35% import tariff on lasers from China?

I'm trying to decide on which laser to purchase, and the salesperson at one of the companies I'm talking to explained that there will be a 35% tariff imposed during import if I buy a laser directly from companies like G Weike, Perfect Laser, Red Sail, etc., because of the US/China trade war.

Has anyone purchased a laser from China and shipped to the US recently, and seen a 35% tariff? At what point in the process does the tariff show up?

If this is true then it means the prices of the direct import lasers are quite a bit higher than I thought.

Thanks.

what specs are you looking for

We have 25% additional tariff on this laser machine, not 35%

you can check here

https://www.automationtechnologiesin...ser-engraving/

Hey Mike, as a US rep for Bodor and Aeon lasers, I can answer this question for you. The tariff adds an additional 25% to the already existing 3.5" tariff for anything that falls under harmonized code 8456.11. This basically covers everything that is "operated by laser". Funny thing is that the media is not a good source of information for this, go figure. Up until we received our last containers from Bodor and Aeon, we were constantly monitoring headlines to see if the tariff was going to increase from 10% to 25%.

On August 1st, the day before our Bodor container reached our port, the New York Times and many other publications were reporting that there was talk about it going to 25%, but nothing as of yet, just talk. To our surprise, our container hit the port the very next day and bam, 28.5%. We dug deep and found this Federal Register Notice dated 6/20 that confirmed the 25% additional tariffs were in effect as of July 6th. Talk about getting blind-sided. We weren't just talking one machine here, but 20!

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-201...2018-13248.pdf

Anyhow, tariffs are due immediately as your broker would certainly want to collect that money from you upfront and the trade war is also affecting the rate at which the FDA is clearing shipments. You only get a handful of free days before the port starts nailing you with storage fees. While the FDA takes their sweet time clearing your shipment, there is nothing you can do. Even if customs clears it and you get your cargo out of there, if the FDA wants to so much as look at it, you have to ship it back to them.

We actually ended up moving our container to a place that charged $50 per day versus the $300-$400 per day that the terminal was going to impose. All this while the FDA argued that our annual report had lapsed. Even when we provided proof that it was current, it still took a week before they released the cargo. We literally had to educate them on their own laws in order to get it released.

The war is real and it has a domino effect on the entire import process that ends up adding more to your total fees. Have they increased to 35%? Not sure yet. If you really want to find out, dig around on the gpo.gov site to see if there are any recent notices. Certainly don't rely on anyone else.

If you want to avoid the nightmare and purchase a machine that is already here in the States, I can certainly help you with that. We put each laser through a thorough quality control process and provide free startup training and unlimited technical support. We also stock all the spare parts here in our Florida warehouse and honor the manufacturer warranties so that end users never have to stay up late trying to communicate with China.

Either way, hope this helps you understand how this trade war is affecting the laser industry and what you can expect if you decide to move forward.

Best of luck,

Danny
Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
Melbourne, FL

Thank you for the replies everyone; I tracked down a local customs broker to help with the import process, and she also confirmed the duty is currently 25% (not 35%), phew. This does make the imports quite a bit more expensive!

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Originally Posted by mikemccand

Thank you for the replies everyone; I tracked down a local customs broker to help with the import process, and she also confirmed the duty is currently 25% (not 35%), phew. This does make the imports quite a bit more expensive!

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It sure does tack on quite a bit. By the time you factor in all the extra time and money you spend just on logistics alone, buying direct from China certainly loses its appeal. Not to mention all the fun that is in store once you pop the top off that crate. Believe me, the things you are forgoing to save money are not in your best interest. Buy from a reputable US dealer that has a quality control program, spare parts in stock, unlimited tech support and honors the factory warranty so that you don't ever have to experience having a technical conversation with someone who barely speaks English. The cliche, "you get what you pay for" echos everywhere throughout this entire forum.

Danny
Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
(321) 821-7774
Melbourne, FL

I wonder if I order a machine without the actual laser source, do I have to pay the 25% tariff?

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Originally Posted by Storen

I wonder if I order a machine without the actual laser source, do I have to pay the 25% tariff?

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Now that's the million dollar question! I've given this quite a bit of thought since the day we lost 20K+ to the tariffs. The thing is, almost every type of machinery has been hit with the tariff. Even if you managed to alter the machine and make it look like something else, you would still need to assign it a commodity code. The way things are going, it won't be long before every single product is taxed if we're not there already. At the end of the day, whatever clever loophole we come up with is only as stable as the foundation it sits on. The way things are heading, there doesn't appear to be any solid ground in site.

Danny
Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
(321) 821-7774
Melbourne, FL

Have you considered opening an office in Europe or maybe in Taiwan so you could import the machines from there instead directly from China under your own brand name? It is only a matter of time this becomes an accepted practice. The US cannot pose a tariff to the entire planet.
I guess a lot of businesses are waiting to see what will happen in the next elections.

If you add your office operation cost and additional shipping fee and handling fee, you do not save a lot

https://www.automationtechnologiesin...ser-engraving/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Storen

Have you considered opening an office in Europe or maybe in Taiwan so you could import the machines from there instead directly from China under your own brand name? It is only a matter of time this becomes an accepted practice. The US cannot pose a tariff to the entire planet.
I guess a lot of businesses are waiting to see what will happen in the next elections.

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From what I understand, the tariff is on products manufactured in China regardless of where they ship from.

Danny
Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
(321) 821-7774
Melbourne, FL

If some component is added in Taiwan (tube for example) and it is shipped from there with a brand registered in Taiwan, the machine will be considered produced in Taiwan.
Maybe you don't even have to add components, only the local registration could be enough.
GCC is a Taiwanese brand and of course, they produce everything in China. As far I know their products are not subject to this tariff.
Researching this further seems a good idea. Shipping the machines from China to Taiwan should be very inexpensive. Most likely there are Taiwanese companies with storage space offering this as a service.

I wonder why the prices of the eBay machines are not affected by the tariff at all?