Buying anything from overseas is about to get more expensive, more logistically complicated, slower, and overall more annoying. Film photography community, retro games community, people into skincare already seeing chaos on eBay. eBay sellers locking US buyers out. www.404media.co/trump-tariff...
Fountain pen enthusiasts in a shambles
Restoration of old pens may become a really big thing?
Or sending a fountain pen separately in single parts? This may be cheaper?
"And then he came for everyone's hobbies, because he doesn't have any aside from raping women and young boys, so why should you?" "OH YES SIR MR. TRUMP, I WILL STOP HAVING FUN IN THE NAME OF MAGA!"
Oh god, I hope I don’t need any parts for my FJ. They still made them in Dubai until 2021 or so, so I can get real Toyota parts for less from eBay, and have done so for years. This would *suck* to have to navigate. I just thought about it!
Another nail in the USPS coffin too! One more win for Trump’s cronies…
They are just going to keep pausing it until big media stops paying attention
I really can’t think of any other president who has directly and immediately affected the lives of everyday people as much as this fuckwad with this tariff shit. You don’t even have your hobbies to escape to now.
nothing to distract you from the national guardsmen marching outside
Great reporting.
de minimis importing is a big way that fentanyl comes to the US. what would have been a better way to reduce that besides this?
A robust health care system?
FAFO........
I'm never going to be able to get a synthesizer again
I live in London, UK and I’ve lost ALL EU sales because of customs introduced because of the tories stupid brexit and now I’ve lost ALL US sales because of trump’s dumb tariffs.
😩
But hey at least right wingers get to yell about free speech.
I’m waiting for Alison Pearson to defend the case of on-line abuse against the woman footballer today.
Oh those articles are coming! “Free speech!! We should be allowed to say the n word but if anyone doesn’t like our flag they should be set on fire!”
But she plays for the England National Team! I’m just fucking amazed the #BBC even put the story up
This is such an easy win for them but they couldn’t give less of a shit
So much for everyone's little side-gigs and e-shops.
It's not just side gigs being harmed. A lot of businesses in Canada sell to US customers.
Yes but this article is about e-bay.
Got this today: Due to the USA's new import taxes the Royal Mail UK has suspended all services to your country. Thanks, trunt.
You forget, people don't keep up with the news. They only understand when something actually happens to them. Using words like about to, could, may = no one pays attention at all.
“Great again.”
So I found a hardcover copy of a Paula Modersohn-Becker book from 1932 that I’m trying to replace, and ordered it from a bookseller near Boston. Just received notice that the order was canceled, book out of stock. Only other listings are from four countries no longer shipping to the U.S.
I hobby with fabrics and keep seeing online sellers based overseas who have just stopped shipping to the US altogether.
It's inconvenient but we can live without all the junk. If it's too expensive, don't buy it. You won't miss it.
Looks like Trump's tariffs Sheet
UPS and fedex are still operating even if the postal agencies aren’t.
... still 😏✌️
It's easy to assess tariffs on material goods coming into the country, but it there a tariff, and if so how would it be assessed, on digital goods coming into the country? Outsourced manufacturing is taxed, but outsourced coding or customer service is not. Is that intentional? Who does it serve?
This is what Brexit did to the UK………
Sounds like a much worse version of that.
FOR NO GOOD REASON!
Wait till those MAGA people start Christmas shopping for their kids.🤣
#dungeonsanddragons ...the tradmarked books are made in USA. And really all you need is pen and paper to play. So not all hobbies!
Genuine thank you for reporting on this. Colleagues and I have been struggling to talk to people about what this is going to mean for people who do weird stuff for fun
WORKERS OVER BILLIONAIRES, September 1, 2025. Labor Day. A celebration of workers and a fight for workers over billionaires…multiple pathways to action that range from standing with education, text teams, call teams, and neighborhood education teams.” Find events here: maydaystrong.org
Better off hiring a middle mman likensomekn in a neighboring country to receive, transport into u.s.a and then ship again. For small amount this can be done in a small personal vehicle
Perhaps the silver lining is that we'll have a decrease in consumerism mindset. Do we really need 5 of everything? An upgrade on phones annually? Etc etc. But yes, tariffs definitely are out of hand, and I won't even go into this admin 🤬
It is *possible* this will fuck up the bullshit laser flow...and a whooooole lot of other OEM shenanigans.
