Tariffs & the printer industry

[SalesServiceGuy]

Thanks for making my point. Its an industry in decline.

... the print industry remains in 2025 an approx $81 B global opportunity, as large as EV sales, Cloud infrastructure and AI. You seem to think the print industry has declined in your area but nationally there remains lots of opportunity. You need to diversify your product offerings and upgrade your skills.

I recommend you consider industrial label printers.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Trump tariffs lead to surge of companies parking imports in tax-free ‘foreign trade zones’

• Foreign trade zones and bonded warehouses are specially designated, secured storage or manufacturing sites approved by U.S. Customs that allow for the temporary avoidance of tariffs.
• More companies started looking to FTZs between the presidential election and start of Trump’s new trade war, and membership has surged to an all-time high.

Companies large and small are turning to special U.S. Customs-approved sites to avoid, at least temporarily, the payment of new tariffs implemented by President Trump.

These locations, called foreign trade zones (FTZs) and bonded warehouses, are specially designated, secured storage or manufacturing sites approved by U.S. Customs where freight is not subject to U.S. duties or excise taxes. Duties are only paid by the importer when the goods are transferred out of the FTZ or bonded warehouse for U.S. market consumption.

“A year ago, an FTZ was a nonstarter because of the investment a company would have to make,” said Jackson Wood, director of industry strategy for Descartes Global Trade Intelligence, which provides FTZ technology system assistance. “Now they are crunching the numbers to see if it makes financial sense, and for some it does,” Wood said, including smaller companies that are starting to consider FTZs as tariff rates soar.

There is a 90-day pause in place for most countries before new tariffs hit, though tariffs for Chinese goods are now as high as 145%.

FTZs enable U.S. importers and manufacturers to store imports of finished goods for an indefinite amount of time without paying trade duties. Freight imported under bond and placed in a bonded warehouse can be stored for up to five years starting the day it was imported into the country. Depending on the day the freight is moved out of an FTZ or bonded warehouse, importers might be able to pay either reduced customs duties, taxes, or fees, or none at all — a strategic approach to import management also known as an “inverted tariff.”

The deferment of duties, taxes and fees normally applicable upon importation can significantly enhance a company’s financial position by providing cost savings, operational flexibility, and improved cash flow.

Jeffrey J. Tafel, president of the National Association of Foreign Trade-Zones, says his organization started to see an increase in membership during the 2024 presidential election, and registrations have continued to pour in, with membership is at an all-time high.

“With tariff changes happening so quickly, there are companies that are looking for FTZ storage space in order to defer the duties until they are able to decide how they want to proceed with the merchandise, much of which was purchased before the tariffs were known,” said Tafel. “Any time tariffs are in the news, we see an increase in interest in all programs that help U.S. companies mitigate the impact.”

Tafel said there is also increased interest regarding FTZ grantees, which are authorized by the Foreign-Trade Zones Board to establish, operate, and maintain a foreign-trade zone, with inquiries up as much as two to four times what is typical.

FTZs were created by Congress in the 1930s to incentivize domestic investment in U.S. The foreign-trade zones program employs more than 550,000 American workers across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and in virtually every industry sector.

Companies can choose to not ship goods at all, and recent data out of Asia shows a steep decline in manufacturing orders and freight vessel sailings. Bringing the goods in, and using duty-free zones, is the other option.

“Recent tariff changes have made FTZs more appealing, as other duty reduction or recovery options, like duty drawback, are not eligible for the new tariffs,” said Chelsea Pavona Gardner, a Maersk spokeswoman for North America. “As a result, companies that previously dismissed FTZs are now considering them as a viable strategy,” she said.

“We’re at the point where we have a combination of clients waiting the next 30 days to see what happens,” said Janet Labuda, head of customs and trade issues at Maersk. “We have others taking product and moving into bonded warehouses for 30 days or so to see if any of this blows over and then extract it out at the duties being charged that day,” she added.

Setting up an FTZ can be costly, with charges for professional services to navigate the initial process and approval of the zone usage, as well as trained staff and dedicated IT systems to manage the zone once operational.

According to Gardner, using an FTZ depends more on the scale of a company’s import activities rather than the industry itself, but the primary users of FTZs in the past have been consumer goods and retail, automotive, aerospace, and electronics.

In addition to warehouse storage, manufacturing plants, or portions of plants, can become an FTZ in cases where a company’s components have a higher tariff than the finished good. Once the finished good is released from the FTZ, the company pays a lower tariff. There is also an option for companies to have Customs approve the scrap of any leftover material not used in the manufacturing process, which would not be subjected to duty. This exemption can also include exporting the product to another country.

Jordan Dewart, president of Redwood Logistics Mexico, said his company has been fielding many prospects and requests for FTZ services. While the Trump administration has said it is in talks with 75 countries for trade deals since announcing new tariffs, Dewart said the surge in FTZ interest is a sign that importers are worried about how long the trade war could last. “It seems customers are looking for a solution in case the tariffs stick long term,” he said.

