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When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

(oldvcr.blogspot.com)
320 points goldenskye | 1 comments | 15 Nov 25 23:55 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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JSR_FDED ◴[16 Nov 25 00:41 UTC] No.45941785[source]▶
Tariffs are great. They protect the struggling domestic IT industry and gives it time to ramp up its production of vintage computer parts.
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varispeed ◴[16 Nov 25 00:53 UTC] No.45941825[source]▶
I know one US business that used to make niche electronic product. Most components they used were from China. Got hit by the tariffs that wiped all the operating profit. Guy also had to sell his home and is now couchsurfing. Business is unlikely going to recover.

Of course he considered making chips and other components in the US, but he was few billions short to start the fab.

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calvinmorrison ◴[16 Nov 25 01:47 UTC] No.45942040[source]▶
a purported niche/low-volume electronics, but the profit is somehow dependent on BOM price? a tariff bump on a small BOM doesn’t take you from profitable to homeless.

if that happened, the business already had seriously bad margins, bad cash flow, over-leverage, or maybe he was just doing it out of love getting paid maybe back for his time or not.

tariffs might’ve hurt, but they don’t collapse a healthy niche hardware company where buyers are presumably also into the niche.

seems weird i dont get it. can you explain further?

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esalman ◴[16 Nov 25 03:16 UTC] No.45942476[source]▶
Do you run a business with good margin, good cash flow, optimally leveraged and for profit? If yes, please tell us more about how tariffs have helped you.
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WalterBright ◴[16 Nov 25 05:49 UTC] No.45943071[source]▶
If you've been making the products locally, the tariffs on foreign products help you.
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1. scheme271 ◴[16 Nov 25 08:56 UTC] No.45943684{3}[source]▶
Are your materials and supplies also locally made? The same for each of those suppliers. Very few things are entirely made in the US. How about your equipment? Are the motors, tools, electronics, etc also made in the US? Even companies making stuff in the US are being hit. Very few companies have their entire supply change within the US.