Tariffs & Model Airliner Prices

[Jazajia]

We got derailed here, didn't we?

I know Nick had issues in the past keeping up with the business, but I have not heard complaints recently. When he went full free shipping I assumed he was ready to move stock, but it seems he's got a backlog of pre-orders.

A good point has been brought up, though: Don't bite more than you can chew. As I said in a post above, I very quickly realized that keeping the business size manageable is key. I enjoy giving good service with proper packaging and reasonably fast shipping, but during the recent spike in orders, I ran out of my main box size for 1:400 models and had to ship a few orders using those long boxes that manufacturers use to send models to retailers to keep shipping times reasonable. Not the classiest boxes, but they get the job done. It was a lesson on how quickly things can get out of hand.

Im also just gonna say it, Texan Airplane Store has a horrible website. Among other things, every time i try to look through their stock the header pops up and blocks half the screen every time i stop scrolling. Its the only model aircraft retailer I havent been able to get through the entire list of models.

Have you been able to go through the entire stock on my site? I use Wix, like Texan does, and it has some limitations, but I have put on a few extra grey hairs trying to make it user-friendly (not always succeeding).

I have always been a huge fan of JetCollector and Eztoys. Their websites and customer service are top-notch.

 

[Barison82]

I posted this in the same convo going on in DAC.

I just went and did my own homework and this is what I’ve found. Last update on China Tariffs was 01.01.2025. I can’t see the applicable HTS number listed there. On HTS Rev.1 the rates of duty for the applicable sub-heading under the “General” column are shown as “free”. Under column 2 it shows “70%” but I can’t work out what that part means?

However it appears that there are no tariffs currently applied to goods under HTS sub-heading 9503.30.00? This could always change of course as not updated since 01 Jan 2025, but these are the current live documents.

I haven’t had any email about this from my own go-to US retailer, JetCollector. Will just have to keep an eye on it?

 

[diecastfreak]

I was trying to compare their prices and I was able to combine "bobcat" and free shipping but I did not finish the transaction, so not sure if it actually works.

Waffle prices are almost always a bit lower than everybody else, in the U.S. at least. He also has a 10% code but it is not easy to use, I need to input it many times for it to work. But it does help when it workd. For instance, earlier today I ordered a model from his collection sale. The model was $50, shipping was $7 and some change. After the code, I paid $52.15 in total. His variety probably makes him comparable/competitive also.

I do offer free shipping above $120, and I do allow it to be combined with a code. But my stock is limited. I don't currently carry NG, for example. I am in talks with them though, they are the last big brand that I need to add to my site, but I'm not in a hurry to do so. We had a spike of sales recently with the Patriot DC-10s and the Panda 763s, MD-11s. I don't think I would like to be that busy all the time. So, I would like to pace any future expansion. Plus, the tariffs on China don't help either.

Waffle customer service is awful. To buy from him is to expect broken products he doesnt check before shipping and a shitload of swearing if you make a complaint.

 

[Rrrk]

Have you been able to go through the entire stock on my site? I use Wix, like Texan does, and it has some limitations, but I have put on a few extra grey hairs trying to make it user-friendly (not always succeeding).

No problems on this end

 

[Jazajia]

No problems on this end

Thanks bud! It's always good to see a different point of view.

Waffle customer service is awful. To buy from him is to expect broken products he doesnt check before shipping and a shitload of swearing if you make a complaint.

I have heard about the swearing, but I have never been on the receiving end, and I have given him reasons to do so. It is true that he seems to have a higher rate of broken models, but not by much. I have received broken models from just about every other retailer. I have had to work out two issues with Waffle in 15 years (I actually bought my first 1:400 scale model from him) and haven't had any bad experiences.

 

[diecastfreak]

Thanks bud! It's always good to see a different point of view.



I have heard about the swearing, but I have never been on the receiving end, and I have given him reasons to do so. It is true that he seems to have a higher rate of broken models, but not by much. I have received broken models from just about every other retailer. I have had to work out two issues with Waffle in 15 years (I actually bought my first 1:400 scale model from him) and haven't had any bad experiences.

My first purchase was awful. I bought a few models from him and all arrived with the landing gear damaged. He didnt offer replacement gears and blamed on transport company. When I asked to ship them back, he cursed a me. Never again, he is beyond damaged.

 

[ChairFlyer101]

Thanks bud! It's always good to see a different point of view.



