Toys and Tariffs (US customers)

[Shane]

Tariffs are now up to 245% on SOME Chinese goods.  Not sure if toys are included in that as i can't find a reliable specific breakdown of what is included in the new rate.

Something to keep in mind. Even if the 245% applies to toys, it is effectively the same as 100%, or 145%, or any other unrealistic number.

Trade between China and US is effectively frozen right now; no importers can sustain a triple digit tariff, so arbitrarily increasing the number doesn't really do anything since nobody is shipping anything right now anyway.

Right.  But it is something to keep in mind for anyone that may buy dino toys/figures directly from China or HK, as those will be subject to the tariff rate when the go through US Customs and the deminimux is gone on May 2 for goods from those two places.

De minimis tariffs are calculated completely differently than the other tariffs on shipments valued over $800.

When the de minimis exemption expires, it will be 30% of the value of the goods or $25 per item (whichever is higher). On June 1st it increases to $50 per item.

That's for lower priced goods ie $20-$30-ish so there is a minimum worthwhile amount charged to justify the extra manpower.  For higher priced items, shipped from HK/China, it will be whatever the current tariff rate is ie currently 145%-245% plus probably a service fee.  And since the HK/China deminimus is going to zero on May 2, ALL goods coming in from HK/China will be subject to the fixed rate or the tariff rate, depending on their value.

So I was going off the White House statement regarding shipments sent through the postal network valued at or below $800, but the more I look into it, the more conflicting info I find about whether this has changed, or whether customs can simply require your package to go through alternate channels which would trigger the standard tariffs, so honestly, if you're ordering things directly from China or HK to the US all I can say is good luck with that.

[Over9K]

Once the deminimus exemption ends on May 2nd, the package has to travel through the postal network to qualify for the 30%/$25 duty fee to enter the US.

That means it mist ship from the national postal service of the origin country to the USPS. No DHL, no YunShip, no FedEx.

Couriers outside the postal network will incur whatever the full tariff is for that product. So, because HK Post is suspending their service to the USA that means that no package from HK will apply for the lower fees, they will all be subject to the full tariffs for those goods. If China does the same, and suspends service to the USA through China Post, there will not be any way to ship directly from China to the USA and apply for the lower rates.

EDIT: ... and yes, toys are subject to the current 245% tariff rate.

[CrockAlley]

I am just entering this hobby. What great timing! 

I ordered a dino from Lana Toys on Amazon last week. Kind of a stupid decision considering the circumstances. It has shipped, but looks like it's currently still in China. What are the chances I actually receive this toy without being charged tariffs? Or, failing that, I hope I can cancel the order and recoup some of the money. What a mess!

[Carnoking]

I am just entering this hobby. What great timing! 

I ordered a dino from Lana Toys on Amazon last week. Kind of a stupid decision considering the circumstances. It has shipped, but looks like it's currently still in China. What are the chances I actually receive this toy without being charged tariffs? Or, failing that, I hope I can cancel the order and recoup some of the money. What a mess!

You're in good company. I've got the Nanmu Theri on pre-order from Lana and only recently bit the bullet on the HLG Argentinosaurus. I shudder to imagine having to pay 145% tariffs or whatever arbitrary number has been assigned down the line on that behemoth!

[Over9K]

I am just entering this hobby. What great timing! 

I ordered a dino from Lana Toys on Amazon last week. Kind of a stupid decision considering the circumstances. It has shipped, but looks like it's currently still in China. What are the chances I actually receive this toy without being charged tariffs? Or, failing that, I hope I can cancel the order and recoup some of the money. What a mess!

You're in good company. I've got the Nanmu Theri on pre-order from Lana and only recently bit the bullet on the HLG Argentinosaurus. I shudder to imagine having to pay 145% tariffs or whatever arbitrary number has been assigned down the line on that behemoth!

Ahem... 245%.

I'm in the same boat. My HLG Tyrannosaurus is in process of shipping from Lana, so I should be good on that, but I also have the Showanna Scotty rex on pre-order at Lana, paid for a year ago, supposedly to ship any day, but as yet no word. Then there's the delayed REBOR Kiss repaint, pre-ordered through BBTS. What will happen there?

Sadly, I do think it is time to be concerned for the companies themselves. Companies from outside China that perhaps have options on where they can move production, or how they can ship to avoid the largest tariffs should be ok, but Chinese domestic companies, like PNSO and HLG are in real danger. If their domestic market collapses these companies may well disappear. The situation in China worsens daily.

[Carnoking]

Oh I thought I read 245% was just for vehicle parts and syringes or something or other. I honestly can't keep up anymore but yeah if that figure shows up with a bill of 245% (or even 145%, let's be real) I'd just refuse the delivery at that point.

There! Now no one has anything!

[Over9K]

Oh I thought I read 245% was just for vehicle parts and syringes or something or other. I honestly can't keep up anymore but yeah if that figure shows up with a bill of 245% (or even 145%, let's be real) I'd just refuse the delivery at that point.

There! Now no one has anything!

I just moved my Kiss repaint pre-order from BBTS to Sugo toys in Australia. I will be paying about $10 more total in the end, but that's a fair shot better than the potential cost from BBTS. I will be discussing a refund of my deposit with Lana on the Showanna, and move my pre-order for that over to Sugo as well.

There are options...

[CrockAlley]

I'm under the impression that the tariff applies to where the product is made, not where it's shipping from. So if it's a dinosaur toy made in China, but shipping from Australia, it would still get the China tariffs.

[Primeval12]

I'm under the impression that the tariff applies to where the product is made, not where it's shipping from. So if it's a dinosaur toy made in China, but shipping from Australia, it would still get the China tariffs.

