If you're in the United States and you buy directly from China (including Hong Kong), you're gonna want to read this.

[Juggernut]

White House Executive Order on de minimus exemptions to good purchased from China, including Hong Kong.

 

Since a lot of us here in the U.S. (including me) purchase hobby (and other) stuff directly from China (HobbyEasy, LuckyModel, etc.) get ready for a significant jump in the price you're going to pay for your orders.  Of course, the executive order says the carrier is required to pay but I think you know as well as I that the cost will be borne by the customer (aka you and me).  If you're looking at purchasing anything from China or Hong Kong you'd better pull the trigger in the very near future, before costs increase.

 

This is NOT a political post; just a notification that the price you're going to pay for model kits and supplies from China will be increasing significantly on May 2nd, 2025.  Don't turn this into a political debate or it'll be locked real quick.

Edited April 5 by Juggernut

[cbk57]

I have not delved into this but I suspect we are going to have similar issues across the board before long when buying internationally.  This is something to be mindful of as one in a while I order from BNA model world in Australia and Spotmodel which I think is in Spain.  To a point I think I am just going to roll with it as I normally order from place like you mention above when I want something I cannot get from a U.S. retailer.  I also have an open order with Kotare in New Zealand for the new 109K.

 

I disagree with a lot of what is going on, but kind of agree with reducing the deminimus limits as we are kind of bypassing American retailers when we order in this manner in some case.  I have never ordered from anything like Temu although I have heard of it.  To my understanding most of the world does not permit deminimus ordering globally as high as the U.S.  

[thierry laurent]

In Europe purchasing kits from Asia is not attractive for years because of tariffs, taxes and fees. Finally, a model kit may cost you far more than going through a local reseller. This was already the case before Covid and the explosion of transport costs. Personally, I'm never buying a kit overseas if I can get it locally. 99% of my purchases out of the EU are non-imported accessories, non-distributed garage industries items or out-of-print books, the last percent being discontinued kits I did not purchase when they were available. Personally I have no problem with that pricing model as far as local prices are 'acceptable'. During the eighties and nineties this was not the case in my country as local importers had no overseas competitors. For instance this resulted in really outrageous prices for the Japanese kits. The development of world trade corrected that but also resulted in trade flaws that killed many local resellers (e.g. the Chinese operators were not asking for the correct cost because they are financially supported by their state). I guess that we are going back now to more local trade. If hopefully this could go to a correct balance or at least better equilibrium between internal and external trade, this could be somewhat positive. However I'm not really that optimist or naive. For instance, how many model kit factories and garage industries are still located in the US? At least in Europe and Asia, there is still a local ecosystem of producers. And even in that case we do not have anymore a lot of plastic kit companies producing in the EU. China became the industry of the world and I'm afraid this is not something that can change easily or quickly, at least if human workers are still active in factories... Last, to give you an extreme practical example: if I'm ordering a 15$ small kit from a small producer in the US or Asia, I've to pay around 20$ of p&p and when entering in the EU, I have to pay a 20€ custom handling fee to the postal service plus 21% of VAT on the full amount and I'm quite lucky as I'm still under the tariff threshold that triggers the cherry on the cake! But finally, the 15$ kit can cost me around ...65$! And globally the system is similar in UK. I think US modellers are alas now going to feel the same pain...

[quang]

At least we Euronuts ain’t complaining being ‘screwed’ by another country 

[Zola25]

I symphatize with the penguin modellers on Heard and McDonald island..

[Tony T]

As Thierry points out, it's been expensive for European modellers for a long time and, as Quang pointed out, we don't whinge about it too much. But America is a big market that helps keeps a lot of projects viable. The interference to world trade may cause lasting damage and cull some of our hobby, making it increasingly parochial and based more on "nearby" 3D printing. Tariff induced inflation on traditional items will further make 3DP "kits" increasingly viable. 

 

But you gotta stop those penguins exporting synthetic opioids. 

 

Tony

[LSP_Mike]

Keep it on economics. Period.

[Finn]

Another thing to worry about is how will it affect the companies that make the kits in their future plans, will all the increased costs stop them from coming out with new releases? Not to mention the various hobby shops, will they find buyers for the higher priced products that they hope will sell?

 

Jari

[mozart]

I don't buy from China nor the Far east, I don't buy from the US, and none of that is going to change.  The UK, Europe and the Antipodes fulfil all my modelling needs.  That may sound slightly political and/or protectionist; it isn't, it's pragmatic.

