OT:  ALL   Chinese ship to USA  held at customs 5 Feb 2025 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 12:07:35 pm
content: Hello all: Starting today, 5 Feb 2025, Chinese/HK shipments via US POst are halted into USA and held at customs.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/business/china-us-usps-de-minimis.htmlIf you expect an order (Aliexpress, Temu, Shien, etc) ask for a refund?Jon

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 12:31:15 pm
content: Yup. All the dropshippers without a financial buffer are screwed.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 12:55:45 pm
content: O dear ,how sad,never mindluv how its been framed as part of the ongoing trade war when its been in the tax mans sights for at least a year.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 01:09:55 pm
content: And we're back...https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 01:13:58 pm
content: Quote from: jonpaul on February 05, 2025, 12:07:35 pmAnd be rightfully denied? What entitles you to get free goods and screw up the seller due to customs delay/tax of your own country?

author: wkb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 02:03:21 pm
content: So no more iPhones imported to the US? After all, All Shall Be Treated Equal.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 11:45:03 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on February 05, 2025, 01:13:58 pmI agree, though recently we had a postal strike and Aliexpress in their app apologized for it, even though it clearly has nothing to do with them. Then they sent me multiple notifications trying to get me to submit a refund for late delivery, lol..I don't think the seller is punished if they know it went through ali's logistics system, hopefully.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 12:19:53 am
content: Quote from: wraper on February 05, 2025, 01:13:58 pmThe terms and conditions of sale may specify who assumes what risks, or if they don't then it can be messy. Some sellers take the position that once the common carrier recieves it their job is done, others guarantee it gets in your door and will even refund you in the case of porch pirates. The latter used to be common but now with Amazon's policies there is competitive pressure to do better.The ones that will be really left hanging out to dry are the fake-US sellers that ship from China even though they advertise "US stock" and show a US shipping address.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 11:47:32 am
content: Hello again, as of 5 Feb: NEWS:The 800$ " de minimus" exception has been manipulated by the Chinese so almost all imports to individuals has no custom or tariff.Now the USPS will not hold up,the shipping but will enforce the existing tariffs and the additional 10%.Thus ( after some delay) the US Post will deliver the package BUT demand the recipient pay the tariff to get it.Potential is 35-100% of declaring value.I would avoid any orders from China or HK , aliexpress, temp, shein, at least until this is sorted out.Finally expect the free shipping to be gone.Have an absolutely fantastic dayJon

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 12:16:16 pm
content: fantastic indeedEbay and others too, surely in Canada well get a rebound of this ........... damn carrot top

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 01:35:01 pm
content: HAH!I have been importing via POST packages worth multiple thousands USD (Mainsprings and chronometer parts from Switz, Nikon from Canada (Henry's), etc.) since 2002 and have paid NO DUTY.Prior to that I had to pay duty on everything. We hid small parts in greeting cards (anyone remember?)I had an acquaintance in the Postal Inspector Office in DC and he told me that after the 2001 restructuring, duty collection was not assigned to any agency. I well remember the postal slips telling me to pay the duty or go to the customs clearing house for large items. IIRC, it is in the Constitution that citizens were allowed two lifetime exemptions from duty. And they kept the records!I, and countless other business people and entities have taken advantage of this by having things sent via post as opposed to FedEx or UPS who love collecting duties.So it is VERY unlikely the USPS is going to collect duties on $10 packages from China.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 02:32:11 pm
content: Quotewhilst it maybe only a few cents per package ,times that by a few million packages and there on the hook for a rather large tax bill.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 02:40:36 pm
content: Quote from: jonpaul on February 05, 2025, 12:07:35 pmFor us in this website, it will affect us with the orders from JLCPCB, LCSC, PCBWay and many other retailers we relied upon for our projects.

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 02:53:12 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on February 06, 2025, 02:32:11 pmIn DK , The DK-Mail will charge you a minimum $22 fee for collecting the vat & duties.That's on top of the collected amount.They smelled "gold" when EU removed the "Vat exemption" for packages w. a value less than $12.But Ebay/Ali made a system where you pre-pay the VAT on their sites.Now Post is hoping for the "No Duties" on packages below 150€ to be removed.And EU is considering it, to stop the TEMU floodingI wonder if Ebay/Ali would be able to do the Duty collection too, might be complicated because of the many different duty types/values per country.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 03:04:11 pm
content: I have no idea what you guys are talking about. The US has not collected duties on postal orders since 2001. Whether you believe it or not.And given the reduction in force for federal employees, do you REALLY think the USPS is gong to start now? NOT!

