Does the US charge tariffs on handbags from France?
from robocall@lemmy.world to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 06:17
https://lemmy.world/post/37234241

I live in the US and have a question about Trump’s tariffs.

I am considering ordering a US$600 handbag online from a store in France. Would I have to pay a tariff on such a purchase? As far as I can tell, any tariffs owed are not included in the purchase price on the website.

Thank you for any input you have on the subject.

Edit: The handbag is labeled “Made in Italy” which may change the tariff apparently.

#nostupidquestions

threaded - newest

Alexstarfire@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 06:43 next collapse

If any exist, I’d assume so. Do they exist? Who the hell knows. AFAIK, all the ones Trump has tried to implement have been declared unconstitutional, but who can keep up with all his antics.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works on 12 Oct 07:17 collapse

It’s ruled unconstitutional by a district court, but the judgement was suspended pending appeal, so they can still collect the tariffs until the supreme court rules on it in November.

Edit: typo

P1nkman@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 06:56 next collapse

I’m not even sure they would send it. Norway does not send anything to the US that’s worth less than $800, other countries refuse to ship to the US at the moment.

But for your question: who the fuck knows. If they send it, it might be held up on customs for months, or even in a shipping container in a dock in Europe. And yes, the tariff would have to be paid by you, somehow, in the end. Honestly, I would not risk it.

[deleted] on 12 Oct 09:30 next collapse
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robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 09:50 collapse

The company ships using DHL, which should work for US deliveries. It would cost 20 Euros.

If I knew what the tariff was, I could do the math and factor that into my decision whether this handbag is worth the additional costs, but this government has made it so messy to understand. It sounds like certain strategic categories have higher tariffs than the nation’s tariff. and I search on the web without finding a clear answer.

BananaOnionJuice@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 12 Oct 08:18 next collapse

As I recall you will at least pay ~20% in import tax on stuff from EU, but before they reach the US there’s always the chance of major increases (see Chinas 100% tariff).

robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 09:54 collapse

you will at least pay ~20% in import tax

The words “at least” worry me. I’d like to know what I’m expecting.

Your point about the US changing the tariff while the handbag is in-route is a valid concern.

ThunderQueen@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 08:25 next collapse

Typically, the tariffs have been tacked onto the shipping price, not the item price; iirc

jerocus@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 08:33 next collapse

I ordered some Japanese Digimon items and they were shipped with dhl express. I got an email about the import duty I needed to pay to receive it. Granted my items totaled 130 or so so I had like a $36 cost for that.

I originally had it being sent with regular post but the country stopped that type of shipping. So I had to upgrade my order to fedex or dhl.

You would have a tarrif cost but for the exact amount you would need to know either the items manufactured country or the one it shipped from for its percentage. I’m not to sure which.

The tarrifs removed the de minimis exception so unlike before items worth $800 or less now have an import duty. Tarrifs won’t be included usually in pricing since it’s not the sellers responsibility but the buyers.

Granted all this could change at a drop of a hat depending on courts or the whims of the president.

robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 09:43 collapse

Granted my items totaled 130 or so so I had like a $36 cost for that.

This is good to know. US$36 fee on US$130 is near 30% tariff which would be an additional US$180 on a US$600 purse. This was my fear, and I have to factor this expense in to decide whether it’s still worth it.

The company ships DHL, so I hope that resolves the shipping complications.

The handbag is made in Italy, so I guess the question is not related to France, but Italy, even though I am buying it from France.

tty5@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 08:48 next collapse

It’s more complicated:

  1. Tariff depends on the country of origin of the handbag - simplifying a bit where it was made, not where it was sent from. E.g. if it was made in Vietnam you are paying tariff for Vietnam even when buying from France.
  2. Country of origin has to be declared (and sometimes documented) by the seller. Not all of them know how to properly do that.
  3. You pay tariffs on full invoice, including shipping costs.
  4. If what you are buying is discounted and both full price and discount amount are on the invoice you might initially be forced to pay tariffs on full price and then fight customs to get a partial refund. This usually happens when the seller is sloppy when filing customs paperwork or just includes an invoice and has customs sort it out.
  5. There will be extra fees for customs brokerage. IDK what the current rates are with major courier companies, but I’d guess $30-60
  6. Once you go over $2500 shipment value it gets more complicated

