Unknown Soldier
Member
Same thing that always happens but the Democrats are running out of things to cry wolf about these days, and most people stop believing the constant cries of wolf a while back now which explains their current approval ratings
Postal services around the world are suspending deliveries to the US
- Thread starter rubik's dude
- Start date
Jinzo Prime
Member
Just an ancedote: I had a package stuck in Japan for a few days, but now it's made it to the US. No idea if something has changed or what.
rubik's dude
Member
Do you know if it was shipped via FedEx or UPS? I buy from some JP proxy services that defer to them from air delivery. If that's the case, they shouldn't be affected by the suspensions, but you might get hit with the 20% tariff.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
Jinzo Prime
Member
Japan Post to USPS.
Kittehkraken
Member
Japan Post packages can sit around waiting for room on a plane for weeks after the paperwork is already done. Yours might be one of the ones that just made it through.
Toons
Member
Bezos blocked his company tbe Washington post from endorsing Harris publicly during the late end of the election term.
Zuckerberg refused to openly endorse her either. His money went to a few super pacs that helped her but some of those likely helped Trump too. In any case, he lined up right alongside him very quickly.
I never said they were friends with each other or even liked each other. I said they were clearly ok with Trump, and his populism didn't chase them away, which was your claim. And they're far from the only prominent ones. Theres Peter theil, a billionaire who is directly responsible for JD Vance being in his position and has supported republican candidates for a very long time.
My point was, and is, that your claim that the capitalists ran to democrats because of trumps populism rings hollow in light of recent events.
Musk broke into conflict with Trump because musk has a massive ego and Trump has a massive ego and anyone with a brain cell knew that each of their egos was too big to fit into one room.
Musk is being considered a problem to the base because despite playing the role of one for a while to get into trumps favor, hes nor a sycophant and has his own ambitions outside of trump. In his own words, he believes he is directly responsible for trumps victory, and yes he does favor capital, but he certainly hasn't gone democrat at any recent point in time and probably won't be any time soon.
Toons
Member
Ok? Trump isn't negotiating anything though, and its American companies that are footing the bill. Why?
Why is it a blanket tarriff, shutting down several necessary trade options rather than than simply reverting the loophole?
Whh is he changing tarriff rates seemingly on a whim with no rhyme or reason to it?
No ones saying there isn't or never was a problem. The solution being provided is just stupid. Its like gluing your windows panes to keep bugs from flying in.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
Take things easy.
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Idleyes
Gold Member
You think this is still the Cold War era, when America's rivals were in ruins? Bruh, China is a thing. Africa is shifting too, with nations partnering up with China and BRICS. For the first time (IMHO), America actually has real competition. This isn't just about new postal procedures, the tariffs are a thing meant to address a much bigger issue. But to address your question: dropping a 30-day notice was dumb AF, and no amount of boot-licking spin changes that.
Idleyes
Gold Member
I get where you're coming from dawg, but you're only looking at this in terms of short-term costs to American companies. The big picture is that for the first time in history, the U.S. is facing real global competition. During the Cold War, America's rivals were rebuilding from ruin. Now? China is an economic Mike Tyson bustin our shit, Africa is aligning with BRICS while hitting us with Floyd Mayweather level dodges, and global trade networks are as much U.S. centric as Basket Ball is a white only sport these days. Kna mean?
That's why Trump is using tariffs, it's not really about postal procedures or one loophole, they're about slowing down the flood of imports that's been hollowing out U.S. industry while competitors build leverage. Was the 30-day rollout sloppy? fuck yeah! But the tariffs that caused the disruption is about adjusting to a world where America is no longer the only dealer on the block.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
Realistically... He's using tariffs for his own benefit and doesn't care about his country... All the donation money and tariffs... They're not from China, what you pay from that goes into the Orange treasury.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
What did they expect from someone who, even at his Trump-run universities, commits fraud?
What did you expect from someone who criticizes Harvard, but years earlier said that COVID was eliminated by injecting a disinfectant?
Even a child could have predicted this.
Idleyes
Gold Member
Yeah, I don't think Trump is the leader America needs right now, his approach is messy and self-serving. But honestly, he's not the core issue. The real issue is that for the first time in history, the U.S. has genuine competition on the global stage. China, BRICS, and shifting alliances are changing the economic order, and Trump just happens to be throwing gasoline on that fire.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
I've already said it, and don't be surprised if the day comes when I convert bank private debt into public debt. But I won't say any more, or else they'll censor me.
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Idleyes
Gold Member
That wouldn't be anything new. Taxpayer money has already been used to absorb private sector risks, bailing out banks, AIG, GM, you name it. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are basically government-backed enterprises, FFS. Then you've got the Fed buying up corporate bonds and ETFs. Capitalists just slap fancy names on their own socialist activities.
calico
Member
Maybe cut down on your reddit time a little.
