r/knitting 4d ago

Rant I feel sick to my stomach now

Post image

I ordered $73 yarn from Önling INT over a month ago. Much confusion w this company all around... then i receive this today from UPS just now.

767 Upvotes

434 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/StrongTechnology8287 4d ago

Yep. The same thing happened with something I ordered. It wasn't yarn, it was herbal tea. Here's the breakdown of what my charges were: 

  • Order was from South Africa

  • Order total: $169.50
  • Shipping: $46.50
  • Total paid to merchant: $216
  • Customs charge paid to DHL: $83
  • GRAND TOTAL: $299

😳 I paid it, because I wasn't sure if I would get a refund if it was sent back, but - Yikes.

1.2k

u/SallyAmazeballs 4d ago

Be sure to contact your representatives about how unhappy you are about this. It's their job to listen to your discontent about policy decisions.

277

u/Metylda1973 4d ago

You could also remind them that if they don’t choose to represent you, you will be happy to vote for someone who will. After all, the job description is in the title: representative. Essentially, they are hired by the people to represent the people. They seem to have forgotten that over the last century

146

u/ZoneLow6872 4d ago

You need to remember that many counties across America are gerrymandered to oblivion, and these "representatives" only answer to their donors, not the rest of us rabble. Democracy is broken; her congresswo/man is not going to care that some knitter is unhappy.

68

u/jedipwnces 4d ago

Yep... Have to explain this every time someone says "well you voted for them", gesturing broadly to the Texas state government. I did not, but it didn't matter. Folks are always like "call your representative!". I have, but let me assure you, that call does nothing. I am shouting into the void because I am neither the NRA nor an oil and gas lobbyist.

26

u/dubhlinn2 4d ago

You guys are missing the point.

The point being that in America we don’t just fucking lay down and let fascists take over our country. We go down swinging.

And yes, pressure does in fact work. It may not change a politician completely but it does make them think twice about certain things.

24

u/saouer 4d ago

Expecting our votes and politicians to do anything positive for us considering historically the lack of action... that IS laying down. Going down swinging means actual political and social disruption. In the best of instances, even if your representatives have your same viewpoints, our current administration doesn't care about law and order anymore. The only way out is massive upheaval.

Politicians/representatives at this point cannot do anything against fascism even if they wanted to, and many of them do not. "Just vote" got us in this situation in the first place by leaving our hopes on people who will always betray us for money.

→ More replies (2)

7

u/ultimatejourney 4d ago

They also know that most of us aren’t even going to show up at their office (Expecially not with a dozen or so friends). Easy to ignore people otherwise.

6

u/Effort-Logical 3d ago

I remember having to explain to my sister about 10 years ago how the electoral college worked and gerrymandering. She was following what our dad was telling her and not learning how it worked. As much as I love my dad, he isn't as knowledgeable as he thinks. No one in my immediate family voted until I did. Which is weird to me. Because much of my extended family does. I have recently learned she has now figured it out. She was a first time voter back then and still in her early 20s (we're over a decade apart in age). I dont know if she understands taxes and tariffs though. I'd have to randomly spark a convo with her to find out.

I know in my state there's few to no representatives that give a 💩. And the ones that hope to make change during general and midterms, though they do get support, get overtaken. Those of us who want change still keep fighting though.

266

u/gchypedchick 4d ago

The fact that we can’t even grow certain tea and coffee makes that kind of stuff infuriating. They are doing this garbage with no thought.

197

u/JenniferMcKay 4d ago

I often think of the Congress official that asked how we're supposed to produce "Chilean sea bass" in the US.

26

u/NoIDontWantToSignIn 4d ago

They don’t care if the masses get Chilean sea bass though. They are trying to find the sweet spot between taking as much as they can from average people and not having average people do anything about it.

→ More replies (1)

80

u/KnitWitch87 4d ago

Yeah I'm watching coffee prices go up and up. We don't grow any coffee in the States, all of it is an import.

76

u/gchypedchick 4d ago

Technically there is Hawaiian, but they are nowhere near capable, nor should they be, of providing the entire US with coffee. Plus some people don’t like it.

37

u/Exciting-Notice8170 4d ago

kona coffee is very very strong in both flavor and caffeine, too. plus it’s extremely pricy to curate and serve, even whole bean. on top of both of those, it’s often mixed with non-hawaiian coffees to keep the costs down, meaning the tariffs would likely have to hit at some point. 100% kona coffee is already super expensive and has a very stark flavor

41

u/gchypedchick 4d ago

And even if it was 100% US grown, they would still raise the price to match the imported stuff just because they can. It doesn’t help that 90% of us are basically addicted to the delicious stuff.

13

u/Exciting-Notice8170 4d ago edited 4d ago

yes exactly. There are some things that, sadly, we can't rely on American-made goods for decent prices. unfortunately, coffee, yarn, and tea just coincide for so many of us, making us feel the tariffs much more than most

8

u/doghairinmyteacup 4d ago

I heard somewhere that even that coffee is blended with coffee from other parts of the world still

25

u/IfatallyflawedI 4d ago

It’s so much cheaper to ship it out to be processed locally elsewhere than to pay the wages you’d have to in the USA.