Source: handled customs for about 40 shipments from Canada and EU to Amazon warehouses in the USA.

robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 09:35 collapse

  1. The handbag is labeled “made in Italy” even though it is a French company, and coming from France.

  2. The shipping cost is 20 Euros. It would be shipped with DHL.

  3. Good to know about the customs brokerage fee. I will factor that in.

Thank you- your info was insightful.

tty5@lemmy.world on 13 Oct 00:18 collapse

Courier company will nickel and dime you every chance they get. E.g. paying customs fees online before package arrives vs paying with CC on delivery can save you $10-15 in some cases.

Tetsuo@jlai.lu on 12 Oct 09:57 next collapse

I would suggest asking the seller using their contact form, if any is available.

Feel free to pm me if you need help locating their contact form on their website (I’m french).

robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 10:13 collapse

Thank you for your kind offer. I found their contact information on their website. I feel embarrassed to ask a French company if they know what tariff duties I would be responsible to pay to my own government.

Tetsuo@jlai.lu on 12 Oct 10:56 collapse

I wouldn’t worry about it, it’s in their interest to inform their clients and I wouldn’t think they would blame a consumer for tariffs they have no control over.

It’s possible they might not know but it’s worth asking.

Good luck !

hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 11:07 collapse

Tbh I wouldn’t trust them because they are not lawyers and if they’re not involved on the tariffs (if that’s just between you and customs) they could get it wrong. If a US citizen can’t understand it, I wouldn’t necessarily trust a French company to get it right.

But I also tend to be extremely cautious just to keep life simple for future me.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 13:37 collapse

That’s probably the safe call. You never know if the person in the other end gets this question all the time and already knows all the details, or if they have no clue and really want to close the sale.

Diddlydee@feddit.uk on 12 Oct 11:02 next collapse

Go on the USHTS website and search for handbags. You will be able to see a breakdown of handbag types, materials, etc. check the tariff percentage listed against the hs code that applies to yours. Also check if there is a de minimis exception.

A leather handbag will be in heading 4202 and likely has a 35% tariff, although I’ve heard of people being charged wildly different percentages, from 9 to 65.

tty5@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 14:26 next collapse

De minimis was suspended for all imports into US several weeks ago.

robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 20:07 collapse

Thank you for showing me an actual government website. I could not find a government website myself when originally looking for this. But that website is difficult to use and I am still uncertain of what the tariff would be.

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/81e172d6-de21-46dc-a19e-ff7844f5df83.png">

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/2010f4a4-90e8-40cf-b223-56b3aa3018f9.png">

One part gives me the impression the tariff would be 100%, the other page says 8% and also 35%. I don’t understand if that’s 8% + 35%.

Either way, I don’t think I want to pay 35% on this handbag, and am considering not making this purchase anymore.

Diddlydee@feddit.uk on 12 Oct 22:24 collapse

You’re in the wrong part of the USHTS. There are rules called the GRI (General Rules of interpretation) that tell you how to use it, which are much too long-winded to go into. The section you showed is for plastic bags so doesn’t apply. The one I suggested is, as far as I know, correct. The USHTS changes every few months based on Trump’s current mood.

robocall@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 22:53 collapse

You’re in the wrong part of the USHTS.

Thank you for that explanation. Now that you pointed that out, I see you are correct.

The USHTS changes every few months based on Trump’s current mood.

I get that impression. Perhaps I should wait to see if/when Trump is feeling friendlier towards the EU before making any purchases from there.

Treczoks@lemmy.world on 12 Oct 23:23 collapse

At the moment, many stores do not ship anything to the US due to tariffs and new rules on how to treat mail.