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 03:32:55 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on February 05, 2025, 01:13:58 pmThe shipping contract is with the seller - the buyer has no say or control over it. Thus it is the seller's problem until the item is delivered, and only the seller can resolve such issues.Different if the buyer has arranged shipping, and the seller is only responsible up until the stuff is collected by the buyer's shipper. I think that's extremely unlikely to occur with the vast majority of Aliexpress sales

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 03:36:19 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 06, 2025, 03:04:11 pmYou bring up an excellent point. Even with the actual staffing, the added burden would severely bog down the system. With the expected layoffs, it will become the mother of all bottlenecks.Goodbye, free trade. We were so happy together. It was good while it lasted.

author: woody
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 04:05:32 pm
content: Quote from: bingo600 on February 06, 2025, 02:53:12 pmSold to us as acrackdownon dangerous products flooding the EU market, which might not be too far off the mark

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2025, 10:10:27 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 06, 2025, 03:04:11 pmNot true. I've shipped items to USA and they got hit with duties.You being lucky doesn't change the fact that it happens, even with USPS:https://www.reddit.com/r/USPS/comments/1empam1/how_can_we_handle_the_duties/https://www.reddit.com/r/USPS/comments/pdicmo/package_delivered_without_customs_charges/

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 12:01:37 am
content: I have no idea what you did, but my experience comports with what I learned from the acquaintance in the USPO Inpector's office. Luck has nothing to do with it when there were literally hundreds of trials over 20 years, form $5k USD mainsprings from Switz to antique $2K tools from Germany to $1.5k cameras from Henrys.That is not to say the law of probabilities does not apply. But that is different than your attribution to "luck".AS my wife reminds regularly "I am just not that special".Oh, and this includes all my service work from international customers from the UK, Italy, Canada and India. I have to caution them to retain THEIR paperwork so that they will not be billed for the insured value, but the "value added" by my service charges.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 12:13:44 am
content: Quote from: watchmaker on February 07, 2025, 12:01:37 amAre you 100% certain the item was *valued* at $2,000 on the customs invoice, and declared with the correct HS Code (9101), and country of origin?Of course there is an element of luck, many items don't get looked at as there is not enough time for customs to inspect every single package.https://www.dhl.com/discover/en-my/logistics-advice/import-export-advice/All-You-Need-to-Know-About-US-Import-Tax-and-Dutieshttps://hts.usitc.gov/search?query=wrist%20watch

author: neverendingstudent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 12:29:55 am
content: This is going to be a giant clusterf$ck.As has already been pointed out, and demonstrated with the very recent stoppage, and then resumption of packages, USPS isn't going to have the manpower to deal with this massively increased administrative overhead. Currently they are passing things through, but who knows how that is going to go.Do we get our parts order, and then get a $32 bill a couple months from now for each individual 4x6 inch bubble mailer that contained $2 components? If shipping doesn't get combined into larger bags before hitting the US, does someone who ordered 100 different components from different sellers get hit with a $3200 surprise bill with no opportunity to say 'never-mind, I'm not going to claim that package'.I had been putting together a parts order, including some replacement 34401a VFDs and a replacement IPS screen for a 34461a, but that $32 minimum charge per package would basically triple the cost of the order. Crazy stuff, it's not like we can suddenly manufacture everything made everywhere else in the world.But then, the chaos and suffering is part of the intent.At least there is a US-warehoused distributor for the TinySA - that's been on my 'to-get' list for a while now. Not sure on sourcing for other SDR stuff I have my eye on though.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 12:42:21 am
content: Quote from: neverendingstudent on February 07, 2025, 12:29:55 am“Let them eat cake”, famous words uttered by Elon Musk. Or were they by Marie Antoniette?Never mind, just allow the peasants to suffer.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 12:42:49 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on February 07, 2025, 12:13:44 amYes, I am certain of at least three. For example, two orders of mainsprings came from Generale Ressortes and Schwab Feller in Switzerland. Both know the requirements of Swiss Poste. And the camera from Henry's in Toronto. But as far as I know (I do not try to remember every transaction, that is for Quickbooks), no one tried to "game the system". The cost would be too high (confiscated).

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 01:21:47 am
content: if you write a message using clock parts and glue it to paper is it a letter or fraud?I mean maybe someone did not have ink but they had glue and spare parts.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 02:18:01 am
content: Here's some good info from a Chinese seller on the situation:https://www.reddit.com/r/Aliexpress/comments/1ijgzg2/the_truth_about_the_new_tariffs_why_prices_are/

author: the Chris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 05:00:47 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on February 07, 2025, 01:21:47 amThen it is considered art.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 05:28:41 am
content: This will end badly. We can only hope it won't be as bad as Smoot-Hawley was. It doesn't have to, and the orange haired one is so random that most things have no staying power.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2025, 06:05:04 pm
content: This just in...Trump delays cancellation of de minimis trade exemption targeting China importsQuotehttps://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/07/trump-delays-ending-of-de-minimis-trade-exemption-targeting-china.htmlI wonder what items will still be subject to tariff.

author: neverendingstudent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2025, 01:27:13 am
content: Quote from: ledtester on February 07, 2025, 06:05:04 pmOk, I've taken a fairly big gamble hoping an order will get processed fast enough that it gets to me before this changes. Replacement displays for both the 34401a and the 3446Xa meters, the new XGecu T76 chip reader/programmer + adapters, and a HackRF / PortaPack H4M. Here's hoping I get lucky.