On-line Stores & Sellers

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

With your recent (big) Handel haul, may I ask what the shipping costs came to?

K

Yes, ma'am. This order was one flat-rate of $5, but I didn't buy these Handel Pinnock recordings from the seller I  mentioned in this thread as he didn't have all the ones I was looking for.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

@Der lächelnde Schatten

Thank you for supporting the Canadian economy. 

   Well, he's a nice to chap to buy from and, again, his inventory is outrageous. If he was in the UK or France, I would still definitely buy from him because I haven't seen a Discogs seller who has as much as he does.

[Kalevala]

Yes, ma'am. This order was one flat-rate of $5, but I didn't buy these Handel Pinnock recordings from the seller I  mentioned in this thread as he didn't have all the ones I was looking for.

So, was it your Bach order?   

K

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

So, was it your Bach order?   

K

Yes, indeed and the shipping cost for that Bach/Biber order was $24. Also, this seller I mentioned in this thread only uses expedited shipping methods such as UPS or Purolator Ground U.S.

[Spotted Horses]

So what now, as of tomorrow if I purchase a digital download from Qobuz the U.S. government will charge me 20% tariff imposed on E.U. goods?

[Madiel]

So what now, as of tomorrow if I purchase a digital download from Qobuz the U.S. government will charge me 20% tariff imposed on E.U. goods?

I was wondering exactly that.

Mind you, it's very hard to believe they've thought through the issues when the list of "countries" includes various island territories. All of Australia's are listed separately, with Norfolk Island attracting a higher tariff rate for reasons unknown, and the internet is LOVING that the US government has gone after the trade practices of the seals and penguins on Heard and McDonald Islands.

So when it comes to something like online music purchases, I'd say the current answer is "who the hell knows?". I genuinely don't know whether it gets labeled as an "import". But more seriously I wouldn't be that confident that the US government knows either.

Edit: Even if you stick with US-based stores, what happens when the product comes from Europe? Do physical discs and downloads get treated differently?

[JBS]

I was wondering exactly that.

Mind you, it's very hard to believe they've thought through the issues when the list of "countries" includes various island territories. All of Australia's are listed separately, with Norfolk Island attracting a higher tariff rate for reasons unknown, and the internet is LOVING that the US government has gone after the trade practices of the seals and penguins on Heard and McDonald Islands.

So when it comes to something like online music purchases, I'd say the current answer is "who the hell knows?". I genuinely don't know whether it gets labeled as an "import". But more seriously I wouldn't be that confident that the US government knows either.

Edit: Even if you stick with US-based stores, what happens when the product comes from Europe? Do physical discs and downloads get treated differently?

Maybe Trump can't get over the Bounty mutiny?

I do like Norfolk Island's choice of motto: Inasmuch. I wonder what the story behind that might be.

[Madiel]

Are you thinking of Pitcairn for the mutiny?

[JBS]

Are you thinking of Pitcairn for the mutiny?

You know the Pitcairn islanders were transferred to Norfolk in the 1850s, although some did return to Pitcairn? According to Wikipedia, about one fifth of Norfolk's current population is descended from the Pitcairn islanders.

[Madiel]

You know the Pitcairn islanders were transferred to Norfolk in the 1850s, although some did return to Pitcairn? According to Wikipedia, about one fifth of Norfolk's current population is descended from the Pitcairn islanders.

Oh yeah I forgot.

...did Pitcairn get its own entry in this nonsense?

Anyway.

[Kalevala]

So what now, as of tomorrow if I purchase a digital download from Qobuz the U.S. government will charge me 20% tariff imposed on E.U. goods?

God knows....  

K

[Spotted Horses]

I was wondering exactly that.

Mind you, it's very hard to believe they've thought through the issues when the list of "countries" includes various island territories. All of Australia's are listed separately, with Norfolk Island attracting a higher tariff rate for reasons unknown, and the internet is LOVING that the US government has gone after the trade practices of the seals and penguins on Heard and McDonald Islands.

So when it comes to something like online music purchases, I'd say the current answer is "who the hell knows?". I genuinely don't know whether it gets labeled as an "import". But more seriously I wouldn't be that confident that the US government knows either.

Edit: Even if you stick with US-based stores, what happens when the product comes from Europe? Do physical discs and downloads get treated differently?

I think the answer to the original question is probably no, electronic data transfer is usually not subject to tariffs. But in this case who knows. In the case of physical media which originated in a foreign country but sold by a U.S. retailer like amazon, I think that amazon would pay tariff bringing the product into the country (possibly on the wholesale price) and would include this in the cost basis it uses to set retail prices, but could, in principal, include it as a line item on the invoice to the customer.

Tariffs like this are being portrayed as unprecedented in the U.S. Perhaps they are here, similar things exist in other counties. We lived in Canada for a year and a half. No tariffs on U.S. goods because of NAFTA, but when wife ordered some clothes from EU internet sellers a tariff of around 30% got added to the bill, and in some cases the courier (usually DHL) demanded payment of a tariff before handing the package over. That made it tricky to return something, because you would have to file paperwork to get the tariff refunded. But there seemed to be a price cutoff, I never had to pay a tariff on a CD ordered from the EU.