Italian post office starting tomorrow will block sending packages to United States.
I'm stocking up on basmati rice after work today
This is precisely what the US has needed for decades now - peer pressure to behave as one in a world community, not the untouchable leader deciding how everyone else should do things. Sanctions on the Voters will become increasingly inconvenient for suburbanites used having too many options.
being racist against immigrants they only ever see on the TV screen gives them a rush, but will trumpism withstand empty shelves?
Overpriced seasonal, local fruits & vegetables will be all that's available for most budgets. Think US has an obesity problem now? Just you wait. fortune.com/2025/08/28/t...
ReviewBrah deserves to be linked to the "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined". He is a treasure. Whatever you linked is a copy. #TheReportOfTheWeek youtu.be/5d5NJgO38AE?...
fair, will replace link with the OG. thank you!
That’s absolutely great!! The more pain we see asap the better chance of outrage!
A couple of my European yarn sources have announced they will no longer be shipping to the US. I'm hoping my felted wool winter shoe order makes it!
I have a bunch of friends here in Japan who are suddenly out of US business. Me too unless it’s a digital print. There are always workarounds.
buying anything from overseas is about to get impossible. bsky.app/profile/jonc...
If we are too addled/busy trying to survive, there is less & less chance to stop organized crime & the corrupt bsky.app/profile/john...
Winning yet?
It's not the sellers locking US buyers out! We *cannot* ship to the US right now as many countries post services have been suspended. That is supposed to change soon once there are services in place to pay the tariffs at the post office along with shipping & it'll be an added % depending on country
well I think it’s a mix from what I’ve seen. Some have found ways to ship to US but don’t want to deal with the hassle, others are dealing with the problem you describe
Ooh right I forgot that there are private couriers 😂 they are still shipping but they cost waaay more than the 10% would be and are still risking getting returned to sender 🙃
Yeah, I had to abandon a purchase because while the shop uses a private courier to ship to the US, the brokerage fees are EYE-WATERING. The possibility tariffs/brokerage fees could be more than the package is worth has me noping out.
The reverse is also true! American eBay sellers don’t want to deal with foreign retaliatory tariffs either, so it’s just going to be awful for everyone.
Newsom should hold a satirical press conference with all the grocery items from trumps stunt and show the price delta since he’s assumed office. Satire works
This is bc of the end of de minimis, which meant you didn't have to pay tariffs on anything under $800. I know I am personally excited to familiarize myself with harmonization tables, deal more with FedEx, and learn the difference between various acronyms. My new hobby is tariffs logistics
It’s fun! Something I’ve been unable to determine is whether the current nonsense overrules categories specifically excluded from tariffs, e.g. 35mm film cameras, or if they are still “free”. My assumption is it really doesn’t matter since the process is so chaotic everything is going to get hit.
I saw a story about someone trying to ship *a book* and the customs calculator rejecting it outright
I ordered a watch strap that shipped from Japan. FedEx sent me a customs form for a *watch*, which is not the same thing, and has been utterly unhelpful in resolving the difference. As far as I know, FedEx is sending it back to Japan.
My favorite part about this was sending these tables to my former colleagues from construction supply chain. These people know their shit and not even they could decipher the tables for some of it. It's no wonder everyone is halting shipping: even the experts have no idea what any of it means lmao
How will the tariffs affect you? totally easy to figure it out. From eBay:
and eBay international shipping suuuuuucks
(as a buyer anyway)
I don't know how this is going to go in the long term, but I suspect that the rough edges of this process for Americans are going to eventually be smoothed over, meaning it will just be a logistical nightmare for the small businesses / individuals overseas. But everything will be more expensive:
ALSO: If you are a small business owner, have a hobby, or a side hustle and this has already affected you, please get in touch. I will be compiling stories at some point. My email is: jason@404media.co and my signal is: @jason.404
From Icelandic post office: if you f.e. buy yarn from China and knit it in Iceland two different tariffs apply if shipped to USA. All countries now have to take on the job of USA customs and charge and collect the fees for you all and get it to you, causing a massive headache with systems.