JayK47
Member
Thanks for the very well informed post.
However, these are not allowed. You are supposed to come in here, blame everything on Trump, call those who disagree morons, then leave. Let your emotions take over. Join the dark side.
Lunarorbit
Member
Well he has been trying to destroy the postal service with Dejoy doing a great job at it.
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
How is the US going to bring back manufacturing to the US when "made in America" products will never be able to to compete in price with the same shit made in South East Asian sweatshops even with sky high tariffs?
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Unaffected. I'll let you know when I need things that impact me.
Idleyes
Gold Member
The U.S. may never out-cheap India or China on labor, but that's not the point. America can compete through innovation, automation, specialization, and sheer proximity to its own markets. Look at Germany, its wages are high too, yet it still dominates exports by focusing on quality and advanced industries. America should be leaning into its strengths, not trying to play someone else's game. But first, it needs to get its house in order, because the constant flip-flopping at home keeps bleeding into foreign policy, and that inconsistency is doing the most damage.
In other words this Rep vs Dem nonsense is only hurting ourselves.
daffyduck
Member
He's not wrong about who's actually paing most of the tariffs, though.
calico
Member
This was not the reddit-brained part of his statement.
Wilhelm_85
Gold Member
How are you addressing my question? Again, what are you going to do when the shipments resume under new policies? Continue to gripe about imaginary bootlicking and fantasize about Chinese world domination?
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Idleyes
Gold Member
I don't speak gibberish. I think that's why you're not understanding me.
Wilhelm_85
Gold Member
Germany was able to take advantage of an undervalued currency by being part of (and largely controlling) the Eurozone.
Idleyes
Gold Member
For sure. Germany shows you don't have to compete through low wages or cheap labor (which was my point) to be successful, that's not their game. I brought them up because the U.S. has a similar strength in high-skill production, and that's where a comparison can be drawn.
Edit: I've got more to say but don't want to turn this into a lecture. Long story short: Germany benefits from the euro, regional dominance, and an export-heavy economy. None of that relies on cheap labor like in India or China. What the US needs to do is stop flip-flopping every election, Rebuild supply chains, upgrade ports, grids, logistics & match high wages with high productivity. Many of this we're already doing just need to get it together and stop the wasteful spending and flip flopping so damn much. And yeah, the consumer economy has to go. Americans really need to stop buying cheap junk. I think that's what Trump means by Make America Great Again.
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jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I started a small cottage printing business back in 2010, specifically printing to order art prints of my wife's original paintings. I purchased a high-end plotter, used heavyweight paper, and archival quality inks. My end product was high quality and was designed and made in the US (by me) using materials sourced from the US (except for the plotter, obviously). My prices were reasonable enough that I had a lot of sales and a lot of repeat customers. I sold tens of thousands of prints to people all over the country, and even had hundreds of international buyers.
About two years later, companies in China caught on that they could do what I was doing. Thanks to the de minimis loophole, they were able to undercut my prices to the point that they were still delivering similar products domestically for less than my material costs. I also had to pay taxes on my business profits, carry insurance, etc. that cut into my margins, and they didn't. Thanks to China's extremely lax policies on copyright infringement (lol) there wasn't even anything I could do about these Chinese companies stealing and reproducing my wife's paintings - despite making a lot of claims to Etsy and eBay with proof. The loophole allowed them to ship directly to customers in the US without undergoing any scrutiny as to the legitimacy of their product.
The worst part was, the art prints coming in from China were extremely low quality. Lots of people contacted me to complain (since my wife was the original artist, it was "signed" at the bottom, and pretty easy to find my business online when I was still able to operate). They had their artwork framed, and the ink would smear or run. Sometimes the paper it was printed on was too lightweight, so the inferior inks used would saturate the paper and warp it. I felt bad for the people buying fakes, especially the ones that didn't realize it.
I averaged a few thousand dollars in profit every month for the few years I was doing it, to eventually making about $100 a month and barely breaking even. I finally had to close up shop because nobody was buying the original authentic prints. So yeah, fuck the de minimis loophole.
Idleyes
Gold Member
That's exactly what the Trump administration recognized, and then completely scrapped. While I don't agree with how it was executed (mainly because the U.S. is starting to build a reputation for unpredictability and inconsistency, which isn't a good look to trade partners), I do agree with the decision to scrap it.
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Idleyes
Gold Member
I'm honestly baffled at how people throw out oversimplified, Twitter-style one-liners and expect everyone to buy it. I didn't say I'm 'happy over paying more in taxes' like your exaggerated claim suggest.
What's that have to do with the loopholes and lack of fair enforcement that made his business unviable against cheap imports?
Liljagare
Member
I am also baffled over your one liners.. How is he going to have a *EASIER* time, if he relies on certain high quality products he has to import, in order to stay competetive and current when he now also has to pay tariff's? I would say, this just makes it easier for someone to copy his work, for cheaper.