I have heard about the swearing, but I have never been on the receiving end, and I have given him reasons to do so. It is true that he seems to have a higher rate of broken models, but not by much. I have received broken models from just about every other retailer. I have had to work out two issues with Waffle in 15 years (I actually bought my first 1:400 scale model from him) and haven't had any bad experiences.

Same experience. I’ve had a few damaged models come from him and just sent an email. Free replacement every time without hassle. Yes they are less responsive in general but if it’s a damaged model they always do get back to you.

 

[British Airways fan]

https://www.reuters.com/business/trump-signs-order-delaying-tariffs-de-minimis-imports-china-2025-02-07/

Looks like there is a pause on tariffs for now

 

[Rrrk]

Hopefully the couple packages I have coming in can sqeak through before they get the Trump Tax back online.

 

[keji833]

Regarding my package, UPS left a notice demanding $60 on my $145.80 package, absolutely nuts!

Hence, please do NOT buy from WCD as of now from the State, Dan was also not very helpful by responding with a template email with a hard tone.

Please do NOT listen to their Ins post saying buy fast/buy now as tarrifs are on pause. They are not and you are subject to heavy duty I warn you now.

 

[ghqv2988]

Regarding my package, UPS left a notice demanding $60 on my $145.80 package, absolutely nuts!

Hence, please do NOT buy from WCD as of now from the State, Dan was also not very helpful by responding with a template email with a hard tone.

Please do NOT listen to their Ins post saying buy fast/buy now as tarrifs are on pause. They are not and you are subject to heavy duty I warn you now.

That is crazy! How was the notice provided? If the $60 isn't paid, what happens? Sorry that you're stuck in that situation, that sounds awful!

 

[keji833]

That is crazy! How was the notice provided? If the $60 isn't paid, what happens? Sorry that you're stuck in that situation, that sounds awful!

I wasn't home when they attempted it but this is what I got. The fee is also shown on the tracking site. So $60 is two parts, $45 brokerage fee and $ tariff

I also wonder what happens if it's not paid, will they ship it back to the sender? That could be the best case in this situation. If anyone has experience please let us know.

Dan also said in the email that "I would do self clear as you would save on the 50$ brokerage fees but call UPS and tell them it has been paused and have the fees waived." -- I've heard that UPS only allow self clear before it clears custom and even if they do it would be much hassle from some shared experiences, so I don't think this is a valid option. But again if anyone has done it please share your exp.

Yes this is crazy, in my case I will probably pay up the fee as I'm way too busy to deal all the forms & stuff.

But it will be my last time buying from them and I strongly strongly suggest thinking twice before buying NG/PH/JC/AV from Canadian stores in the States before the situation is 100% cleared. Do not listen to tariff pause claims unless there is explicit evidence that suggests otherwise.

 

[ChairFlyer101]

I wasn't home when they attempted it but this is what I got. The fee is also shown on the tracking site. So $60 is two parts, $45 brokerage fee and $ tariff

I also wonder what happens if it's not paid, will they ship it back to the sender? That could be the best case in this situation. If anyone has experience please let us know.

Dan also said in the email that "I would do self clear as you would save on the 50$ brokerage fees but call UPS and tell them it has been paused and have the fees waived." -- I've heard that UPS only allow self clear before it clears custom and even if they do it would be much hassle from some shared experiences, so I don't think this is a valid option. But again if anyone has done it please share your exp.

Yes this is crazy, in my case I will probably pay up the fee as I'm way too busy to deal all the forms & stuff.

But it will be my last time buying from them and I strongly strongly suggest thinking twice before buying NG/PH/JC/AV from Canadian stores in the States before the situation is 100% cleared. Do not listen to tariff pause claims unless there is explicit evidence that suggests otherwise.

View attachment 38028

Well the other question is when did it clear customs? Did it clear before the tariff pause?

 

[Jazajia]

Regarding my package, UPS left a notice demanding $60 on my $145.80 package, absolutely nuts!

Hence, please do NOT buy from WCD as of now from the State, Dan was also not very helpful by responding with a template email with a hard tone.

Please do NOT listen to their Ins post saying buy fast/buy now as tarrifs are on pause. They are not and you are subject to heavy duty I warn you now.

Disclaimer: As of now I am not deeply familiar with the tariff situation and how it is actually affecting us.

But don't blame Dan for this. Knowing him, I am 100% sure he would not have sold you anything if he knew this would have been the outcome.

This is a tough one from the retailer's side. It is not like the seller did anything wrong, it is politics disrupting business.

