Are you buying now because you anticipate higher prices?

[PristineSound]

The implementation. The receiving customs agent has to interpret the law.

That's why DHL stopped delivering and FedEx requires an account. If it remains unpaid it'll eventually get destroyed at the border. No it won't go back.

Fioo will also increase prices by 40% only in the US .

Moondrop 30%

Three words: Effing disastrous chaos

 

[JeffS7444]

An increasingly familiar sight for USA Aliexpress shoppers.

 

[PristineSound]

An increasingly familiar sight for USA Aliexpress shoppers.

View attachment 447101

Exporters are saying eff that, I don't need to deal with this cluster f*ck drama. I'm better off not doing business with US at all. So this tariff BS might just turn into an embargo?

Well . . .I better laugh this off before other emotions sets in.

 

[drewdawg999]

In case you want to buy anything from FiiO, they will raise all their prices 40% after May 1st (only in the US).

Dang, been eyeing the KA13 DAC/amp for a while now, kinda pissed the price went up 3 bucks already. But 40% of $63 is... more than a $24 increase (see, I did that math in my head). That's plain unacceptable. Do I or don't I now? Which one of these? I don't really need it since I'm mostly at home and use a full desktop stack to drive IEMs, which is overkill... but then again I may want to do away with the stack and downsize to a dongle with monstrous amounts of power, AKA any of the better FiiO dongles. Or do I go for the glory and get one with PEQ? I dunno what to do... I would like to use balanced 4.4mm for once in my life, so there's the FOMO of that. I only have a couple days to make a decision here, though it's not exactly life and death. Still, I dislike having my decision making rushed.

So I saw on the news that Trump plans on reducing the tariff rates substantially in 2 or 3 weeks. I believe he foresees a deal being struck. Maybe it'll all be a bad dream in a month's time. But dangerous game being played here. I try to avoid politics like the plague, could care less about it, but it's affecting my hobby that brings me joy. Sometimes I go all monkish and not spend any money for months on end. This may have to be one of those times. But then again, I want that KA13, and also want a balanced cable for my power hungry KZ PRX planar IEM. I'm a conditioned consumer, bargain hunter, cheapskate. These tariffs are cramping my style, man. I love Chinese stuff. Not their fault that they win at the economy, and are able to offer dirt cheap skilled labor and efficient manufacturing processes. Anyways, probably getting that dongle, forced into it actually, it ain't life and death.

 

[JeffS7444]

In case anyone's into gaming, as of late April 2025, Steam in the USA has Steam Decks in stock, starting at 400 USD, with refurbished units selling at 20% discount. I've ordered one of the latter, as it seemed like a reasonably-priced way to access modern PC games as well as vintage stuff via emulator. Not a new product, but a newer model doesn't seem imminent. I imagine that all of the attention is now on Nintendo's Switch 2 right now, but good luck in getting one of those. As for why I suddenly felt a need for more gaming when I rarely make the time to play the ones I already own..?

My AliExpress order from April 18 has just cleared USA customs, in time for the last(?) de minimis exemptions.

Am thinking that the general population isn't really feeling the bite yet, but word is that cargo ship activity is grinding to a halt, similar to the covid era. But even if tariff deadlines are extended, or undone entirely, I imagine there will be a lag time in resuming normal levels of trade.

 

[Mort]

with refurbished units selling at 20% discount.

Good tip, but they sold out.

 

[MattHooper]

Am thinking that the general population isn't really feeling the bite yet, but word is that cargo ship activity is grinding to a halt, similar to the covid era. But even if tariff deadlines are extended, or undone entirely, I imagine there will be a lag time in resuming normal levels of trade.

Naïve question: I’ve heard about the cargo ship activity slowing down. Is that just from China or from elsewhere as well? I think it’s just from China?

People have mentioned that the knock on effect of that could be some empty shelves or scarcities in some goods. Is that just a USA problem? Or would that affect all of North America?

 

[Karmacoma]

- 46% of Toy Companies in the US say they expect to go out of business within "weeks"
- 128K Federal workers lost their jobs in last 60 days
- 40% of cargo ships leaving China for the U.S. were empty today.
- Shoes expected to go up 87% in price
- Apparel expected to go up 65%
- US Exports expected to drop 18%
- Tourism to US down 20%
- All foreign goods up at least 10% on USD alone

 

[MattHooper]

- 46% of Toy Companies in the US say they expect to go out of business within "weeks"
- 128K Federal workers lost their jobs in last 60 days
- 40% of cargo ships leaving China for the U.S. were empty today.
- Shoes expected to go up 87% in price
- Apparel expected to go up 65%
- US Exports expected to drop 18%
- Tourism to US down 20%
- All foreign goods up at least 10% on USD alone

I saw that post repeated on social media, but do we have an actual source for the data? (a quick run through ChatGPT yield a verdict that it is highly suspicious and many claims seem to be false or unsubstantiated)

 

[JeffS7444]

Naïve question: I’ve heard about the cargo ship activity slowing down. Is that just from China or from elsewhere as well? I think it’s just from China?

People have mentioned that the knock on effect of that could be some empty shelves or scarcities in some goods. Is that just a USA problem? Or would that affect all of North America?

I don't know the intricacies of global logistics, (perhaps @dualazmak does). But my layman's guess is that more cargo ships and containers are now available for goods destined for Canada. However, Canadian retaliatory tariffs on USA goods could complicate matters. For example, aforementioned Steam Deck is presumably manufactured in Asia, but I dunno whether Steam maintains inventory in Canada, and mine appears to be shipping from within the USA.

