Buying a plugin from minidsp gets a 145% tariff charge. Is that correct or a bug?

[alitomr1979]

HEllo all,

The tariff wont be paid by them for that product, thats for sure. Has anyone experienced this issue lately?

 

[Roland68]

HEllo all,

The tariff wont be paid by them for that product, thats for sure. Has anyone experienced this issue lately?

If you live in the US, this seems to be correct.
miniDSP US Tariffs situation

 

[amirm]

I don't see how an electronic transaction would be subject to tariffs. I would contact them and ask.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

HEllo all,

The tariff wont be paid by them for that product, thats for sure. Has anyone experienced this issue lately?

If by "them" you mean MiniDSP, I'm pretty sure they won't pay the tariff on anything. If tariffs are applied (and I have no idea if they are to software/plugins) they are paid by the purchaser not the seller

 

[Mort]

They are collecting the tariffs at checkout, yes. And if you buy DiracLive you'll be charged tariff.

Buy the Diraclive stateside. This is a trick our EU friends know from VAT.

 

[alitomr1979]

WOW. But the thing is they are charging the import tax for software. That is why it seemed it was maybe a mistake of something they might have applied sitewide. I was going to buy a plugin because I have been using my two subs without the minidsp for years and since I consider the low frequencies the weak link in my system, i'm into doing to do something about it.

The plugins went from 10usd to 25usd. Well played, sir.

 

[MonkeyKing]

The issue could be whatever storefront they are using for transactions cannot distinguish between software/services and physical products. So when it sees you coming from the US buying software from/in China (assuming that's where it is) its going to automatically add that tariff fee. Contact them and see if they have a different way to make a transaction and to get you the software plugin.

 

[kemmler3D]

The issue could be whatever storefront they are using for transactions cannot distinguish between software/services and physical products. So when it sees you coming from the US buying software from/in China (assuming that's where it is) its going to automatically add that tariff fee. Contact them and see if they have a different way to make a transaction and to get you the software plugin.

This is possible but most e-commerce platforms I've used over the years let you designate products as taxable or not.

 

[Ropeburn]

I don't see how an electronic transaction would be subject to tariffs. I would contact them and ask.

I'm afraid the tarrifs (really an euphemism; let's call it what it is: an import tax) aren't limited to physical goods, but virtual ones (=software) too. And services. It affects ALL trade between countries.

 

[pjug]

I don't know the laws or care too much to learn, but why should buying software electronically be different than buying a physical product, with regard to tariffs?

 

[GD Fan]

The bottom line is no one knows what's going on minute to minute, so retailers are probably trying to play it safe. US trade policy changes day by day and tweet by tweet. Meanwhile a huge proportion of qualified, experienced government functionaries and bureaucrats have been summarily dismissed / furloughed.

And for the record that's not a polical comment. It is substantiated fact.

 

[amirm]

I don't know the laws or care too much to learn, but why should buying software electronically be different than buying a physical product, with regard to tariffs?

It doesn't go through US customs so there is no enforcement action like there is for hard goods.

Did some searching and found this FAQ from a law firm: https://www.ropesgray.com/en/insigh...reciprocal-tariff-executive-order-on-software

Although the applicability and timing of the tariffs remains uncertain, we conclude that as of now, software in a tangible form (e.g., software on a CD included in a box) would generally be considered a “good” subject to the proposed tariffs, but software in an intangible form (e.g., provided on a service or hosted basis) will likely be exempt from the EO under World Trade Organization (“WTO”) trade rules.

[...]

Would the tariffs proposed to be implemented through the EO apply to software or other digital assets made available as “software as a service” or hosted on a cloud?​

Generally, no. The EO as drafted proposed reciprocal tariffs on goods delineated in an Annex II to the EO, which notably does not identify intangible software or digital assets.3 Additionally, since 1998, the United States, as part of the WTO, has agreed to a moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions. WTO members have biannually renewed and confirmed the moratorium, and the current decision of the WTO extends through March 2026.4,5 However, the current moratorium does not set forth a formal definition of “electronic transmissions,” and the term remains undefined in the context of international trade rules.6 Further, if the WTO elects not to renew the moratorium in 2026 (such as due to the recent tariff escalation), companies would have to refer to a patchwork of regional and bilateral trade agreements to assess whether electronic transmissions are exempt from duties.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

Wouldn't a VPN client be able to easily spoof the order location anyway? (ie for a downloadable software order)

Or am I missing something?

 

[Bun-Bun]

On their forums - https://www.minidsp.com/community/threads/us-china-tariff-update-as-of-14-05-2025.23701/

Import duties on Software:
- Software/Services are not liable of duties. In this respect Dirac live upgrades are duty free and a reminder that you can always upgrade your unit later on from Device console (lower import value). Note however that our shopping cart currently doesn't support not including duties for specific Dirac upgrades like here and here when you check out from a US address. We're working behind the scenes to see if we can modify webshop but please contact us if you want to check out these. We'll help process manually.