Produce it even cheaper abroad, ship to a non tariff country, and then over. Pirate copy heaven.
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Idleyes
Gold Member
Who exactly are these 'people' you're talking about? If you're going to jump into a discussion, at least engage with the folks who are actually here instead of setting up a crash-test dummy to swing at.
Idleyes
Gold Member
Liljagare
Member
Liljagare
Member
TDiddyLive
Member
He straight up said most of the products he used were sourced in America, so tariffs wouldn't really have an effect on his business. Even if product prices took a bump, he was still doing good until low quality cheap knockoffs ruined his business. The de minimus loophole directly killed his business, so getting rid of it is a great start.
Liljagare
Member
Then he wasn't using the products he claimed, as everyone in the business knows where those artisian inks are produced.. Maybe the issue was he claimed to use the best heavy paper, and best inks in the world, and perhaps a Italian or Spanish producer, who actually has access to the quality products, just out competed him?
"The worst part was, the art prints coming in from China were extremely low quality." - no shit Sherlock, but that was not his issue to begin with.
"I also had to pay taxes on my business profits, carry insurance, etc. that cut into my margins, and they didn't" - here is our main issue, and guess what? Tariffs still wont change that, and still not help him. You pay the tariff?!
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Idleyes
Gold Member
Appreciate this response, this is the way I like to talk, not just mischaracterizing what someone said like there's some invisible internet trophy to win. And yeah, I get your point: tariffs alone don't magically fix the problem. If the inputs you need aren't made here, they just get more expensive, while knockoffs still find ways in. That's why the issue isn't simply 'tariffs vs. no tariffs,' it's whether we actually enforce IP protections and build smarter trade policy. Otherwise, legitimate producers get squeezed from both sides, higher costs up front and pirates still flooding the market.
The whole point is to protect domestic retailers and manufacturers from being undercut by duty-free imports, tighten control over contraband (counterfeits, unsafe goods, fentanyl precursors) and target China's e-commerce giants (Shein, Temu, AliExpress) that flooded the U.S. market.
I'm not in the least happy about paying more for anything (at all) but I understand why the Trump administration scrapped de minimis. What I don't agree with is the execution, I'd prefer Country-Specific Restrictions, Stronger IP & Customs Enforcement & Seller Accountability. All that costs money so.... Taxes biotch.
ResurrectedContrarian
Suffers with mild autism
They saw she was cratering and losing, lol, and that's absolutely clear. They had already donated massively, the last minute hedge was clearly "let's do our best to not get destroyed if he wins." That's not even a controversial interpretation.
The amazing thing is that Thiel and Musk are so well known precisely because they are an extreme rarity. The mere fact that any major CEOs, much less tech ones, publicly support Trump was and is a national news story, because the ratio is least 100:1 the other direction. Again, really not even controversial or in question at all. You're just trying very hard to stick to a "wealthy capitalists are for Republicans" line when it is completely out of sorts with the entire political landscape of today. Massive corporations are in fact the lifeblood of the progressive movement, which has been consistently losing more and more ground amongst laborers each election.
The conflict inside the coalition was extremely heated even before inauguration, specifically concerning Musk (and Vivek) supporting laxer visas and imported labor. You clearly don't follow these coalitions or huge battles taking place on the right, so you just have flippant surface level and anachronistic reads of everything.
rubik's dude
Member
De minimis and cheap knockoffs didn't prevent people from buying from him. They bought cheap knockoffs because they either didn't value the originals enough over the knockoffs, or because they didn't bother to educate themselves on what they were buying.
Blame cheapness or ignorance, but it was ultimately consumer choice.
Liljagare
Member
Nothing with tariffs helps with a pirate market, lol..
Liljagare
Member
So, how will tariff's help? It will still be cheaper, than his product, on the pirate market.
All you argue for is paying for the pirated stuff.. !!??!!
Tariffs have seldom worked for anything but raising taxes for your own populace.
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ResurrectedContrarian
Suffers with mild autism
Buying counterfeit copies isn't a valid "consumer choice" under any circumstances. They were reproducing them:
That's criminal nonsense that was being allowed to fly. And you wouldn't believe how many people I've seen get scammed by fake clothing items from all the fake Chinese mock-ups that even throw together sites that mimic the real ones down to every detail.
If that kind of nonsense is coming in, and China doesn't care about stopping it, then any and all actions to shut down China's access to markets is a good thing for the world.
We're talking about the end of the de minimis loophole that lets shipments under $800 skip both taxation and largely bypass inspection.
that was even in the NPR article I already quoted:
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rubik's dude
Member
Valid by who's definition? Because it's certainly legal, and it certainly is a choice on the consumer's end.
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ResurrectedContrarian
Suffers with mild autism
It's not legal in the US. Which 3rd world country do you hail from?