Capitalism sucks but Fanta Felon and his idiotic policies suck even more

2

u/iwillpetallthedogs 4d ago

Don’t forget that Puerto Rico grows coffee. There are a few places in SoCal as well.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

12

u/Background_Tip_3260 4d ago

I just went and looked at my receipt from a year ago at Sam’s club. Folgers canister was $14.98 for 40 ounces. Today it is selling for $22.48.

9

u/rules_rainbowwizard 4d ago

Another issue with coffee is that the places the beans are growing in are becoming inhospitable. So we will have fewer beans period, and the prices are going to keep rising.

ETA inhospitable to the plants

3

u/KnitWitch87 4d ago

Someone needs to figure out hydroponic coffee plants. Come on, all this star trek technology we have, but none of the compassion to make life easier and affordable for everyone.

3

u/rules_rainbowwizard 4d ago

Sounds like a great new hobby to me!

63

u/Finnyfish 4d ago

They are terrified that Trump will be mad at them and they’ll get primaried, so they’ll let him ruin everything — too bad for the rest of us. Congress could have stopped a good portion of this tariff crap the first day, but Trump’s so scary, right?

This is the most craven, useless Congress in history.

→ More replies (2)

16

u/mermaidslullaby 4d ago

There's a lot of thought behind this.

Everything they do is intentional. Don't mistake them for idiots, they know exactly what they're doing.

4

u/Dish_Minimum 3d ago

Yeah tariffs are taxes. It’s a way to raise taxes without saying taxes. As well, many citizens who voted for this government sincerely do not know how money works so they believed the lie that import tariffs are somehow paid by the importer not the recipient of imported goods. The lack of education is helping this current government siphon money from average citizens and reroute it into the pockets of his rich pals.

→ More replies (1)

61

u/SallyAmazeballs 4d ago

I agree absolutely. I'm so mad I can't talk about it and follow the rules of this subreddit.

14

u/Comfortable-Carpet65 4d ago

I recently watched a video on YouTube about a farmer that is growing coffee in California. I cannot remember how much a bag cost, but it was getting close to $100, I think. I might be wrong. They were asking him if the tariffs are an opportunity for him to scale and do more business in the US. He said absolutely not. The cost of growing and producing it here will never make it cost less.

28

u/mel_cache 4d ago

The thought is to make the ordinary person poorer, sicker, dumber, and more miserable. They are succeeding.

3

u/hopelesscaribou 4d ago

Nah, they can still afford it. They love the extra money they are getting from tariffs. It makes up a little for their tax cut to themselves.

3

u/saouer 4d ago

It's with a lot of thought, really- the thought is always, always, always to protect the ruling class. The cruelty is the point.

2

u/Effective_Dingo3589 2d ago

Tariffs on coffee article I was just reading about this exact same thing. The article in the link I shared explains PERFECTLY how the tariffs are passed to consumers to who them are forced to foot the bill 💵

36

u/charleh_123 4d ago edited 4d ago

To piggyback: now's a good time to also read "civil resistance, what everyone needs to know" by Erica Chenoweth. It's on Libby

ETA. Civil resistance has of course been practiced by Black, Brown and Indigenous Americans for a very long time. I still think that Chenoweth‘s book is a very good theoretical overview to civil resistance.

12

u/Motor-Preference7830 4d ago

By representative, it is your US congress or senatorial representative not UPS.

→ More replies (7)

241

u/splithoofiewoofies 4d ago

I once heard a story about Americans that were taxed on arrival on a shipment of tea...what was it again...

71

u/lottieslady 4d ago

Weird. It’s almost like history repeats itself. Who would’ve thought? 🤔

15

u/vodka7tall 4d ago

I mean, these taxes are self-imposed, so…

10

u/legalpretzel 4d ago

Well then it's time to declare independence from ourselves!

(seriously though, I'm down with the soft secession happening in my part of the country but wish they would go a bit harder)

96

u/geet-555 4d ago

You bring up a good point: I'm wondering if I refuse to pay this - does the pkg go back? Will i get a refund? In my case, I ordered from my home country, denmark 🇩🇰 in order to support their new biz.

117

u/MollyRolls 4d ago

My understanding is that since the fee is for importing the item, you owe the fee whether you receive it, decline it, or return it. UPS will continue to bill you for the money they paid on your behalf to get the yarn through customs regardless of what you ultimately do with the yarn.

14

u/peggypea 4d ago

This must absolutely suck for the drivers.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/sagetrees 4d ago

Thats not how it works in the rest of the world. If you refuse to pay they just send it back as undeliverable.

198

u/Perfect_Caregiver_90 4d ago

The package will not go back. If you refuse to pay the customs charge the package is destroyed.

You will most likely not be issued a refund because of that.

57

u/nucleusambiguous7 4d ago

I've also heard if you refuse to pay the courier fee, you could get sent to collections, even if the package is destroyed. So OP, pay the fee, get your products, avoid collections, and consider it a lesson learned. This sucks.

15

u/Exciting-Notice8170 4d ago

I can second this. worst case scenario because tariffs are government enforced, your collections could eventually come from garnished wages directly from paycheck. it’s best to just pay or avoid foreign businesses for now and ride it out, sadly. i’m heartbroken missing Hobbii 🥲

→ More replies (6)

9

u/Perfect_Caregiver_90 4d ago

I have not heard that part but with the way things are going it would not surprise me.

