Tariff Charges

Sorry, Guy!  I've edited my post to remove my opinion on the validity of the tariffs.  I think it's important to know that the court will review how the tariff's are being set next week.  That affects many of us.

I have a 1939 Indian.
Mike Tomas makes Indian parts.
Received email from Mike recently.
Tariffs hurt buyers and sellers.

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A Few Thoughts on TariffsJust to be clear, this is NOT a political statement and if anyone does draw political conclusions they are not only sadly wrong but missing my point completely. This is about how tariffs effect one little company in the United States whose business involves exporting parts and motorcycles. I’ve been in business for 37 years and am the only Indian parts manufacturer left in the United States under its original founder and owner. So the depth and memory is long.Over those 37 years I have seen my business drop (and others experience the same thing) dramatically to the European Union (EU) countries. This is due to trade barriers of up to 60% set up by the EU and other countries, including Australia and New Zealand. My customers are okay with the actual price in US dollars, but when they look into it further and see their country’s import tariffs, whether it be for parts or motorcycles, the deal falls apart. On the other hand and in the past, companies in those other countries knock off my products (counterfeit) and sell them back into the United States cheaper than my price - and with NO tariffs. American consumers have enjoyed that free benefit at the cost of many of us U.S. businesses. Recently an EU company advertised 18-inch Indian rims on Facebook. I couldn’t believe how many Indian owners in the US jumped on the bandwagon to order them. These same rims are readily available from the U.S. supplier and myself, quality-made in the United States at a slightly higher price with a proven record. I know that former eastern block countries can make products cheaper (similar price to China) but knocking off my parts and selling them to Americans at a lesser price tariff-free isn’t fair. The magic word here is “fair.”Meanwhile us American companies are penalized by those country’s high tariffs, which purposely makes us non-competitive. From my point of view, I’ve seen the gradual erosion of American manufacturing since coming to this country in 1982 as the rules have changed. My good mate Wally, who works for one of the top NASCAR teams, is fine with following the rules in that sport, as long as everyone plays by the same rules. I’m good with that concept, too, if we all play by the same rules. Fair is fair!
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You make a valid point however I think the average buyer working on a limited "leisure" budget is very "price over patriotism" driven. The whole global system of duties and taxes is a nightmare to navigate for regular people wherever they are in the world and always has been. I can remember 30 years ago (when the UK was still part of the EU) I could go from the UK to Belgium and buy a Jaguar cheaper than where I live which is an hour away from the factory where the car was built.

recently purchased some samples from Canada and which incurred a $1.91 duty. Then UPS charged me $27 to pay this fee on my behalf. How much does UPS rake in on duty fees?

DoctoRot wrote:

recently purchased some samples from Canada and which incurred a $1.91 duty. Then UPS charged me $27 to pay this fee on my behalf. How much does UPS rake in on duty fees?

UPS has been doing that "customs broker paper work" charge for over 30 years and because of that I never use them as a shipper into Canada. 

Now that's not fair. My Shinko Tire is $3 cheaper than the last one. It comes with free shipping and usually comes the next day. I doubt UPS will be delivering it. 

DoctoRot wrote:

recently purchased some samples from Canada and which incurred a $1.91 duty. Then UPS charged me $27 to pay this fee on my behalf. How much does UPS rake in on duty fees?

there is always someone making a buck out of other people’s suffering!!

I guess that depends on who and where you buy from. In this case I would consider it price GOUGING. 

DoctoRot wrote:

recently purchased some samples from Canada and which incurred a $1.91 duty. Then UPS charged me $27 to pay this fee on my behalf. How much does UPS rake in on duty fees?

$27 seems kind of high, but someone needs to do the paperwork.  UPS workers are union employees, and workers don't come cheap.

Canada Post requires any shipper to pay the duties before they will accept a parcel for shipment to the USA.  Several months ago I had to register with a company called Zonos Prepay to verify the contents of a genealogy book I sent to a cousin in Detroit.  The process was all done online but I had to describe the contents and then take photos of the package contents and upload them to the Zonos website.  They probably have an AI algorithm that determines the necessary tariff charge based on the photos and the content description.  In my case there was no tariff because it was a genealogy book that I had written but I still had to go through the process.

I have a couple of Z1 items for sale on FB but I won't ship to the USA because of the hassle.