US tariff effect for US buyers

[myxyzptlyk2003]

Hi all,

As many, if not most, ship model kits come from Europe can anyone speculate how the US tariff situation is going to affect us modelers in the US?   I for one am patiently waiting for Vanguard's HMS Surprise

[Goodshipvenus]

I don't think anyone knows at this point except that there will be European tariffs of 15% to 25% and someone is going to have to pay them. Some European post offices are not even processing packages and mail to the US until this is clarified.

[chris watton]

This is quite frustrating for us, too, as we have not had a single communication from our carriers about the new tariff rules, and trying to decipher the rules is proving difficult. As far as I am aware, the US is getting rid of the no charge waiver for any product or shipment under 800 Dollars – which would not affect our more expensive kits.

 

All states in the US seem to have their own rules about what they charge the customer, and the forms I must fill in (some need something called a TSCA form, but only a few states, the majority do not).

 

But for the new rules that come into effect today, no one has told me anything at all – neither my government or my carriers I use to ship the goods!
 

[ccoyle]

My favorite card model vendor made an announcement on social media that they would suspend shipments to the US. I managed to sneak in an order before the deadline. Fortunately, I have a lifetime supply of models waiting to be built. That could be a good thing or bad thing, of course, depending on how life plays out. 😬

[Y.T.]

2 hours ago, chris watton said:

This is quite frustrating for us

Hi, Chris.

 

Where is your business located? Is it in UK or US? Not clear from your remarks.

[AJohnson]

2 hours ago, ccoyle said:

That could be a good thing or bad thing, of course, depending on how life plays out. 😬

If I read that right Chris, I sincerely hope you run out of card model stock!  😉

[chris watton]

3 minutes ago, Y.T. said:

Hi, Chris.

 

Where is your business located? Is it in UK or US? Not clear from your remarks.

UK

 

 

[catopower]

Well, since Ages of Sail sells Vanguard Models products (and other those other European brands) and is in the US, that's still an option for US buyers, and no special paperwork is necessary.

 

Pricing WILL need to be adjusted to cover the additional tariff cost, but as of this moment, it hasn't happened yet. There's been discussion about it, but I don't see anything happening before next week.

 

Shipping to some countries though, is going to be tough. Canada requires the US sellers to collect the tariffs for them, and will bill the selling company. But, since this stuff is mostly products of Europe, there should be a way to ship that stuff to Canada without requiring tariffs anyway. But, it means a lot of paperwork.

[sheepsail]

On the watch forums, there are complaints about used second hand watches. mostly Swiss, being hit with 35% tariff even if coming from other countries.  Even sending a watch to another country for repair, can get hit with import duty.

 

Turns out the Tariff is based on country of origin.  China was shipping things through Vietnam, so this is a way of closing that loophole.  So anything coming from Europe through Canada still gets hit with the higher rate.   Otherwise China could simply ship to Canada or Mexico first.

 

Not sure how some of this affects collectables aka antiques.  These though are subject to capitol gains tax according to the armchair experts on the watch forums.  eBay has to report some of this to the IRS if one sells too much. 

 

This is all uncharted water.  No one really knows what is true anymore.   Especially with computers where anything you tell me three times is true.  Or so said the Red queen to Alice ...

 

-julie

 

 

[chris watton]

OK, my wife just posted a small parcel to the US.

 

All that has happened is the postage cost has increased slightly to take into account the new tariff charges, so this charge (10%) means that the postage costs has increased by 10%. A package worth £84 has an additional charge of £8.40 on the postage cost.

 

ETA - for kits or orders over 800 Dollars, you would have always been paying the duties anyway, as these new tariffs rules only relate to orders of 800 Dollars and under. (we assume, anyway)

Edited August 30 by chris watton

[Jack H]

I just sent a courier package to the United States. FedEx requires the prepayment of customs duties, and there is a complex calculation formula for it, with the duty rate being approximately 10%.Fortunately, it is neither the 125% tariff from a few months ago nor 30% currently .

Edited August 30 by Jack H

[mikegr]

The 800$ duty free limit sounds like a bargain comparing to EU where everything from 1 cent and above is subjected to VAT 19-25%. from 150 and above extra duties occur.  In Greece they charge 24% VAT even on shipping cost not only on package value.

[hamilton]

On 8/29/2025 at 5:51 PM, sheepsail said:

Otherwise China could simply ship to Canada or Mexico first.

Actually, in response to US tariffs on China, China imposed tariffs on Canada (I personally don't get that logic, but).....so them shipping through us is not a viable solution for the import tariff situation south of the 49th.....one thing seems clear - that things are just going to be more expensive unless you can source domestically - regardless of what country you live in....time to tighten your belts!

hamilton

[JeffT]

Ithink the cost may vary depending on vendor. For example, I noticed on ALs online store that they say they cover the US import tariff.

[LoydB]

UPS charged me $40 before they would deliver my Vanguard Lady Eleanor this week. 

[hamilton]

It is hard to believe that a model manufacturer can long sustain the cost of absorbing the tariffs - though I also acknowledge my ignorance of the business side of model manufacturing...I just can't imagine that there is the kind of critical mass, given competition among manufacturers, for this to be a long-term solution. Fortunately for us Canadians, we can still import from Europe under CETA without these concerns and we (like US customers) are exempt from the UK's VAT as I understand, but our market is (like in everything else) tiny taters compared to the US....will be interesting to see what the future holds...regardless of how expensive it gets, hull planking still drives me crazy!!

hamilton

[Y.T.]

36 minutes ago, hamilton said:

It is hard to believe that a model manufacturer can long sustain the cost of absorbing the tariffs

This hobby is an expensive one and as long as hobbyist is ready to pay more for the products they want the manufacturers will be fine. 

[realworkingsailor]

33 minutes ago, hamilton said:

It is hard to believe that a model manufacturer can long sustain the cost of absorbing the tariffs - though I also acknowledge my ignorance of the business side of model manufacturing...I just can't imagine that there is the kind of critical mass, given competition among manufacturers, for this to be a long-term solution. Fortunately for us Canadians, we can still import from Europe under CETA without these concerns and we (like US customers) are exempt from the UK's VAT as I understand, but our market is (like in everything else) tiny taters compared to the US....will be interesting to see what the future holds...regardless of how expensive it gets, hull planking still drives me crazy!!

hamilton

 

In the legal sense, payment of any tariff is the responsibility of the importer (buyer) not the exporter (seller). Some companies are electing to absorb part or all of this additional cost in order to keep their products competitive, but they don’t have to. In this case the company is paying some or all of the tariff for the buyer.
 

In Canada, if an item is taxable (remember tariff=tax), and the fee has not been pre-paid, once the tariff has been calculated by the CBSA (Customs), the shipping company or postal service will invoice the receiver for the amount owing. Once payed, these fees collected are remitted to the relevant government agency (in Canada that would be the Receiver General). I’m sure the process is similar in many other countries.

 

Prior to the current global trade situation, if I had to pay any extra on an imported item it was usually only Federal sales tax. Interestingly, in the past both Model Expo and Micro-Mark were registered with the Canadian government to collect and remit the GST (Federal sales tax), so even a big order from them would not be subject to extra fees at the border.

 

 

Andy

[Y.T.]

7 minutes ago, realworkingsailor said:

In the legal sense, payment of any tariff is the responsibility of the importer (buyer) not the exporter (seller).

Absolutely correct. Deal with your own government if not happy with tariffs.