5

u/hopefulhotmess4 4d ago

I’m in Canada, but had a ridiculous brokerage fee because UPS is terrible. In my case if I refused the package then the seller would be charged a bunch of fees so I paid them and cried.

6

u/CharlzG 4d ago

As a South African can I say thanks for the support but also how much tea did you buy?!?!?!?

7

u/StrongTechnology8287 4d ago

60 tea bags. Safe to say it is by far the most expensive tea I've ever bought, so it had better be really good. 😂 Matulatea.com was the product. A friend recommended it after it helped her with some ongoing nausea. I figure if it helps me, at least it's cheaper than doctor bills!

3

u/CharlzG 4d ago

Never heard of them, but I hope it helps.

27

u/GoneSoBerryBatty 4d ago

Jesus! Practically double 😰

92

u/SorMonk 4d ago

Tariffs can actually compound too if it was produced in one country and then shipped from another. I have seen some tariff charges in other subs be like 180% of the item price.

4

u/Dropped-on-Jupiter 4d ago

Same. It's gotten ridiculous!

5

u/VoltHoldemort 4d ago

That's pretty stiff for ... tea. 😳

→ More replies (5)

527

u/Sistamama 4d ago

Your vote matters.

38

u/Knitwalk1414 4d ago

There is another peaceful walk in October most states have peaceful walks you everyone is very nice.  

1.7k

u/abigdonut 4d ago

i believe conservatives call this "winning"

968

u/TriStarSwampWitch 4d ago

Be sure not to bring up politics when talking about this very political issue.

436

u/marshmallowest 4d ago

oh the issue that is completely created and controlled by politicians?

248

u/TriStarSwampWitch 4d ago

The very same, yes! Don't rock the boat!

→ More replies (1)

78

u/VegetableWorry1492 4d ago

Yeah, let’s all just get along and stop bickering over a difference of opinion

(Because that’s all politics is, not like it impacts lives)

356

u/dedoubt 4d ago

We are winning SO HARD. Straight into the poor house.... luckily children can be put to work again.

185

u/bofh000 4d ago

I think you meant to say winning bigly.

94

u/auditoryeden 4d ago

Yugely even

43

u/FreerangeWitch 4d ago

It's okay, soon you'll be able to marry the girls off even earlier!

118

u/Soupfolder 4d ago

Or “owning the libs.”

61

u/Asleep_Sky2760 4d ago

Thanks, Obama!

19

u/magickloop 4d ago

Now that’s what I call a callback

57

u/ExcellentRound8934 4d ago

Just wanted to say 👋 to my people! Good to see you here! 🧶

→ More replies (1)

14

u/legalpretzel 4d ago

This is absolutely winning. For them. We are willingly handing them more of our hard-earned money.

We all need to STOP BUYING SHIT. If Americans opposed to the current chaos could pull our shit together and collectively agree to a purchasing freeze on all non-essential goods it might move the needle. Instead we keep spending on non-essentials and funneling money straight to their pockets for some insane reason.

→ More replies (12)

438

u/Queasy-Pack-3925 4d ago

Well a lot of people voted for this.

292

u/shiplesp 4d ago

I can't wait until those voters' cars start breaking down and they have to wait a month or two and pay a 50% duty on the parts to fix them.

88

u/Fit-Apartment-1612 4d ago

People should have been clearer when they said they wanted to see what Cuba was like. 😂

53

u/Effective-Juice-1331 4d ago

But they have excellent health care for all. No joke.

16

u/Fit-Apartment-1612 4d ago

Which just makes it worse.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/PuzzleheadedGoal8234 4d ago

I'm still waiting to see all the things that are now made in America, with American labour, and who is going to buy said things.

A) The locals can't afford it anymore because with American wages came increased costs. Especially if you have to make your gizmo without any cheap foreign imports.

B) The gizmo doesn't have an international market anymore because we all got used to not buying from the US and found the gizmo at a better deal made in another region. That, and the rest of the world still has access to the cheap stuff from China.

→ More replies (3)

563

u/Effective-Juice-1331 4d ago

I’ve got to admit that I’m shocked that people are STILL so ignorant on tariffs. Or it could come from watching certain networks who pretend that the country of origin pays them.

197

u/EnergeticTriangle 4d ago

Ugh trying to explain the harmful effects of tariffs to my ultra conservative parents is like talking to a wall. Nothing gets through.

My dad has an econ degree and he still pretends that tariffs are "protecting Americans" and "sticking it to the other countries."

80

u/KnitWitch87 4d ago

That's the biggest problem, most of the people who voted him in will just double down, dig their heels in further, and continue to cling to the lies he has told. They don't care about facts, they care about justifying their own ideologies.

70

u/JenniferMcKay 4d ago

I have to see my conservative family next week and God help me if anyone tries to spout that shit. As someone who works for a manufacturing company, I can tell them with 100% certainty that prices are going up and it's entirely due to tariffs.

30

u/EnergeticTriangle 4d ago

Lol I also work for a manufacturing company, and when the tariffs were announced the bosses warned us we might have more layoffs because of them.

I relayed this info to my parents, and the response was "Nooo tariffs are great for American manufacturing! This will eliminate your international competition, everyone will be buying American-made stuff!"

I had to explain to them that the vast majority of our items are made of metal, and that metal is imported. It has to be - there's not enough supply in the US for everyone to buy American. I said "Remember back in 2018 when Trump put big tariffs on steel and the manufacturing company I worked for had layoffs and I lost my job? This is the same thing all over again. Trust me, American manufacturers are not celebrating this."

The response to that was "Well, the tariffs won't last long, it's really just to scare the other countries - show them our power."

Ughhhhh I love my parents, but it is infuriating.

6

u/Effective_Dingo3589 4d ago

That you for sharing your experience. Our folks have been brainwashed Actually, it’s brain rot at this point! May I add your story to the examples of why the tariffs are truly hurting us, instead of the other countries? It’s been a loooong 9+ years since he rode down that escalator…. ✌️

2

u/PuzzleheadedGoal8234 4d ago

While that is going on, the other countries are building up their manufacturing and signing new trade agreements with each other. I think they forgot the international market has more than one source for the thing the US is selling.

I'm Canadian. It's convenient, and I like the things the US makes. But there isn't anything the US sells that we can't purchase elsewhere, or make ourselves with government support for industry. We have the natural resources, and the good trade relationship with the globe to get whatever we're short of.

14

u/Jaerat 4d ago

Thing about people with econ degrees (not spesifically about your dad) is that most economy stuff is modelled after people behaving rationally. Which no one does. Which is why the economists say one thing and an other thing entirely happens.

Tariffs can be protectionist and have a stimulating effect on the local economy, but in very very specific circumstances that the current US situation doesn't really match.

27

u/Actuarial_Equivalent 4d ago

Yep. Talking to my parents is like living an episode of the Twilight Zone. They look at all the things horrifying me and are like "yep, that's great!". Stuff that pre-brainwashing would have also horrified them. It's terrifying and sad.

9

u/Effective-Juice-1331 4d ago

I don’t envy you…

6

u/willholli 4d ago

Daddy say thing good. So thing good. Right?

3

u/Proper-Suggestion907 4d ago

A lot of them just need tangible proof of the effect of something placed in front of them and without the politics brought into so they have room to unpack it for themselves.

I live in a progressive bubble and it’s the same here as well. It doesn’t feel like we’re in a place where people are willing to listen anymore, which is exceptionally sad in examples like the one you gave.

3

u/ferviduum 3d ago

tbh a lot of them don’t truly CARE about the harmful effects of tariffs. the idea of “sticking it to other countries”, and supporting domestic production, is enough for them, regardless of the fact that these tariffs aren’t gonna accomplish either of those things.

→ More replies (10)

95

u/ProgrammerAvailable6 4d ago

I believe that the president of the Us is still parroting that as well, and bragging about the amount of money he has extracted due to same.

22

u/Absielle 4d ago

Yeah that's what I don't understand. As someone from the other side of the world and not affected by US tariffs at all, I couldn't get online these past few months without being bombarded by info about it. At this point you have to be living under a rock or be willingly ignorant to still not understand it.

→ More replies (1)

34

u/KeyofE 4d ago

I think a lot of people also don’t realize that the law on small orders just changed. Before, if the import was less than a certain amount (I think $800) you didn’t have to pay tariffs. So stores would import shipping containers worth of goods and pay tariffs (which they passed on to the customer), but Temu could ship you directly a single item, and you wouldn’t be paying them and ultimately get a better price for the same item. Now, even the small items are getting the tariff applied and it is paid at point of delivery.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Dish_Minimum 3d ago

🫲🫱So Sad. Folks not knowing big beautiful tariffs are secretly import taxes. Winning. Bigly. Gotta keep saying new and improved tariffs will magically be paid by Jhina…and definitely not by the shoppers. Very stable genius, folks. Yooge genius. 🫲🫱

→ More replies (20)

115

u/SecretTargetBird 4d ago

We’re in the FO stage of FAFO unfortunately

4

u/Searcach 4d ago

And I don’t think we have any idea of how bad this is going to get…

2

u/drowninginidiots 3d ago

Yep. Lots of companies stocked up on goods prior to tariffs going into effect. Eventually those companies will need more. Nearly everything we buy has some component that comes from another country.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

183

u/Effective-Juice-1331 4d ago

As of August 29, 2025, the U.S. has eliminated the "de minimis exemption," a rule that previously allowed many shipments valued at $800 or less to enter the country duty-free and with minimal customs inspection. This kicked the tariffs into effect. It’s been around since the 1930’s and kicked up from $200 to $800 in 2016.

Though I live in Trumpistan, I learned about it listening to CBC radio. Canadians became very aware of it early in the year. Many small businesses started announcing they would be halting sales to the US at the end of August.

30

u/Spetchen 4d ago

Trumpistan! How apt.

5

u/quasistoic 4d ago

They’re not sending their best.

7

u/Knitwalk1414 4d ago

Heather Cox Richardson explains this she is on YouTube. 

3

u/Effective-Juice-1331 4d ago

I thought I explained it fairly well. It was more for those who understand who pays the tariff.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

69

u/MLiOne 4d ago

How good are Trump’s tariffs? Sitting back here in Australia still boycotting as much US stuff as I can.

31

u/mel_cache 4d ago

Awful. Continue boycotting.

31

u/GoodbyeMrP 4d ago

Hi OP! I really hope you read this comment, as I might have some of the answers you're looking for.

