Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Anyone getting parts or other shipments from overseas

Steamhead
Steamhead Member Posts: 17,957
edited August 24 in THE MAIN WALL
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting

Comments

  • RTW
    RTW Member Posts: 239

    RE: Overseas Imports

    Agreed, to posters for concern. Two recent trade policy issues come to mind that can best gauge import costs worth following:

    1. Duty Added: A big change to all the “cheap goods” Americans order just went into effect. For nearly a century, low-value packages of goods from abroad have entered the United States duty free, thanks to what’s known as the “de minimis rule,” which as of 2015 has applied to packages worth less than $800.

    2. NEW YORK, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A divided U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that most of Donald Trump's tariffs are illegal, undercutting the Republican president's use of the levies as a key international economic policy tool. The court allowed the tariffs to remain in place through October 14 to give the Trump administration a chance to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Regards,

    RTW

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 14,125

    See but paying another $2 for your $15 shirt is still cheap. The issue is more in the time to do the paperwork. I assume collecting the $2 is going to cost the government more than $2.

    I was going to buy some telescoping mast sections from Germany but I'll have to wait until the cost doesn't change significantly every 3 days.

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,957

    More:

    "Postal systems from Germany, France, Mexico, India, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan, and Australia have already paused or limited U.S. shipments while scrambling to figure out duty collection. What used to be a swift package delivered in days will now be stuck in limbo—delayed, redirected to costlier private couriers, and tagged with extra hidden fees that hit consumers mid-delivery.

    Even if the delivery logistics are worked out, consumers will now see a new line item on any potential purchase, labelled “tariff,” that will serve as a constant reminder of (this) new tax on their purchases—if they can even afford to place orders in the first place.

    And remember, this is just one sliver of the tariff pie, as U.S. consumers and businesses face steep cost hikes on everything else coming from overseas, including the raw materials that even “made in America” products require."

    This would cover most everything from the Far East (think Navien, Rinnai, Toto etc) Europe (Buderus, Viessmann, Biasi, DeDetrich etc) and Mexico (where a lot of Honeywell/Resideo stuff is made). Looks like this is shaping up to be a major hit, assuming the courts uphold it.

    Source: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/29/2340737/-Trump-s-latest-tariff-will-hit-his-base-hard-and-piss-everyone-off?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI08292025

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 25,648

    interesting is the few countries not tariffed

    IMG_0925.jpeg

    https://www.newsweek.com/reciprocal-tariffs-countries-not-hit-donald-trump-2054674

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • SlamDunk
    SlamDunk Member Posts: 1,762

    Those are our friends now.
    My company is preparing for the worst. It is a US entity and we just did an exhausting four year maintenance look ahead gettiing big ticket quotes so the risk department can weigh in what should be done, and when. We make drugs and keep a three year supply for natural disasters. It would give patients that much time to move to another drug if we can't get back online fast enough. No natural disasters but that three year supply came in handy during covid, it looks like we will be drawing on it again.

  • RTW
    RTW Member Posts: 239
    image.png

    Thanks to Hot Rod for this above post

    I wonder how our Veterans in the HVAC, plumbing and electrical fields - who put their life on the line for the protection of America - feel on this economic issue that shows favor to dictatorship countries?

    Wishing all hard-working Americans a happy Labor Day, hopefully Not spent working, but spending time with family and friends

    Regards

    RTW

  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 4,112

    It's hard to say anything out loud without being pigeonholed, but I wonder if there's more to the story than what the media is 'reporting'.

    CLamb
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 14,125

    I think there are some other taxes on imported goods that are more like use or sales taxes that aren't mentioned and were exempted for small value items and it is not clear if they still are or not.

  • I just ordered some iphone earbuds on ebay - $33, but they take a month to get here and there's duty to pay. We'll see how much.

    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab