Tariff Notice

We work with manufacturers from all over the world, including the USA. It also includes China. We have no way of knowing how this will actually all sort out, and at the moment we have stock that is pre-tariff-increase. How long that supply will last is anyone's guess.

When we do start to pay elevated tariffs we will have no choice other than to pass those increases on to you. Hardware simply doesn't have the margins needed to absorb even a minor increase.

When, and if, that time comes you will see an additional line next to the items affected. It will read "include tariffs of $X.XX". We will not be profiting from these tariffs, and we will alter them, both up and down, as the amount we pay changes.

We wanted you to know this in advance so that if there are future price increases they will not come as a surprise. As stated, we do have pre-tariff-increase stock, and if your financial position allows, stocking up would not be a bad idea. There is one certainty, prices, if they change, will be upward.

If you are interested in reading further, below is an explanation of how this works. Otherwise you can close this tab/window to continue your visit.

Unfortunately, some people still believe that they are paid by the country on which they are assessed. This is completely untrue. If tariffs are good or bad for the USA is not the point of this discussion, that is a matter of your belief in world economics.

When we negotiate a price on a piece of hardware coming in from, say, China we agree on a price and quantity from the manufacturer.

Let's use an hypothetical example:

We agree to take in 50,000 of a buckle, and they agree to make them for us for $1.00 each. Then we get with the logistics (shipping) people and find out how much it will cost to get them from China on a boat, and then on a truck, and finally deliver them to us. Let's say this costs 10 cents a buckle.

Now we have our cost, $1.00, plus 10 cents for shipping. When they arrive we get a bill which is for the tariff on the goods (there have always been tariffs). That money is paid to the US government, just like all of us pay our taxes.

We are normally paying in the range of 10% (those rates are set and printed in this HUGE book of tariffs). The tariff is only on the merchandise, not the shipping. So now... $1.00 for the manufacturer, 10 cents to the shipper, 10 cents to the US government: $1.20 total.

We then determine our selling price, and that is the price you pay.

As of this writing there is a proposal to increase the tariff on goods from China to 104% (I'll round it to 100% so the math is easier). That changes the cost to us from $1.20 to this: $1.00 for the manufacturer, 10 cents to the shipper, $1.00 to the US government: $2.10 total.

In that event if we used to be selling that buckle for $1.50 we will have to raise the price by 90 cents, as the tariff has gone from 10 cents to $1.00. You will notice that in no event was the manufacturer's price changed in any way. They get the same amount we negotiated if the tariff is 100% or 0%. It is simply a tax levied by the US government. No matter what the tariff, they get $1.00 per buckle.

We close this in the fervent hope that this will quiet down and we won't all be facing prices increases, but at the same time we felt it necessary that we be open about the situation and provide as complete an explanation as we can.

Thank you for reading, simply close this tab/window to continue your shopping.