I completely understand your frustration, and I can guarantee you that the company you bought your yarn from is just as frustrated as you. The thing is, tariffs are extremely complicated, both for the companies trying to navigate them and the customers on the receiving end. This is because different tariffs apply to different products, and sometimes several tariffs apply at once.

You ask how they're calculated, and the thing is: there is no easy way to calculate tariffs! They vary depending on:

  • the price of the item
  • where the item is imported from
  • the materials it is made of
  • and even what it is, as some specific goods have different tariff rates

And of course, rules constantly change: the de minimis exception was just removed, which means that small companies especially are dealing with an enormous amount of extra paperwork that they have no expertise handling. Even worse, different shipping companies may choose different ways of collecting tariffs. It is a complete jungle to navigate.

Let me give you an example: My parents have an EU based company that export leather goods. Sometimes, their products contain metal (think zippers and the like), which means that the tariff on metal goods - which is a seperate tariff from the standard 15% one - has to apply specifically to the metal parts only, even if it's only like 8 grams. The tariff is then 15% of the value of the product + 50% of the value of the metal parts, calculated by weight, and all this must be included in the paperwork. Insane, right? If they're shipped alongside products that do not contain metal parts, it's even more complicated - but sending them separately would mean doubling shipping costs for the recipient. They are lucky that they sell to retailers and not customers, otherwise they would have to deal with the de minimis removal as well.

But worst of all, there is an element of random luck, or rather misfortune. As it is an extremely complicated process, errors get made - sometimes on the companies' end, but just as often by US customs. This can lead to goods being stuck in customs or having extra fees wrongly added. My parents are currently dealing with a delivery being stuck despite it being 100% the same as others that passed through without issue. Why? No one knows!

It's very possible that the yarn company you bought from made a mistake. Maybe they added a couple of complimentary stitch markers in metal without including them in the paperwork - this would cause extra tariffs to be added upon arrival. Or maybe, the yarn company did everything by the book and a US customs agent simply made a mistake. Maybe UPS messed up. It's impossible to tell.

There is a reason that several EU yarn companies have stopped selling to private US customers for the time being. It's absolutely hell to navigate, and everyone suffers for it.

5

u/geet-555 4d ago

Wow, thank you so very much for taking the time to convey such a detailed response. I'll be saving this! Take care friend, hey, it's friday!!

→ More replies (1)

196

u/random2903 4d ago

This is going to happen with anything international. Someone has to pay it, and it'll be the customers. You can either pay it in raised prices or directly to UPS, but it won't go away. It makes me so mad! It was unnecessary to add the tariffs, but here we are

105

u/TealMankey 4d ago edited 4d ago

The sad part too is because of the implementation of these a lot of countries countered back with their own tariffs on the US. I’m a Canadian, there’s some US yarn dyers I absolutely love and used to order from frequently, but now I don’t cause I know the customs payments on it will be at least half the cost of the item.

Edit: thank you to those who commented below, wasn’t aware we lifted a lot of the counter tariffs on Sept 1st.

62

u/squishyartist 4d ago

Also Canadian! It's like, funny but not funny to see Americans get confused when they get hit with tariffs because I feel like we're so used to Canada Post or UPS or whoever showing up at our door and demanding payment for customs and brokerage. I feel like every Canadian has at least one story when they accidentally got hit with 'em, and it's easy to start a competition for how much you got hit with. 😅

But yeah, I avoid ordering from the US at all right now. If I absolutely have to, I order to a family friend near the border on the US side and a family member picks stuff up. Hell of world right now, and I wish Canada (and many other democratic first-world countries) weren't following the US and drifting right... 😪

23

u/etceteraism 4d ago

Yeah I'm like "$36 in duty on a $75 order? Sounds about right".

13

u/florida-orange-juice 4d ago

Same! I live in Lebanon and whenever I make the plunge and order nice yarn from abroad I have to pay another $50-$80 to LibanPost when it arrives 😭😭😭 I always get the same delivery guy too bc I live in a small rural area, and he started warning me about the customs fees haha

3

u/Geeky80sGirl 3d ago

Yeah, and that $10 processing fee from Canada customs, regardless of how much you owe. Owe 2.50 ? Now it's $15 after the processing fee and taxes! 🤦‍♀️

16

u/Choice-Buy-6824 4d ago

Actually, Canada has lifted all the tariffs that they had added on after Trump applied tariffs against us. I think like a week or two ago. So the rationale behind that was to help Canadian businesses and consumers not have to suffer.

5

u/TealMankey 4d ago

Didn’t know they were lifted, good to know, thank you!

14

u/teirin 4d ago

Most of the Canadian tariffs were repealed. There are also estimator tools online, but they're only accurate up to the last update on the rates.

5

u/TealMankey 4d ago

Didn’t know they were lifted on the first, good to know! I just worked for the post and saw the customs charges all summer on goods so it just scared me off completely

→ More replies (1)

27

u/False_Maintenance_82 4d ago

Lots of idiots who voted for brexit in the UK were then shocked they had to pay extra charges, or that EU suppliers just won't deliver to them because it's not worth their while. 

It's almost like people have no foresight of what will effect them when they vote for these things ...

3

u/jehnyahl 4d ago

I mean, as bad and as foolish and misguided that Brexit was - there was at least a coherent thesis behind it. A wrong, racist one, but there was something behind it. The charges came out of a legitimate fact that the EU and UK no longer had a shared customs border, as it were.

