by Bill. 😉

"Perhaps Bill could just delete your posts to enable a return to a less heated debate?"

You mean comments and views you agree with and reinforce your views of how things are? 🤔

The thread diverged, almost immediately. You just happen to agree with their views.

But again, I would not disagree with their whole thread being nuked. I actually thought it would be gone this morning.

It's his site and his rules.

It's not so much a policy thing as an extortion racket thing.

This is a guy who was in "the real estate and construction business in New York", and with all that implies. 🙄
So the extortion comes second nature.
Someone who was notorious for stiffing suppliers.
Go to the Michael Franzese channel. He "was" a Mafia capo in, I think, the Bonano Family. He "knows things about the Life". And yes. The subject dealt with the Mob on a regular basis. He had to.
But it's all part of "The Art of the Deal". Which, by the way was ghost written.

If God truly does love America, perhaps He could return us to the days when both Democrats and Republicans would put forward rational candidates who were neither crazy nor corrupt and didn't scare the horses.
I have a few in mind from both parties. None scare me. But that means they don't stand a chance of being nominated.

There is no such thing as "Free Trade." Tariffs have been around for ages, almost every nation uses them, and have their purpose.

Negotiating is an art, not a science with sometimes unintended consequences. Nice guys get fleeced. As with any decision or law, there will be winners and losers and no one on this forum appears to be qualified to give advice, including me.

For now, I'm sitting back and watching developments with my Broker. We'll move money to the winners. The losers will have to adapt or die, it's just a sad reality. I've been in a few industries that bit the dust through no fault of my own and I had to "reinvent" myself with a new career.

However, for the intelligent people with initiative and the entrepreneurial spirit, and refuse to be a victim; they'll develop a product and business plan to fill the vacuum left and the needs of consumers. It's just financial survival of the fittest.

Rather than being a bunch of whiney old men complaining about paying more for your toys or being a hateful partisan hack know it all (I don't do political discussions with hacks and haters) here is something constructive to do:

From the GAMA website:
Tariff Deadline Extended & Legislative Advocacy:
GAMA continues to oppose tariffs on toys and games, which disproportionately impact small businesses, retailers, and consumers in our community. These tariffs create unnecessary financial strain and disrupt supply chains critical to our industry.

We are actively advocating for legislative solutions, including our support of: S.1593 – Small Business Liberation Act. Exempts small businesses from tariffs imposed pursuant to the national emergency declared on April 2, 2025, by the President.

Under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632), a "small business" is:

Independently owned and operated, Not dominant in its field of operation, And qualifies under SBA size standards.

H.R.2665 / S.1272 – Trade Review Act of 2025, which would restore Congressional oversight of tariff decisions and protect small and non-strategic businesses from broad trade actions.

Take Action:
We urge all members and consumers to contact their elected representatives in the U.S. House and Senate and voice support for these common-sense measures. You can reach the Capitol switchboard at:
House & Senate Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Let your representatives know how these tariffs affect your business and why you support S.1593, H.R.2665, and S.1272.
Here is a sample phone script when you call:

Phone Script for Congressional Outreach
"Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I'm with [Your Company Name]. We're based in [Your City/State], and I'm one of your constituents.

I'm calling to urge you to support three important bills that will help protect small and non-strategic businesses like ours from unfair tariffs:

S.1593 – Small Business Liberation Act
H.R.2665 and S.1272 – Trade Review Act of 2025
These measures would restore Congressional oversight and offer much-needed tariff exemptions for businesses that aren't part of strategic industries.

Toys, games, and hobby products are being unfairly impacted, and these bills would make a real difference for companies like mine.

Please support these bills and help keep small businesses competitive and resilient. Thanks very much for your time."

If you have questions or need assistance evaluating the impact of these changes, please don't hesitate to reach out.

As an advocate of free speech, I defend peoples right to complain and whine so don't stop on account of me.

I've made my calls. Have you?

Wolfhag

Actually that is the way it should be approached Wolfhag.

I've contacted the President and Congress about exempting products not produced here, or seasonal, ie Coffee, fruits, vegetables. I have seen actions being taken on those.

The soldiers don't affect me any longer, besides I never purchased from overseas .. unless carried in my hobby shops here, back then. ( Some minifigs).

I was more upset when government regulations restricted contents of the figure composition. That drove the cost to me up and made the figures harder to trim up and prep.

@ochoin

Raising the tariffs to 15% on Allies was harsh. But lowering tariffs to 15% on the Chinese was an unexpected boon.

Thank the US Supreme Court who ruled for the first time ever in US history that a US President cannot apply selective tarrifs under the statute that both Presidents Nixon and Ford used with the approval of SCOTUS when challenged. But Trump is Trump I guess, screw past precedent.

So rather than being able to use tariffs like a scalpel, the US Supreme Court has only allowed the President to use a hammer. But that's a "defeat for Trump" so enjoy!

@John the OFM

Let's be brutally honest here.
There is no policy. There never was a policy.
There's nothing that anyone can rely on.

Nah, that's shallow. As docmcb has already said, Trump sees tariffs as a means to an end, not the end in and of itself. He is clear and on the record, and has said many times, that he considers them to be a valuable tool, a "big stick" to apply pressure for renegotiating trade and security deals, and it has worked. He has also stated his overall goal is reciprocal trade deals. I also recall in his first term when he said, of Canada in particular that it would be a beautiful thing if the US and Canada had no tariffs at all…Trudeau basically told him to pound sand.

You may not like this strategy, but it is a deliberate strategy. The use of tariffs is also included in his new National Strategy document issued last November. Funny thing is, Trump is very open about his goals and strategies…you just have to be willing to hear it. You can always just read a transcript of his speeches if you find his voice too irritating to listen to…

@bobspruster

I have to disagree with you here, John. U.S. trade policy with the Heard Island and McDonald Islands was well thought out, measured and carefully planned.

Yeah, that was a puzzler until you bother to do the research and you'd find out that Chinese Shippers have been using places like Heard Island as loopholes, as a cut-out to bypass US tariffs and restrictions. Rather than put the shipment origin on their paperwork as "Shanghai" they put down "Heard Island" and for lax US customs enforcement under the Biden Admin they just stamped "approved" on stuff like that. Trump just closed some loopholes.

Anyone here play wargames with miniature soldiers?

Not imported ones, it seems.

I play wargames with miniature soldiers imported from England, Australia, Japan and China -- and some made in the U.S.A.

@dBerzerk, yep, same. My favorite Dark Ages are Gripping Beast and Footsore, and have other figures from Artizan, Crusader, Wargames Foundry, Northstar and Warlord. Have some nice Orcs from Slave2Gaming and a range of electic minis from Eureka (Australia). Some figure lines are stocked in the US, some I have to buy overseas and pay the equivalent now of the VAT that you all have to deal with. Some US stockists like Badger Games have done the heavy lift of dealing with tariffs and when you factor in UK to US shipping is actually less expensive than direct from the UK. Not as much from the US directly, mostly WW2 from Company B and Brigade, and stuff from Etsy (some great sellers on Etsy are also in UK and Europe).