[Mako]

... the print industry remains in 2025 an approx $81 B global opportunity

Down from what five, ten or fifteen years ago? Do you really want to keep arguing that the copier/printer industry isn't an industry in decline?

[Copier Addict]

Down from what five, ten or fifteen years ago? Do you really want to keep arguing that the copier/printer industry isn't an industry in decline?

If you would actually take the time to read, he isn't arguing that it isn't in decline. He is stating that it is still a viable industry with that still makes money.

[Mako]

If you would actually take the time to read, he isn't arguing that it isn't in decline. He is stating that it is still a viable industry with that still makes money.

The entire exchange began over my statement that it was an industry in decline.

[Copier Addict]

The entire exchange began over my statement that it was an industry in decline.

No, the exchange began because you simply want to argue.

[Mako]

No, the exchange began because you simply want to argue.

You guys don't?

[Copier Addict]

You guys don't?

My personal preference is debunking all the garbage posted by the magatrons.
Anyways, this isn't related to the original post and I'm not just going to argue with you

[SalesServiceGuy]

Chinese freight ship traffic to busiest U.S. ports, Los Angeles, Long Beach, sees steep drop

• The number of Chinese freight vessels headed to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the top destinations for Asian freight, has dropped sharply.
• The trade war between China and the U.S. is leading to a demand plummet, and ocean carriers have started to suspend or adjust transpacific services.
• “We are at a tipping point on the West Coast,” one logistics expert tells CNBC.

The pullback in trade between the U.S. and China as a result of President Trump’s steep tariffs on Chinese goods and fears of a recession are starting to show up in major ports data, with a steep drop in container vessel traffic headed to Los Angeles and Long Beach.

For the week ending May 3, the number of freight vessels leaving China and headed to the Southern California ports, the main U.S. ports receiving Chinese freight and other Asian trade, is down 29% week-over-week, according to Port Optimizer, a tracking system for ships. Year-over-year, the data shows a 44% drop in vessels scheduled to arrive the week of May 4-May 10.

This data is updated on a daily basis based on the vessel manifests declaring the port destination. These vessels are either scheduled to leave Asia or are already on the water and headed to these ports.

Twelve vessels are scheduled to come in this week, down from 22 the week of April 20. Measured in shipping containers, a total of 62,568 TEUs(twenty-foot equivalent units)are arriving the week of May 4-May 10, versus 120,608 TEUs as recently as the week of April 20-April 26.

The fallout from the ocean freight slowdown is beginning to hit ground transport linked to ports.

“We are at a tipping point on the West Coast,” said Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT Freight & Analytics. “Looking at how many truck loads are available versus trucks, we’ve seen a precipitous drop, over 700,000 loads have evaporated nationally in the past week compared to two weeks prior,” he said.

On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a group of investors the trade war with China was unsustainable, and that a de-escalation could be coming in the “very near future,” a person in the room told CNBC.

The vessel drop coincides with a rise in canceled sailings from ocean carriers on Pacific routes that include ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Seattle, according to an alert from Worldwide Logistics informing clients of blank sailings.

The Gemini alliance between Maersk and Hapag Lloyd has a cancellation rate of 24.39%; followed by the Ocean Alliance, comprising CMA CGM, Cosco Shipping, Evergreen, and OOCL, at 18%; and the Premier Alliance, comprising Ocean Network Express, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and Yang Ming Marine Transport, at 15%.MSC and ZIM currently have a 10% rate of canceled sailings.

Ocean carriers are trying to balance the pullback in orders resulting from the tariffs and the escalation of tensions in the trade war. CNBC recently reported a total of 80 blank, or canceled, sailings out of China as demand plummets and carriers suspend or adjust transpacific services.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Amazon sellers raise prices after Trump’s China tariff: ‘It’s unsustainable’

• Amazon sellers are raising prices on hundreds of top-selling items as they confront higher import costs in the wake of President Trump’s new tariffs.
• About 25% of price increases in recent weeks have come from sellers based in China, according to SmartScout data.
• Many U.S.-based sellers are looking for new suppliers in countries like Vietnam, Mexico and India.

For 10 years, Aaron Cordovez has been selling kitchen appliances on Amazon. Now he’s in a bind, because most of his products are manufactured in China.

Cordovez, co-founder of Zulay Kitchen, said his company is moving “as fast as we can” to move production to India, Mexico and other markets, where tariffs are increasing under President Donald Trump, but are mild compared with the levies imposed on goods from China. That process will likely take at least a year or two to complete, he said.

“We’re making our inventory last as long as we can,” Cordovez said in an email.

Zulay is alsotemporarily raising the price of some of its milk frothers, smores roasting sticks and other products. The company’s popular kitchen strainer now costs $12.99, up from $9.99 before Trump announced his sweeping tariff proposal earlier this month.