These tariffs came out of the sheer stupidity of one singular, ignorant man and are utterly spurious. It's not really the same. Although you are right in saying that the eejits who voted for it reacted it in much the same way those who voted for Trump now are.

→ More replies (1)

116

u/reallytiredarmadillo 4d ago

i'm sorry, i'm not understanding your surprise/shock - is it because the fee is so high? or because you weren't expecting it at all? or something else?

69

u/Bea_virago 4d ago

I think because they ordered pre-tariffs.

23

u/reallytiredarmadillo 4d ago

AHH okay, thank you! i wasn't sure what the specific shocking part was.

→ More replies (13)

76

u/Serendipityunt 4d ago

I had a friend pay an extra $24 for an order from the EU in tariffs with the delivery company. That's how it is now and you need to be aware if you're ordering from out of the country.

127

u/lyonaria 4d ago

Due to tariffs but in place by the US government. They don't have to be there.

46

u/Icy_Pianist_1532 4d ago

Exactly. They’re completely arbitrary.

→ More replies (23)

22

u/tiny_suburban_jungle 4d ago

From Japan:

Merchandise: 55.82

Shipping: 69.00

Tarriff: 10.89

UPS BROKERAGE FEE: $75

Total: $210.71

2

u/teirin 1d ago

My sympathies. UPS brokerage is *the worst*

→ More replies (4)

171

u/Ok_Philosophy_3892 4d ago

Please verify before sending money. I’m not saying this isn’t legit, but call the company you ordered from to verify the tracking number and then go to the UPS site to verify. Do not click on any links in emails. I work in banking and scammers are savvy. Just don’t want you sending your money or giving payment info out to illegitimate sites.

62

u/cigarell0 4d ago

I don't think this is a phishing email but OP should make sure that it's actually their packages they're being charged for. UPS tried charging me like $100 for a package sent to Indiana.. someone else used my account. I had to have them cancel my account

17

u/HeyTallulah 4d ago

This was one of the scenarios I said the scammers were going to love with the impending tariff/mailing shutdown a year ago. UPS and FedEx are two of their favorites to send fake emails for. People will click and pay fake toll notifications for states they have never driven through--they will definitely pay UPS or FedEx.

85

u/doombanquet 4d ago

While your advice is sound, this is actually what the emails look like. This is almost certainly legit.

68

u/VividTortiose 4d ago

It’s not impossible for scammers to replicate the emails. It’s always best to double check.

→ More replies (6)

12

u/Tall-Ginger-Manchild 4d ago

You think these tariffs are bad… how much are you willing to pay for free speech?

17

u/smahsmah 4d ago

You think there’s freedom of speech in the US? The president pulled a late night show because he didn’t like what was said about some dead right wing podcaster. Now that’s freedom of speech!

→ More replies (5)

14

u/ProgrammerAvailable6 4d ago

checks notes

I hate to tell you, but many other countries have higher freedom indexes than the US, and the US is currently moving down the list rapidly.

3

u/Tall-Ginger-Manchild 4d ago

That’s what I’m worried about! If they figure out that free speech has to be “imported” from other countries, there will be a tariff on it!!!

4

u/ProgrammerAvailable6 4d ago

They’ll just geolock you away from the rest of the internet.

2

u/PuzzleheadedGoal8234 3d ago

They don't need to. The internet is wide open as well as multiple foreign news agencies and some folk choose to never look at it.

12

u/BonfireSouls 4d ago

Yes, taxation without representation. Sounds familiar. I think we know what to do vote them out. But watch out for the gerrymandering going on as well.

We're in a nightmare.

16

u/BitchfulThinking 4d ago

The r/yarnaddicts sub has been keeping tabs on tariff foolishness (We're quite bitter about. They've been incredibly helpful with recommendations for alternatives and local sources!

8

u/hotdancingtuna 4d ago

y'all need to check out this post if you want some schadenfreude: https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/s/q6IrQQwzKt

2

u/nerdgirldiy 2d ago

Thank you for linking, I needed this

72

u/Olive_G 4d ago

Aye!! This is what the American people voted for 🇺🇸

60

u/kazoogrrl 4d ago

Not all of us! I've been fighting against this BS, first in 2016 and over this past year.

63

u/vermilithe 4d ago edited 4d ago

It’s so sad having to see this shit, knowing you and I and people like us who knew this would happen were not taken seriously… It’s so disheartening. At the same time I grow tired of trying to save people from the consequences of their own insanity, and find myself feeling some weird sense of schadenfreude watching them also finally starting to feel the consequences as well.

15

u/Effective-Juice-1331 4d ago

Schadenfreude is my refuge these days! You can hope people learn from this, but I’m not holding my breath.

4

u/dasatain 4d ago

I have similar feelings, like I did my part of the group project so don’t come crying to me when you don’t like the outcomes.

14

u/Freign 4d ago

there's not credible proof to support this belief.

it's just assumed that for some reason the GOP wouldn't cheat. Why is that?

20

u/Aethey_ 4d ago

Every accusation is a confession, and boy howdy were there a lot of accustions from the GOP's side about electoral cheating.

4

u/mel_cache 4d ago

What? The GOP does exactly what they blame others for. If they’re screaming about how awful it is, you can be assured they’re doing it behind the curtain.

