Art Square by Jeanne Arnieri
The De Minimis Tariff Exemption expires soon.
The De Minimis Exemption!?!?
Hard to understand....
... but it will affect you IF
you sell your artwork or goods across international borders or buy
artwork or goods from other countries.
Seems practical.
That exemption benefitting artists, small businesses and the customers who supported them and enjoyed their work ends on August 29th. International trade at this small level will now be more complicated and expensive.
Mandy Patullo lives in Northern England. Her lovely pieces go for about $100.
Recent note from British pattern company to US residents:
"The United States administration is suspending the trade threshold below which US customers would be exempt from customs duties on imported goods. What this is looking to mean is that, in the next 6 months, if you buy a physical sewing pattern or book from us that requires shipping, you may be charged an additional $80.
Obviously, this is the last thing we want for our lovely customers across the pond! Not to mention the impact it is going to have upon us as a small business…. If you've been thinking about ordering any printed sewing patterns from us, we would highly recommend you place your order in the next few days to avoid this charge."
UPDATE: A DAY LATER
Knowing little about international shipping I was rather shocked to see that our international trading partners have suspended shipping of any kind of package to the United States in anticipation of the suspension of the de Minimis exemption. No more fabric or patterns being sold to US customers. I didn't see this coming---but then again I don't make US trade policy. Didn't anybody see this coming?
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Michelle in the comments asks: "I've received quite a few emails from British designers who have said they will no longer be shipping to the U.S. I'm wondering if there might be a loophole for pdf patterns? I haven't found an answer for that. Can you share if you do?"
I sell my patterns as PDFs on Etsy (US Postal Service too unreliable for actual paper shipping.) I looked up Etsy's policies on the new import taxes and the sentences that apply:
"Tariffs apply to physical items, so digital listings are not subject to additional tariffs. Note that other taxes may apply."
Note: "Other taxes may apply"
Jeanne Arnieri has made a top with 12 of the projected 20 Tariffs & Troubles blocks---No Template Cutting is her rule this week.
Prior Posts on Import Taxes
Free Trade by Jeanne Arnieri
Fort Sumter by Jeanne Arnieri
I've received quite a few emails from British designers who have said they will no longer be shipping to the U.S. I'm wondering if there might be a loophole for pdf patterns? I haven't found an answer for that. Can you share if you do?
ReplyDeleteI order yarn, Liberty of London fabric and hand piecing supplies (stamps, templates, threads, etc.) from the UK and Australia. Every business I purchase from has stopped shipping to the US. Instagram is full of posts regarding this issue. It’s not the tariffs as much as the $80 processing fee. Businesses are unsure how to collect this from the us customer and then how to return the money to the US government. Whatever is decided, unless the tariffs are removed, it will be cost prohibitive for individuals to order from overseas, which we have been able to do for years. Businesses importing goods are charged the processing fee as well. My bet is quilting fabric will go up about 20%. I am concerned for the financial well being of our quilt shops as they will have fewer and more expensive goods to sell. Thank you for posting these articles. American quilters won’t be up in arms until Moda is $17 a yard. We shouldn’t have long to wait.
ReplyDeleteThe Australian postal system acts as a transit shipper for various smaller countries that don't have direct flights to the US. They have announced that they are stopping the transit service to the US until there is some certainty about the process. Personally I don't expect any certainty in the near future, just more chaos.
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