I’m planning to order my 2026 planner from Hobonichi next week. Will certainly write to you after I do. I have records of my costs for the planner, cover, and shipping dating back to 2021 so I am very curious how much this increases costs and shipping time.
yes please let me know
You should take a look at the Etsy Seller sub Reddit, lots of Canadian and UK sellers trying to figure out what to do.. especially Canadian sellers bc they tend to have a large amount of orders from US buyers.
I had to cancel all my US orders few days ago, cutting my queue down from 15 to 4 🤌🏻 Even with the tariff in the UK only being 10%, I expect this will be a dealbreaker for a lot of ppl. When ppl are hunting for free shipping, an extra 10% on top of your order+sales tax AND postage, is just too much
also really enjoy how functional the harmonization tariff schedule website is. typing t-shirt brought up "sugar beets"
Oh boy. HTS? That's a pretty yikes choice of acronym lol
I had to look it up cause I hadn’t heard it used before, but wow yeah kinda the opposite of harmony/anything harmonised
Is it sad that I know exactly what the developer did wrong here and how to fix it?
Not sad on your behalf, as you probably know how to code websites properly, but sad on theirs, for publishing a broken website and not caring enough to test it before it goes live or that it’s broken. Also sad for them if it’s an issue a person on the internet can diagnose it from a screenshot.
and 'Timothy' and clicking on the '18' gives 'No documents matched your query'
Wait, there's tarifs on cubes ? what about other platonic solids ?
LOL what is the tariff on Timothy
I looked it up and Wikipedia says that it’s a type of hay/grass for horse and cattle feed, named after an actual dude called Timothy in 1720. It’s the Timmy Tariff
you are awesome
I'll go ask Grok as Grok probably wrote it
Timothy, I don't care whether or not double compressed!
Pro tip: use the UK version of this site. It's much easier to use and will tell you the first 6 digits. Then refer to the unusable US version for the final 2 digits
Had part of a large order from a UK-based fanzine canceled because the item wouldn't be back in stock before de minimis ended. It was part of a bundle, and the seller decided to send what they had instead of waiting an extra week and risk the whole thing getting caught up in this debacle.
Except Ebay packages we send overseas are being turned away and returned to us. Some we aren't even getting back. They keep telling us it has been send to a P.O. Box we don't own.
“Apply some math” Definitely won’t have a large percentage of folks who just say ‘fuck that’ and order some substandard American product because of their fears of math. Also… *fuck* that is a depressing thought.
so, yes, that. but then also if you're into photography or specific games or whatever the only place you're able to get some of these things is from other countries. i am already seeing nightmare stories and it hasn't even started yet
My daughter swears by an underwear brand from Australia. I order records (vinyl) direct from artists. Many (most) are international. I’m *really* glad I didn’t pull the trigger on a JDM car a couple of years back. So, I can see how this will impact my family and a lot of my friends.
Godspeed to those who ship or buy internationally, it was always a pain before so I never did it.
Is it now similar to how it works when buying something internationally in Canada? our "de-minimus" is a measly $20, and every ebay seller and small store will just ship via mail or carrier and the carrier will deal with the calculating the duties and charge the customer a $10-$30 brokerage fee.
it might, and will probably (imo) end up being this way. But with it being so new it seems like every company / shipper / ebay seller is handling it differently. i put this at the end of the article:
In Germany we don't even have a de minimis. If it's 150 or less Euro in value, you ONLY pay import tax (7 or 19 % depending on type of product). Sellers are obligated to collect the tax themselves if they want to export to EU. 1/3
If it's above 150 EUR, the seller doesn't need to collect the tax. It'll be added at border/by courier service together with the duty fees that are also due beyond that threshold. Duty fees also differ according to different product groups. 2/3
Seeing US people panic over the Trump tariffs feels a bit weird to be honest. Like, there's plenty of more objectionable politics coming from your neo fascist overbuttface. But once postal services & sellers have figured out how to handle the tariffs, it will just be more like what we have here? 3/3
Just want to clarify, I get that these tariffs aren't made in an economically an socially sound way or even half-way thought through. It's just the part where people think not being able to buy a 700 USD fountain pen without added tax or customs is going to kill the hobby that seems a bit odd.
