Are you buying now because you anticipate higher prices?

[xanalog]

In a way, I am glad aliexpress and I have finally been detached by force.
As a hardware geek, I could not stop my addiction to gorge upon those dirt-cheap prices and offerings... I've probably spent >$10k in the last 4 years, strictly at aliexpress.
Yet, part of me has always felt guilt-ridden. Knowing full-well that I was paying 'slave labor' prices -- no less, made by an oppressed population, governed by an adversarial competitor.
Of course, I am a hypocrite but the first step to recovery is always admitting to one's addictive behavior.

 

[RickS]

Despite the recent trolling by one member, still see value in this forum and this thread.

Stick to facts and hopefully find some benefit from sharing with each other here. Any other concerns may be discussed via PM to Amir or I. Thanks!

 

[RickS]

While I have not even had a chance to fully clean the recent trolling in this thread, some members continue to reply to posts either from him or others who replied to him.

So, I regret having to do, but am temporarily closing the thread to settle things down. The report feature will continue to work and may be a better alternative before you criticize someone publicly.

My dog wants a walk and then its dinner time. So, may be a bit before I re-open this thread. Am pretty sure we can all use a break from tariff discussions anyway.

 

[RickS]

Thread is alive again, but it needed some aggressive cleaning. Along with the troll trail, some posts were simply commentary. As the tariffs are prolific and ongoing, I understand it may feel good to air one’s opinion. While I have tried to allow if the opinion is supported by facts, the reality is that too much commentary tends to spiral the thread out of control.

I regret if some recent more marginal posts got deleted in my effort to cleanse the thread. These tariffs are a challenging topic but if we keep our objectivity intact, this thread should be more beneficial than not having it at all. Let’s try again.

 

[Mr_RGB]

Just bought 2 Fosi ZA3s from the Fosi EBAY store due to discounts and the fact that they were shipping within the US. I just didn't want to risk prices doubling when the US stock runs out.

 

[Noske]

I just didn't want to risk prices doubling when the US stock runs out.

That could be a couple months, couldn't it? Maybe much longer for some slower moving items.

I don't pretend to know anything about inventory levels in the USA in general, but I also understand that there was a significant increase in imports in the first quarter of this year. There were some national accounts released last week which confirmed that. That would have been importers thinking ahead.

 

[Soandso]

… there was a significant increase in imports in the first quarter of this year … importers thinking ahead.

Yes. Chart to the end of March 2025 below shows Billions of US$; unadjusted for inflation and separate scaled color coded amounts for imports vs exports.

 

[amper42]

Businesses are finding interesting new ways to avoid Trump Tariffs. If these Tariffs continue there will be an entire consulting industry built on how to reclassify goods and ship through intermediary countries to obtain the lowest tariff rates.

 

[bachatero]

Get ready for the product nuclear winter!

 

[Timcognito]

I was about to post this, then the thread was halted, but our President reminded me of and thought members might enjoy a slightly OT story from my past.

My 4th grade teacher Mrs. Palmer started one day by saying were going to rearrange our desks into islands. Six I remember. She didn't seem to have a map or any preconceived notion but one by one or two or three at a time, names were called, and desks were pushed around by us, with her directing, intervening as to location and orientation. "Robin, I want you here by me" she said to the 4th grade bad ass, "Steve, and you too. Tim I think you would work well here, too" followed by Robert. Well half an hour later everyone was contemplating the dynamics of their new neighbors. Mrs P broke out the masking tape and began to mask tape around the Robin, Steve Tim and Robert Island and shortly after announced that this island was Alcatraz, no one could leave without permission and "prisoners must stay inside the tape". No other island had tape around it. Well after a week of celebrity status of being in 4th grade's most notorious prison I was replaced by Steve G. I was placed on island with four quiet girls and returned twice in intervening months before we went back to rows and had the distinction of causing the prisons only expansion moving to five inmates requiring more tape. Without reform there is recidivism or perhaps genetics dominates one's behavior. Robin was the only lifer. With this in mind, maybe it would best to contain quasi political topics to one or set of threads and enforce only decorum and anti-trolling.

