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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : U.S. tariff and de minimus changes for China orders?
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| lizby Guru  Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3515 |
I will shortly return to the U.S. from Canada. Has anyone in the U.S. had experience with changes in ordering from Aliexpress or JLCPCB since the tariff and de minimus changes have gone into effect? PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| EDNEDN Senior Member  Joined: 18/02/2023 Location: United StatesPosts: 279 |
I have had recent surcharges from both Aliexpress and Alibaba. I had the order placed and paid for. And then a few days later they tell me there is an additional surcharge. One claimed it was for fuel and the other claimed it was customs duty. And both made it too difficult to cancel the order. Needless to say... I won't be using either in the future. |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3515 |
How much additional were they asking for? I wouldn't mind paying a tariff of 20%, and in some cases 50% (realistically, from JLCPCB, 100% would be very cheap compared to what I was paying for PCBs 10 years ago). But if they're talking $$, then I'd look for alternatives. I'd want it all to be part of one transaction--no coming back and asking for more, or worse, saying that it's available for me to pick up at the Post Office, but there will be a Customs charge to be paid. Almost all of my purchases are under $20. I'd certainly like to see that come in under de minimus allowances. It's easy to see how the former $800 de minimus provision was open to abuse. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| Glen0 Regular Member  Joined: 12/10/2014 Location: New ZealandPosts: 99 |
Here's a comparison of last year and this year. Price is in $US Shipping is to New Zealand. JLCPCB 2/11/2025 110mm X 110mm 5Pcs 2 Layer Merchandise Total: $8.60 Shipping Charge: $18.00 Order Total: $26.60 _____________________________________ 23/7/2024 160mm X 100mm 5Pcs 2Layer Merchandise Total: $10.27 Shipping Charge: $18.13 Order Total: $28.40 Edited 2025-11-04 07:38 by Glen0 |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3515 |
I very rarely buy any boards over 100mm in any dimension. Most of my JLCPCB orders are under $5 U.S.--a pretty unbelievable price to me. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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Sasquatch Guru Joined: 08/05/2020 Location: United StatesPosts: 380 |
Just ordered 5 "standard" PCB's from JLCPCB. Total was $6.10 USD including slow boat shipping to Colorado USA, $0.30 tax, and $0.50 PayPal fee. The tariff situation seems to change every other week, but no nasty tariff surprises yet! Edited 2025-11-18 07:10 by Sasquatch -Carl |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3515 |
Thanks for the info. That's a little bit more than my last order 6 months ago, but nothing to complain about. I should be in Florida a week from today. I have a small collection of items I want from Aliexpress--any experience with tariff impacts there? PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9786 |
I can state that I have one order pending to USA, for a CMM2G2 unit, and the tariff thing came into effect before I had sent it - but the order had been placed before they came into effect. NZ Post promptly suspended ALL parcel shipping into USA, till this was sorted out. Standard letter-rate mail was unaffected, but any kind of parcel was. Shipping was basically impossible from NZ into USA from that point as far as parcels were concerned, for about two months. NZ Post simply would not accept any parcels to America. Shipping into USA now is possible from NZ, but standard international-airmail is NOT. The only way I can send into USA now, is via international courier(DHL), which costs about US$100 per parcel(any weight up to 250g, more expensive then that if heavier then that!), and that is ONLY for the shipping. Once it arrives in USA, if tariffs need paying, then the customer has to cough up for that too. Basically, I have not sold ANY product into USA since the tariffs came into effect, cos the customer in America is then faced with something in the area of US$200 PER PARCEL in shipping and customs fees. Understandably, American customers are unwilling to pay those sorts of fees(the fees are more then the cost of the goods!), so I basically don't sell anything into USA anymore - it's too expensive. EDIT: I've just looked into this a bit more, as NZ Post have sorted all this stuff out now, and you CAN send into USA using cheaper shipping methods etc, but the amount of hoop-jumping I would have to do as a business, to send stuff into USA now, is a load of bollocks I simply don't need at this point. Personal customers(friends/family sending stuff) don't have these issues, but as a business, I do. I have to have an NZ Post account that I don't currently have, have to have tariff codes applied to my business, have to provide all this extra electronic and paper-trail bollocks to send anything, and also I now get charged the tariff at my end when sending into America, which I then pass on to the customer as part of my invoice - if I send anything at all, which seems unlikely now with all this extra red-tape bureaucratic BS. Unless I was sending hundreds of units of something into USA, this extra red-tape is just a PITA for a handful of units, if you see where I am coming from. I CAN see the usefulness of being charged the tariff at my end, and you just on-charge that to the customer. The idea is that the American customer, then does not get any nasty charges applied at their end, as the tariff has already been paid from my end. That seems sensible, in terms of the customer not getting hit with unexpected extra customs charges, but still....too much extra paperwork and admin crap. Edited 2025-11-18 10:22 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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phil99 Guru Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2876 |
On the TV news they said for small parcels it has changed again. Check with NZ Post and US Post again. Edit. Posted while you were editing. Edited 2025-11-18 10:26 by phil99 |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9786 |
Yeah, I think I might just call NZ Post and see if I can speak to someone who knows what is going on. Reading pages of text on the new laws, is brain-numbing.... Sometimes, it can be easier to just talk to a human who knows. It doesn't help, that they keep changing things, but I suppose....feces occurs. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3515 |
Maybe I have the answer now--at least for small orders--no tariffs in evidence. My wife and I completed the trek from Nova Scotia to Florida--34+ hours driving over 3 days with one day of rest in the middle. I placed an Aliexpress order before we left. No tariff and the package was delivered 2 days after we arrived. I've placed several orders since arriving, and no tariff applied. These were all under $15, so maybe there is still a practical "de minimus" in effect. I don't plan to order anything from JLCPCB right away, so I'll have to wait to see what they are charging now. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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