See Everything Dinosaur's statement a few pages back. It's country of origin

[CrockAlley]

I'm under the impression that the tariff applies to where the product is made, not where it's shipping from. So if it's a dinosaur toy made in China, but shipping from Australia, it would still get the China tariffs.

See Everything Dinosaur's statement a few pages back. It's country of origin

"Country of origin" means "The country of manufacture, production, or growth of the article."

See the US Customs website, under "General Information."

[Trenchcoated Rebbachisaur]

Unless they start employing a lot more people, chances are they won't be able to check for country of origin, just for the country where the thing last came from. Break up your orders into smaller purchases so they don't hit everything all at once, I guess.

[andrewsaurus rex]

BBTS said they received info that even items made in China, if shipped from places other than Hong Kong or China will receive the tariff rate of the sending country not the China tariff rate.  However this could be used as a loophole, so i expect it to change.


US Customs IS employing a lot more people.  23,000 more are being hired.  And i believe strongly that country of origin (COO) will be diligently checked IF it means charging the Chinese tariff rates on items, even if it causes huge slow downs at US Customs.   Getting US citizens their foreign packages promptly does not seem to be a priority.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Lana told me that if  i continued to order they would cover any fees incurred. I don't know how long they can keep that up , it would depend on what they have in the item  I guess.   They also said they would also be looking at many options, such as stocking their U.S. warehouse via boat shipments? I currently have the  Nanmu Theri, Cyberzoic pieces, and a large model order with them.

[andrewsaurus rex]

Well, Chinese companies stocking a US warehouse would reduce end cost because tariffs would be paid on the wholesale price they are imported into the US at, not the retail price....and the wholesale prices can be fudged pretty low, for example to 1/4 of the retail price or even less.   

Another option  currently for Chinese companies is to start shipping their products from any other country other than China/HK.  But that is a loophole that i expect will be closed soon, if not already.

[DinoToyForum]

Lana told me that if  i continued to order they would cover any fees incurred. 

I don't understand how this would be viable for any amount of time - surely if the tariff for the customer is more than 100%, and the seller chooses to cover that cost, they will be making a loss on every dinosaur they sell?

[RobinGoodfellow]

Sadly, I do think it is time to be concerned for the companies themselves. Companies from outside China that perhaps have options on where they can move production, or how they can ship to avoid the largest tariffs should be ok, but Chinese domestic companies, like PNSO and HLG are in real danger. If their domestic market collapses these companies may well disappear.
 

Given the temporary shutdown of the US market, PNSO and HLG can normally continue to sell their products throughout the rest of the world without any problems..

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[Over9K]

Given the temporary shutdown of the US market, PNSO and HLG can normally continue to sell their products throughout the rest of the world without any problems..

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These companies have lost not just the largest consumer market on the planet in the USA, they also just lost the second largest in their own domestic market. People in the middle of an economic collapse probably aren't buying toy dinosaurs.

Yes, they can sell everywhere else in the world, but I doubt that's enough.

[thomasw100]

Given the temporary shutdown of the US market, PNSO and HLG can normally continue to sell their products throughout the rest of the world without any problems..

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These companies have lost not just the largest consumer market on the planet in the USA, they also just lost the second largest in their own domestic market. People in the middle of an economic collapse probably aren't buying toy dinosaurs.

Yes, they can sell everywhere else in the world, but I doubt that's enough.

I disagree with this assessment, in particular the second statement. There is no data that would support that China is undergoing an economic collapse. And Europe including the UK is still an important market for PNSO and Haolonggood companies.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Lana told me that if  i continued to order they would cover any fees incurred. 

I don't understand how this would be viable for any amount of time - surely if the tariff for the customer is more than 100%, and the seller chooses to cover that cost, they will be making a loss on every dinosaur they sell?

I'll post the quotes up from the messages. I'm not sure myself, all I know is what he told me. I initially messaged to ask if he could ship me anything before May 2nd from my current orders.

Hi friend,

At the moment, it looks like there aren't any orders that are ready to ship immediately. The LINGHU ART STUDIO Elasmosaurus Scene Model is expected to ship sometime next month, and both the Nanmu Therizinosaurus and SHOWANNA Scotty are estimated to be sent out around the end of April.

But please don't worry—regardless of any potential new tariff policies, I won't charge you any additional fees for orders that haven't shipped yet. And if any unexpected charges occur after the package arrives in the U.S., you're welcome to reach out to me for reimbursement—I'll take care of it.

That said, depending on how the tariff situation develops in May, I may need to adjust our shipping method. For example, I might consider sending orders in bulk to our U.S. warehouse via sea freight and then ship them to you from there. This could help avoid complications, though it may increase the delivery time a bit.

Let me know if you'd still like to place a new order—we'll do our best to accommodate your timeline.

Thanks again as always!

If the new tariff policy doesn't significantly impact us, I will still prioritize using air shipping for smaller packages to get them to you as quickly as possible.

I then explained why I wanted to ship them before May 2nd and how the minimum order amount was being removed and how I disagreed with the whole tariff issue.

Yes, I feel the same way—it's really frustrating. But once the issue arises, the only thing we can do is face it as proactively as possible. While I still hope things might take a positive turn in the future, I believe it's wiser to first prepare for the worst and plan thoroughly. We've already reached out to several carriers to discuss possible solutions, and we'll do our best to protect our buyers' interests throughout this process.

[thomasw100]

Lana told me that if  i continued to order they would cover any fees incurred. 

Honestly I would be very careful about posting these details here that Lana sent you as private communication. There may be people reading this here which may report Lana to US customs authorities for potential evasion of tariffs and then there will be even more problems and costs for everybody. I suggest to delete this post. I truncated your original message for this very reason.