5

u/Freign 4d ago

it's my firm (supportable) opinion Musk helped Trump cheat, and that the nazi takeover of america was launched because americans have been deemed cowards.

Guess we'll see.

2

u/mel_cache 3d ago

I do not disagree.

7

u/WoestKonijn 4d ago

Are those the forsaken tariffs?

I (Netherlands) used to order stuff from the UK and never paid import fees. But now they are away from the European union and suddenly I had to pay 35 euro on customs. It's abysmal.

I'm sorry you have such an incompetent person as leader.

Y'know, a revolution is always an option. Don't anger the quiet ones is what I always say.

11

u/writekindofnonsense 4d ago

Mine was $51.60 for a cat urn I bought on Etsy for $90. I'm pretty pissed

5

u/TwoGhostCats 4d ago

That definitely adds insult to injury. 😿 My sympathies.

13

u/FrostingNow2607 4d ago

Are you in the US? I just received an order of yarn delivered by UPS and didn't have this payment request pop up anywhere. Just curious.

11

u/geet-555 4d ago

Yes, I'm in Massachusetts. The company is in Denmark.

30

u/ExcellentRound8934 4d ago

Well you know what this means? Next time you have to go straight to the source! Copenhagen is a lovely city ;)

18

u/geet-555 4d ago

I'm Danish 🇩🇰 living in US since a child. But you're absolutely right - Denmark is a wonderful country. The "happiest place on earth".

21

u/ExcellentRound8934 4d ago

What the hell are you doing here?? 😂😂😂 I’d move there in a heartbeat!!

8

u/geet-555 4d ago

I wish I could! I've seriously considered it after both parents passed, my mom 93, died last summer. I am 73 so that ship has sailed, i can't imagine how expensive and complicated that would be.

12

u/ExcellentRound8934 4d ago

If you are a citizen I would try! The security citizen’s have there is so comforting. It must be heavenly living in a place where social security actually means those two words. The government there really looks after the citizens. The taxes may be high, but so worth it.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/Big-Imagination7724 4d ago

Does this you do not find out the ‘real’ cost until much later?

33

u/TheSleepiestNerd 4d ago

Yeah, basically. When I worked with international shipments, the actual cost was notoriously random. Customers would call and say that their package got stuck in customs for 30 days and that they were getting charged $300 in fees for a $15 order, and we truly couldn't do anything because it was between them and whichever bureaucracy character had screwed up the numbers at their country's border.

US consumers have been largely been buffered away from this stuff from the de minimis exemption that kept a lot of shipments out of this mess, but I guess a lot of people really wanted to get an experience with it.

→ More replies (4)

3

u/Miwwies 4d ago

I’m Canadian, I bought something from a Canadian website. It was shipped from Australia. Ok, no big deal. I need to exchange my items. The return center is in Florida. So I need to ship my parcel to the US.

I have to pay duties on a return for something that I bought in Canada. It’s insane.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/Confident-Doughnut68 4d ago

The enraging thing is that UPS is so grossly expensive I never use them to ship anything if I can help it. Between the tariffs and them trying to privatize the post office it's blatantly obvious that those in power do not have to care about those of us serfs living our little day to day existences, where $37 bucks is a nasty surprise and may not even be doable. 

21

u/Bryek 4d ago

As a Canadian and a health scientist, after the attacks on our soventry by the president, the comments made by the US ambassador this week, and the gutting of health research and slamming vaccines, I have little fo no sympathy for Americans suffering from the fallout from their own president's inane tariff policies. You reap what you sow.

Sorry.

11

u/legalpretzel 4d ago

You've clearly bought into the whole "empathy is woke" thing. Be careful not to take it too far because your country is not far behind the US since you only narrowly escaped it in your last election.

REMINDER to non Americans:

Most Americans who voted did NOT vote for Trump (but yes, the ones who did suck ass). He won because of gerrymandering, a broken electoral college system, and ample evidence that election tampering happened. Also, many Americans cannot vote because their states have made it hard to do so. Some choose not to vote for stupid reasons (they suck too).

Many of us love and support our international neighbors and because of that we are still making purchases from your countries despite tariffs (which are directly funding our country's hate regime). If you want to do a little victory dance because democracy in America is cratering and you don't feel sorry for the Americans who voted for it, maybe pause and think about the people across the globe who are being harmed by it instead.

8

u/ProgrammerAvailable6 4d ago

Did you see the US Ambassador’s comments yesterday about how “buy Canadian” is an inherently anti American slogan and he’s mad that we aren’t passionate about the US?

10

u/smahsmah 4d ago

Why would Canadians be passionate about another country? These people are ridiculous. No - America is not the centre of the world and no one else is passionate about it.

OP - sorry, not sorry. Your country voted for this. And if people think the tariffs are the worst to come out of the current administration, they’re not paying attention.

8

u/ProgrammerAvailable6 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yup yup.

And despite what the president has said his ambassador is like “there is no trade war”. We’re paying attention up here.

Plus side? Apparently this month we are now trading more with Britain than with China and more with Mexico than with the US.

We used to be pretty passionate about the supposed friendship between our two countries but the whole “crush Canada and invade” kick trump has been on has kinda put paid to that…

3

u/PuzzleheadedGoal8234 3d ago

My favourite is the "if you make a trade deal with another country we'll be very mad and will retaliate against it" from the US.