Edited April 6 by mozart

[quang]

4 hours ago, Tony T said:

But America is a big market that helps keeps a lot of projects viable.

Even now? 
I know, I know it’s political but what else can we be nowadays apart from being political?

[Tony T]

2 hours ago, quang said:

Even now? 
I know, I know it’s political but what else can we be nowadays apart from being political?

 

Perhaps not Trumpeter et al in China, who have their domestic market, but relatively new firms like DBMK in the UK, ICM in the Ukraine and Kōtare in NZ may feel the pinch, limiting investment in new releases. And will Trumpy proceed with the big S-3 Viking if US wholesalers say people won't buy many at the new prices, which is possible? Might Revell follow up the Meteor F.8 with another great 'missing' kit of the same complexity? (Hopefully, if we buy enough of the newies). 

 

American tariffs will have an inflationary effect on the whole kit market, including here in Europe, but to what extent is a wait-and-see thing. 

 

Max's philosophy is probably good; I too am increasingly buying kits only from UK retailers, including AM of Czech, Polish or Ukrainian origin (and thanks Thierry for helping with the Italian job). I think it's why I never signed up for any Jetmads creations, despite the Draken and Thunderstreak being favourites. Too many unknowns, which is offputting. I am really hoping there will be a more direct UK distributor for the RPM F-4B when it emerges: moulded in Turkiye, shipped to Sprue Bros and then back across for double-duty would be a real paracetamol moment. 

 

Tony 

 

[Dave Williams]

8 minutes ago, Tony T said:

 

Perhaps not Trumpeter et al in China, who have their domestic market, but relatively new firms like DBMK in the UK, ICM in the Ukraine and Kōtare in NZ may feel the pinch, limiting investment in new releases. And will Trumpy proceed with the big S-3 Viking if US wholesalers say people won't buy many at the new prices, which is possible? Might Revell follow up the Meteor F.8 with another great 'missing' kit of the same complexity? (Hopefully, if we buy enough of the newies). 

 

American tariffs will have an inflationary effect on the whole kit market, including here in Europe, but to what extent is a wait-and-see thing. 

 

Max's philosophy is probably good; I too am increasingly buying kits only from UK retailers, including AM of Czech, Polish or Ukrainian origin (and thanks Thierry for helping with the Italian job). I think it's why I never signed up for any Jetmads creations, despite the Draken and Thunderstreak being favourites. Too many unknowns, which is offputting. I am really hoping there will be a more direct UK distributor for the RPM F-4B when it emerges: moulded in Turkiye, shipped to Sprue Bros and then back across for double-duty would be a real paracetamol moment. 

 

Tony 

 

I guess we’ll find out what happens when it happens.  No sense getting worked up about it.  Expect many of us have enough kits that we don’t have to buy any more at inflated prices if it came to that.

[thierry laurent]

I'm not worried by the releases of kits foreseen for 2024 to 2026 because kits ask for years of development. So they are already too far in the process to go backwards. If that situation has a noticeable impact we will feel it from 2027 and later.

[Zola25]

16 minutes ago, Tony T said:

 

I think it's why I never signed up for any Jetmads creations, despite the Draken and Thunderstreak being favourites. Too many unknowns, which is offputting.  

 

Hi Tony

 

I must admit I do not share this viewpoint - The way I see it there are no unknows at all. And not just from Turkey in the specific example - I have always felt the same buying from anywhere in the world. I don´t understand the hesitation. I could buy a kit from a guy in the same town I live in or from China. I don´t really care as it is all handled by the postal service. All I have to do is calculate the customs and handling fees etc. and I know exactly what I have to pay before I press that "buy" button. - The extra costs from China, the US (or since Brexit, the UK) can of course be off putting so I may choose not to buy, but there are no unknowns as I see it.  

 

/Niels

 

 

[Tony T]

I'm not worried, nor am I about buying from Turkiye per se. This to me is just an interesting moot at this juncture. 

However, duty owed is usually paid at the time of entering the country at the prevailing rate and Jetmads' delivery schedules are an unknown up to the point of dispatch. Of course, if they collect duty from the buyer and pay your customs & excise directly, no problems — sort of, if the rate isn't changing. 

 

To be honest, like those old pottery makers of yesteryear who conducted QC with a hammer, I'm a bit of a perfectionist but not always a good enough modeller to trust myself with an expensive kit without critical clear parts spares. That's the issue I have with kits costing three figures-plus. Buying a spare parts extra one is prohibitive. 

 

Tony