It’s related to a) money, a very emotional topic, and b) having to spend money without having control or say in the matter. Has existed since caveman/woman days. We are not as evolved as we’d like to think I fear.
He’s fucking up all our fun little shit
Luckily, all the crap I buy is made in Amer..... uh-oh.
Bike shops are going to be in big trouble too, I fear.
It's a mess. Have direct ordered from China for some small electronics and don't what to mess with dealing with paying the tarriff at customs, or getting lost. Purchased from a US retail store instead who advertised the price on line /w out tarriffs, then adds on a 25pct tarrif charge at check out.
Destroying American hobbies tracks with trump's cruelty and his dream that JOY be made illegal America. All three of my hobbies have been destroyed by trump in 6 months.
😩
Rip gunpla 😭
I really should go buy that ver ka sazabi in the shop now, huh?
You bring that baby home.
My partner won't be happy, but I will be 😌
Seig Zeon. Nothing matters. Colonies are dropping type events.
As an Etsy seller, I’m trying to calculate if I should lock out US buyers entirely. Selling to my biggest market has become a minefield.
Ummm, Etsy made the decision for you about 10 days ago. You can no longer use their platform for shipping labels to the US. They recommend you use a DPP shipper. That's a hard NO for me. I will be damned if I will pay their taxes, er I mean tariffs for them. Last US package delivered today.
Etsy blocked Canada Post labels, but I still have Chitchats for US shipping. There's an option to prepay the DDP but as you point out, FUCK THAT SHIT. I hoped Etsy would add a distinct "domestic pricing" option for the US, so I could jack up the prices 35% and keep making some income.
So, what happens to your Chitchat packages starting Sunday? Are all your packages CUSMA compliant? If not, then they are subject to the new tariffs. Are your American customers aware of what is going to happen? What happens if they refuse to take possession feom USPS and the package is returned?
I've been including self-declarations in every shipment because I can't add origin info to my handmade products. I genuinely have no idea how Chitchats will deal with it. I have been warning all my customers to cancel if they don't want to pay an applied tariff. It's a real nightmare.
Yup. It is going to be a mess for awhile. The US is seriously not understanding how many people and small businesses thos is going to effect. I expect the screaming to start mid next week. The media is saying it will hurt businesses, but don't seem to understand the whole problem.
That’s the sort of thing Etsy should help sellers figure out (but, sigh, it’s Etsy)
I swear the entire front office is just an AI these days. They've offshored all their support, nuked the mission statement, and don't seem to care about curating anything anymore. Another greedy IPO ruining a good thing.
They’ve always been shitty to sellers, so I’m not surprised to hear this I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this crap
ALL MY VAPES GONE
I'm waiting very, very anxiously to see if the hobby package I ordered from last week arrives into the US today or tomorrow. It was very slightly delayed but my seller is very clever about getting things into the US
eBay's filters are pretty good. Choose US only to get shipments from warehouses in the US already.
Etsy artwork and jewelry from UK, Europe, Australia.
As a film photography girly and an Etsy vintage browser… this shit uhhhh sucks
There’s tariffs on used items from eBay?
Yes, but the majority of eBay sales from overseas aren’t used items. They’re brand new.
Wow. Warning my nieces too. They buy clothes and bags on eBay.
Yep!! I’ve been hit twice with 10% tariffs on used lenses purchased from Japanese eBay sellers. Plus a processing fee to the carrier. Countries are definitely not paying the tariffs!! Candidate for lie of the century…THANKS, MAGA