Alcatraz, 25 miles away, was being closed during my 4th grade year, Native Americans occupied it in the early 70's in protest and is now a popular windy, cold, dank tourist attraction that you are stuck on until the boat returns. Yesterday my Pres announces that he wants to go back a quite a few decades to open it as prison again but he will need a lot of money and there might some of the red type of tape to get going. This true story was way to get your attention with some humor ask that we all try act civilly towards each other to give RickS a break. I know at times I find some comments here irritating and have lost it in retaliatory comments, so, maybe it IS genetics, but ASR is kind of sanctuary from the headlines, and we should try a little to keep it that way. Thanks for reading my off topic post.

 

[Azrael]

I know at times I find some comments here irritating and have lost it in retaliatory comments,

I felt the same way. I apologise, especially to @RickS .

 

[Mort]

Thanks @RickS for having the patience to moderate this thread. I think it's worthwhile, even with the digressions.

 

[Soandso]

Get ready for the product nuclear winter ...

Some context may be of interest. The Port of Los Angeles handles the USA's main sea cargo entry and incoming commercial shipping is booked in advanced. The below chart shows that the volume measured in terms of reference using what a 20 foot long shipping container holds (1 "TEU"= volume of 1 container) will be increasing from this weeks volume (76,257 "TEU") in the coming weeks. I can't state what products are onboard, nor the applicable new tariffs on whatever countries of origin the cargo is involve. However, a lot of foreign manufactured products will still be arriving at the Port of LA and going into bonded warehouses.

 

[PristineSound]

Some context may be of interest. The Port of Los Angeles handles the USA's main sea cargo entry and incoming commercial shipping is booked in advanced. The below chart shows that the volume measured in terms of reference using what a 20 foot long shipping container holds (1 "TEU"= volume of 1 container) will be increasing from this weeks volume (76,257 "TEU") in the coming weeks. I can't state what products are onboard, nor the applicable new tariffs on whatever countries of origin the cargo is involve. However, a lot of foreign manufactured products will still be arriving at the Port of LA and going into bonded warehouses.

View attachment 449439

Look, like companies are stocking up to weather the storm for as long as they inventory lasts?

I would not want to be a business selling physical goods at this point in time. This is so hard to manage and plan.

 

[JeffS7444]

My ceramics arrived before tariffs. Even if I were okay with 145% tax, none of the AliExpress vendors that I used is currently shipping to USA.

 

[xanalog]

My ceramics arrived before tariffs. Even if I were okay with 145% tax, none of the AliExpress vendors that I used is currently shipping to USA.

My very last order from aliexpress shows the following:

The tracker information from the order pages have been removed, and I have my fingers crossed my package arrives state-side soon.

 

[Soandso]

It's time to get yourself some nice UK audio gear.

 

[PristineSound]

It's time to get yourself some nice UK audio gear.

View attachment 449576

Does this mean that KEF is going to walk back the modest price hike?

 

[Gitfiddle]

Does this mean that KEF is going to walk back the modest price hike?

Until we see what the actual details are, nothing is certain. If it is an actual "comprehensive trade deal" then it would (in normal times) need congressional approval. I expect it would also need the British parliament to approve it as well? I'm not familiar with that though. No telling how long that will take. It could be a deal where tariffs remain on some items and are completely removed from others. I hope for the best.

If it is more of an agreement that one party will remove tariffs if the other side agrees to buy more goods... then that is rather dubious and likely wouldn't help manufacturers feel better about the state of trade since that kind of agreement could die at any instant.

So basically wait and see the actual details.

 

[threni]

Some context may be of interest. The Port of Los Angeles handles the USA's main sea cargo entry and incoming commercial shipping is booked in advanced. The below chart shows that the volume measured in terms of reference using what a 20 foot long shipping container holds (1 "TEU"= volume of 1 container) will be increasing from this weeks volume (76,257 "TEU") in the coming weeks. I can't state what products are onboard, nor the applicable new tariffs on whatever countries of origin the cargo is involve. However, a lot of foreign manufactured products will still be arriving at the Port of LA and going into bonded warehouses.

View attachment 449439

Presumably a lot of that is probably going to be cheap (de minimis) goods arriving before the June 1st deadline.