Amazon merchants are hiking prices for everything from diaper bags and refrigerator magnets to charm necklaces and other top-selling items as they confront higher import costs. E-commerce software company SmartScout tracked 930 products on Amazon that have seen increased prices since April 9, with an average jump of 29%.

The price hikes affect a range of categories, including clothing, jewelry, household items, office supplies, electronics and toys.

The trade war with China has threatened to upend sellers on Amazon’s third-party marketplace, which accounts for about 60% of the company’s online sales. Many merchants are based in China or rely on the world’s second-largest economy to source and assemble their products.

Sellers are now faced with the conundrum of raising prices or eating the extra costs associated with Trump’s new tariffs. It’s an existential threat for many sellers, who subsist on razor-thin margins and have, for the last several years, dealt with rising costs on Amazon tied to storage, fulfillment, shipping and advertising fees along with pricing pressure from increased competition.

CEO Andy Jassy told CNBC earlier this month that the company was “going to try and do everything we can” to keep prices low for shoppers, including renegotiating terms with some of its suppliers. But he acknowledged some third-party sellers will “need to pass that cost” of tariffs on to consumers.

Amazon’s stock price is down 15% so far this year, sliding along with the broader market. The company reports first-quarter earnings next week.

[Mako]

You sure seem in love with China. Strange.

[SalesServiceGuy]

... no, I am in love with the facts as told by multiple sources over time. They all point ot the same answer, new copiers made in China are going to get a lot more expensve soon becuase of the Trump initiated trade war with China.

The end result for all will be decling commission income because buyers will be hesitant to pay a lot more for product.

Plus there is the significant posibility that tariffs could go way down or disappear in a few months. So why buy now if you can delay and wait and see. Business do not want to invest in equipment during signiicant period of trade uncertainty caused by Trump.

[Mako]

... no, I am in love with the facts as told by multiple sources over time. They all point ot the same answer, new copiers made in China are going to get a lot more expensve soon becuase of the Trump initiated trade war with China.

The end result for all will be decling commission income because buyers will be hesitant to pay a lot more for product.

Plus there is the significant posibility that tariffs could go way down or disappear in a few months. So why buy now if you can delay and wait and see. Business do not want to invest in equipment during signiicant period of trade uncertainty caused by Trump.

Did you screech over the price increases on copiers that occurred during the Biden years? As I recall our manufacturer hit us with back to back 4% increases on hardware due to the Biden shitshow.

[SalesServiceGuy]

... President Biden will be remembered as one of the best President's in US history because of all of the major legislative accomplishments he achieved. He did an excellent job guiding America throught the COVID crisis.

Trump faled miserably during COVID and many people needlessly lost their lives because Trump let his personal beliefs get in the way of medical science.

Biden brought the US economy back to the best in the world with record low unemployment while at the same time passing the Amercian Recovery act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Chips & Science Act and the Infrastucture Act.

During President Biden's time in office America was both Great and a world leader. Now, America is isolated, shunned by the rest of the world and mired in daily new conflicts.

Legislatively Trump has accomplished nothing siginficiant and his unwelcome changes to America are all by executive actions that can be immedialtely reversed by the next President.

I did experience a 5% increase in hardware costs due to supply chain disruptions and global chips shortages during the COVID crisis. The price increase was hardly a panic.

The trauma that Trump will soon cause the print industry because of his poorly conceived trade war against the rest of the world could result in 25%+ price increases.

To suggest that the print industry prices increases that occured COVID were exclusively caused by President Biden demonstrates either your lack of knowledge of the facts or your predjudicial view of the world.

[Mako]

... President Biden will be remembered as one of the best President's in US history because of all of the major legislative accomplishments he achieved. He did an excellent job guiding America throught the COVID crisis.

Trump faled miserably during COVID and many people needlessly lost their lives because Trump let his personal beliefs get in the way of medical science.

Biden brought the US economy back to the best in the world with record low unemployment while at the same time passing the Amercian Recovery act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Chips & Science Act and the Infrastucture Act.

During President Biden's time in office America was both Great and a world leader. Now, America is isolated, shunned by the rest of the world and mired in daily new conflicts.

Legislatively Trump has accomplished nothing siginficiant and his unwelcome changes to America are all by executive actions that can be immedialtely reversed by the next President.

I did experience a 5% increase in hardware costs due to supply chain disruptions and global chips shortages during the COVID crisis. The price increase was hardly a panic.

The trauma that Trump will soon cause the print industry because of his poorly conceived trade war against the rest of the world could result in 25%+ price increases.

To suggest that the print industry prices increases that occured COVID were exclusively caused by President Biden demonstrates either your lack of knowledge of the facts or your predjudicial view of the world.

Wow. Just wow. Quoted for posterity.