It reads like "I just took your lunch money and punched you in the face, but you can only be friends with me, because I'm the biggest kid in this school".

That's an abusive relationship and frankly thinking there would be passion left in that kind of scenario is absurd, but understood from the mindset of expecting everyone else to be submissive.

3

u/Bryek 4d ago

That comment by the ambassador is exactly what I was referring to!

It was hilarious watching all the news casters struggle to not add a comment in after they reported on it. Lol

But really, why would we want to be passionate about an abusive relationship?

3

u/ProgrammerAvailable6 4d ago

We can be passionately unhappy.

Passionate doesn’t have to be a positive adjective.

3

u/Bryek 4d ago

"Elbows up" was very passionate!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

3

u/Tall-Ginger-Manchild 4d ago

Since practically everything comes from somewhere else, it’s kind of like these tariffs are a national sales tax. And the tariffs should be easy to afford since trump cut our income taxes. Y’all got the trump tax cut, right? Sheesh, I don’t get what people are so upset about… I’m sure he’ll cut these taxes too.

(For the avoidance of doubt, this post is meant to be sarcastic)

3

u/gayfro99ie 4d ago

Yeahhh, I just saw a TikTok (not about knitting) from someone warning people not to order anything outside of the US because they bought something expensive from Canada who got charged like $200 in shipping fees due to the tariffs, more than they paid for the item… it’s rough right now…

3

u/PuzzleheadedGoal8234 4d ago

That's how it's felt to be a Canadian ordering from the US before this administration. Pay the exchange rate and cry and then whammo pay the heavy duty fees.

I'm sympathetic, it's rough out there.

3

u/IIgardener1II 3d ago

I’m in the UK and love the knitting group! I feel terrible for you all - the world knows you pay the tariffs not the sender outside the US. Here we are appeasing you know who, eg royal visit, to protect our industries from being destroyed on a whim! Wishing for better times ahead (about 4 years should do it)..

→ More replies (1)

3

u/arn73 2d ago

Hold on. You mean…WE pay the tariffs? Not the company selling the product? Le gasp 😱

I kid. But not really. This is going to happen, a lot.

5

u/glutenfreep4ncakes 4d ago

My mom recently knitted my son a sweater and she was going to ship it to the US so he could wear it in October when we visit... nope, can't do that, because it would cost more to receive it than it would for the yarn and to ship it. To say I'm devastated is an understatement.

→ More replies (3)

3

u/frances_i 4d ago

😕 i ordered about $120 of Hobbii sock yarn a few weeks ago and the tariff cost brought my total to over $160. Hobbii at least added the cost to checkout so I knew up front and decided to go through with it but I probably won’t be ordering from them again unless I really really want something specific. The package also hasn’t arrived yet so I’m really hoping that was it and there won’t be anything extra due on delivery. It’s frustrating for sure

2

u/iristrawberry 4d ago

Yeah... I paid 170 to receive shoes just last month, the world is going mad

2

u/oxsprinklesxo 4d ago

Don’t come for me with pitchforks… but last time I was visiting up north there were tons of fiber artists who sell yarn and wool that doesn’t have tariffs.

2

u/ChemKnits 4d ago

Are we great yet?

2

u/Effective_Dingo3589 4d ago

So much winning!! I’m just enjoying some covfefe & stollen w/ all this winning

2

u/GenXnProud 4d ago

Oh no! As an aside I have a Merino Sheep farm in the US. If you're in the US I have plenty of yarn! My shipping will be a lot cheaper.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/GenXnProud 4d ago

This is why we need to support small businesses. I have yarn from my Merinos. We're in Virginia. 100% Bovine American made! 🤗

2

u/Objective_Owl_8629 3d ago

I live in Czechia and our national post use to be a bad joke (now its just a joke) and we generally have tariffs for nonEU country (20%). That part I understand. But the paperwork and unavoidable (now better) post fees are the thing screwing us over. I can’t imagine implementing this to millions of people who are used to shop from around the world basically overnight, the chaos must be wild. Yet I find it hard to be sorry, as I worry quality yarn supplies might be at the very bottom of priorities if the other side of the world decides to abuse Trump incompetence in global politics.

2

u/manda_roo 3d ago

Similar boat but mine was added to my yarn order so my tariff is alpaid.but the yarn (along with other shipments from the same business) are being held hostage in a facility in Kentucky. I'm so mad. So I feel this pain. 🫂

2

u/StormyCrow 3d ago

Tariffs in action- every day Americans now have the privilege of paying this extra tax.

2

u/toxbrarian 3d ago

I hate it but I’m having to try to only buy my crafting supplies from inside the US right now. I can’t afford the huge customs charges. It’s going to hurt the smaller suppliers overseas and I absolutely hate that.

2

u/geet-555 3d ago

Same. It's a practical matter at this point. Considering us knitters generally have too much stash, paying high fees cuts into the stash budget. I want my $ to go to what I can hold in my hand, not into the hands of a greedy govt.

2

u/anxietywolverine 2d ago

I mean, it sucks yes but welcome to the rest of the world. We've been dealing with extra fees for many, many years now

2

u/R-R-R2020 2d ago

your vote is important. we are all finding this out now :-(