[DavidW]

So what now, as of tomorrow if I purchase a digital download from Qobuz the U.S. government will charge me 20% tariff imposed on E.U. goods?

I found that the answer is no between the US and Canada, but I couldn't find anything conclusive regarding other countries. But I think what will happen is that stores will raise the prices across the board on all goods to pass those tariffs on to the consumer. And even if the specific thing you want to buy doesn't have a tariff, I wouldn't be surprised if the price went up anyway, as the companies will probably take a more holistic approach and increase prices across the board.

[Kalevala]

Someone could drop by or call their local post office and ask someone there as to what new tariff collection practices they were now doing.  Also, sign into a website and put a digital item into your cart and see whether or not there were any notices/additional charges.

K

[Madiel]

Someone could drop by or call their local post office and ask someone there as to what new tariff collection practices they were now doing.  Also, sign into a website and put a digital item into your cart and see whether or not there were any notices/additional charges.

K

But this is not how tariffs work. Tariffs are not FORMALLY taxes that consumers pay (though the American love for saying "we're not charging you this, we want to tell you the government is charging you this" is quite amusing).

These are taxes that are paid by importers. The first question is whether anyone will declare that individual consumers count as importers. Probably not to be honest, but if they did it certainly isn't going to be the post office that collects tax. The tax is imposed at the point of entry into the country.

The reason everything will cost you more is because the importers will pass on the increased costs. Because that's what businesses do.

[JBS]

But this is not how tariffs work. Tariffs are not FORMALLY taxes that consumers pay (though the American love for saying "we're not charging you this, we want to tell you the government is charging you this" is quite amusing).

These are taxes that are paid by importers. The first question is whether anyone will declare that individual consumers count as importers. Probably not to be honest, but if they did it certainly isn't going to be the post office that collects tax. The tax is imposed at the point of entry into the country.

The reason everything will cost you more is because the importers will pass on the increased costs. Because that's what businesses do.

Well, I just placed an order with Presto, meaning shipped to the US, and given to US Postal Service when it arrives here to be delivered to my mailbox. There was no change from prior procedure on Presto's end, nor change in price or shipping charge. I'll let you know in about 2 weeks if anyone tells me to pay extra once it gets to America.

[Madiel]

Well, I just placed an order with Presto, meaning shipped to the US, and given to US Postal Service when it arrives here to be delivered to my mailbox. There was no change from prior procedure on Presto's end, nor change in price or shipping charge. I'll let you know in about 2 weeks if anyone tells me to pay extra once it gets to America.

I'm not certain how you would know for sure if there was a change in price?

If I remember correctly, Presto is registered for Australian tax collection and so incorporates the relevant Australian tax into the price they show me in Australian dollars. But I don't think they show me this as a separate line anywhere (thankfully). Whereas eBay does show me taxes separately.

But also... has any of this ACTUALLY taken effect yet anyway? I thought it was Saturday.

[JBS]

I'm not certain how you would know for sure if there was a change in price?

If I remember correctly, Presto is registered for Australian tax collection and so incorporates the relevant Australian tax into the price they show me in Australian dollars. But I don't think they show me this as a separate line anywhere (thankfully). Whereas eBay does show me taxes separately.

Presto's US dollar prices bounce up and down a bit (say, $0.25 or so) all the time, in response (I assume) to exchange rate fluctuations, but all the prices were about what they were yesterday and last week: Bavouzet's Ravel was and is $15.xx, Naxos CDs are $13.75, etc. No 10% increase that would match the tariff. And Presto always shows the taxes as $0.00.

[Madiel]

Presto's US dollar prices bounce up and down a bit (say, $0.25 or so) all the time, in response (I assume) to exchange rate fluctuations, but all the prices were about what they were yesterday and last week: Bavouzet's Ravel was and is $15.xx, Naxos CDs are $13.75, etc. No 10% increase that would match the tariff. And Presto always shows the taxes as $0.00.

Yeah, but... the tariffs aren't in force.

[Brian]

spotted on the Steve Hoffman forum:

"The following goods as set forth in Annex II to this order, consistent with law, shall not be subject to the ad valorem rates of duty under this order: (i) all articles that are encompassed by 50 U.S.C. 1702(b)..."

Look up the specific law and:
"(3) the importation from any country, or the exportation to any country, whether commercial or otherwise, regardless of format or medium of transmission, of any information or informational materials, including but not limited to, publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds. The exports exempted from regulation or prohibition by this paragraph do not include those which are otherwise controlled for export under section 4604 3 of this title, or under section 4605 3 of this title to the extent that such controls promote the nonproliferation or antiterrorism policies of the United States, or with respect to which acts are prohibited by chapter 37 of title 18"

So NO tariff on any information or informational material including music and movies.