 

[RickS]

I saw that post repeated on social media, but do we have an actual source for the data? (a quick run through ChatGPT yield a verdict that it is highly suspicious, and many claims seem to be false or unsubstantiated)

Good point!

Will add to my usual mantra - Let's stick to verifiable facts.

Anything less may be subject to deletion.

 

[JeffS7444]

Good tip, but they sold out.

Are you looking at the USA site? I'm still seeing the 512K LCD refurbished unit @ $359, and all models currently available as new units.

 

[Mort]

Are you looking at the USA site? I'm still seeing the 512K LCD refurbished unit @ $359, and all models currently available as new units.

I was referring to the refurbished. Looks like they come and go. It was definitely out.

 

[JeffS7444]

I've been wanting to replace worn out clothing, and per this CNN article, USA Uniqlo shoppers won't see much immediate impact due to the the amount of inventory already in the USA, which is great for me, because I'm planning on shopping there later this week.

It may take a few months to see the full impact of tariffs. Uniqlo’s Japanese parent company said in its earnings Thursday that the immediate impact of the tariffs will be limited because a significant amount of its stock is already in the US. Uniqlo sources its products from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India, along with China.

 

[JeffS7444]

I was referring to the refurbished. Looks like they come and go. It was definitely out.

I was able to reproduce that using a different web browser (Edge) but when I logged into steampowered.com and checked again, the 512K refurb appeared again as an item I could add to my cart: Good luck.

 

[PristineSound]

Up to 377% price increase on Shein. I don't shop on Shein, but I suspect this is coming to AliExpress, where I buy audio accessories, like banana plugs and Temu where I buy stuff like wire stripper/cutter, flux for solder, etc.

Considering asking my boss for a Tariff raise to compensate the rise in cost of living.

Shein Hikes US Prices as Much as 377% Ahead of Tariff Increases

Fast-fashion giant Shein Group Ltd. raised US prices of its products from dresses to kitchenware ahead of imminent tariffs on small parcels, in an early sign of the potential effect of the trade war on American consumers.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Karmacoma]

Good point!

Will add to my usual mantra - Let's stick to verifiable facts.

Anything less may be subject to deletion.

My bad,

- 46% of Toy Companies in the US say they expect to go out of business within "weeks"
----> no data available
- 128K Federal workers lost their jobs in last 60 days
-----> 2000 verifiable job losses, ongoing job cuts
- 40% of cargo ships leaving China for the U.S. were empty today.
------> can't find the numbers but everybody seems to agree on a massive decline
- Shoes expected to go up 87% in price
-------> tariffs imposed on Asia
- Apparel expected to go up 65%
-------> same
- US Exports expected to drop 18%
-------> the forecast is 12,6%
- Tourism to US down 20%
---------> tourism from Canada down 20%, 5,5% worlwide
- All foreign goods up at least 10% on USD alone
----------> minimum 10% tariffs

My source was Fred Krueger, a random investor, trader and economic analyst, will be more cautious in the future

 

[BJL]

My bad,

- 46% of Toy Companies in the US say they expect to go out of business within "weeks"
----> no data available
- 128K Federal workers lost their jobs in last 60 days
-----> 2000 verifiable job losses, ongoing job cuts
- 40% of cargo ships leaving China for the U.S. were empty today.
------> can't find the numbers but everybody seems to agree on a massive decline
- Shoes expected to go up 87% in price
-------> tariffs imposed on Asia
- Apparel expected to go up 65%
-------> same
- US Exports expected to drop 18%
-------> the forecast is 12,6%
- Tourism to US down 20%
---------> tourism from Canada down 20%, 5,5% worlwide
- All foreign goods up at least 10% on USD alone
----------> minimum 10% tariffs

My source was Fred Krueger, a random investor, trader and economic analyst, will be more cautious in the future

I have seen a similar analysis in both the NY Times and Washington Post, and particularly in regard to toys and games.

 

[MattHooper]

Out of curiosity, I’ve gone back and looked at a number of audio products I had bought from the USA. Mostly secondhand gear - amplifiers, speakers etc.

Redoing the costs under the current tariff wars, wow does it make things significantly more expensive! It would have been enough to stop me from buying those items.

I’m glad I got all my “ audio fun” in before the current nonsense.

I guess if I were to buy anything else I’d be looking at strictly local new or used.

 

[Karmacoma]

My bad,

- 46% of Toy Companies in the US say they expect to go out of business within "weeks"
----> no data available
- 128K Federal workers lost their jobs in last 60 days
-----> 2000 verifiable job losses, ongoing job cuts
- 40% of cargo ships leaving China for the U.S. were empty today.
------> can't find the numbers but everybody seems to agree on a massive decline
- Shoes expected to go up 87% in price
-------> tariffs imposed on Asia
- Apparel expected to go up 65%
-------> same
- US Exports expected to drop 18%
-------> the forecast is 12,6%
- Tourism to US down 20%
---------> tourism from Canada down 20%, 5,5% worlwide
- All foreign goods up at least 10% on USD alone
----------> minimum 10% tariffs

My source was Fred Krueger, a random investor, trader and economic analyst, will be more cautious in the future

Erratum
65000 workers accepted the buyout (Forbes)
26000 have been fired (CNBC)
Yeah 2000 looked really low