@keji833, I understand this is frustrating and seems unfair to you, but how is it fair for Dan to eat up those $60 instead? I know those $60 will probably leave him with no profit on that order, and maybe with a slight loss. It could be easy to say that that's not your problem, and you might have a valid point, but remember that if you decide to own a business in the future you could very well find yourself in Dan's shoes.

The whole situation is unfortunate. I hope you guys can work out a good compromise soon, and more importantly, that the whole tariff situation leaves the headlines soon and we can go back to business a usual in our hobby.

 

[LorenzoLommus]

Waffle customer service is awful. To buy from him is to expect broken products he doesnt check before shipping and a shitload of swearing if you make a complaint.

Right on. The stuffs he sells look almost like they got run over by big rigs

 

[British Airways fan]

I wasn't home when they attempted it but this is what I got. The fee is also shown on the tracking site. So $60 is two parts, $45 brokerage fee and $ tariff

I also wonder what happens if it's not paid, will they ship it back to the sender? That could be the best case in this situation. If anyone has experience please let us know.

Dan also said in the email that "I would do self clear as you would save on the 50$ brokerage fees but call UPS and tell them it has been paused and have the fees waived." -- I've heard that UPS only allow self clear before it clears custom and even if they do it would be much hassle from some shared experiences, so I don't think this is a valid option. But again if anyone has done it please share your exp.

Yes this is crazy, in my case I will probably pay up the fee as I'm way too busy to deal all the forms & stuff.

But it will be my last time buying from them and I strongly strongly suggest thinking twice before buying NG/PH/JC/AV from Canadian stores in the States before the situation is 100% cleared. Do not listen to tariff pause claims unless there is explicit evidence that suggests otherwise.

View attachment 38028

You can definitely self clear after it clears though customs, I have self cleared from USA and to Canada, I just went to the customs office with my form from ups/dhl just paid the taxes got the form from CBP and gave it to UPS/DHL and got my package, just paid the taxes and not the silly brokerage fee. This extreme brokerage fee is very common for Canadians who buy products from the states. Maybe USPS is the way to go since they only charge the taxes and no brokerage. But I don’t think it’s fair to call out Dan like this as he is just as in the middle of things as you are, this whole tariff thing is a mess as of how quickly things change

 

[ChairFlyer101]

You can definitely self clear after it clears though customs, I have self cleared from USA and to Canada, I just went to the customs office with my form from ups/dhl just paid the taxes got the form from CBP and gave it to UPS/DHL and got my package, just paid the taxes and not the silly brokerage fee. This extreme brokerage fee is very common for Canadians who buy products from the states. Maybe USPS is the way to go since they only charge the taxes and no brokerage. But I don’t think it’s fair to call out Dan like this as he is just as in the middle of things as you are, this whole tariff thing is a mess as of how quickly things change

You can self clear in the US? Or just Canada? Everywhere I read I’ve only seen Canadians do it. Do you need to tell UPS you want to clear it ahead of it arriving in the states and how does it work?

 

[keji833]

Disclaimer: As of now I am not deeply familiar with the tariff situation and how it is actually affecting us.

But don't blame Dan for this. Knowing him, I am 100% sure he would not have sold you anything if he knew this would have been the outcome.

This is a tough one from the retailer's side. It is not like the seller did anything wrong, it is politics disrupting business.

@keji833, I understand this is frustrating and seems unfair to you, but how is it fair for Dan to eat up those $60 instead? I know those $60 will probably leave him with no profit on that order, and maybe with a slight loss. It could be easy to say that that's not your problem, and you might have a valid point, but remember that if you decide to own a business in the future you could very well find yourself in Dan's shoes.

The whole situation is unfortunate. I hope you guys can work out a good compromise soon, and more importantly, that the whole tariff situation leaves the headlines soon and we can go back to business a usual in our hobby.

Please do not presume my intention. I'm not saying he should eat it up and I am NOT blaming him for the tariff. In fact, I very much do feel extremely bad for him and for any seller in that situation.

What I'm saying is he could very much have said something like "I'm sorry for your situation", which would have softened things a lot. The way he framed it seems like a blame on the buyer entirely. If I were the seller I would definitely go out to say "I'm very sorry this happened to you. I have also other customers reporting the same thing, and here is what they did that you could also try xxxx. Let me know how it goes xxxx".

And I will definitely keep buying from him if the tariffs are indeed removed in the future since he's been reliable for a long time.

 

[keji833]

You can self clear in the US? Or just Canada? Everywhere I read I’ve only seen Canadians do it. Do you need to tell UPS you want to clear it ahead of it arriving in the states and how does it work?

I have the same question, how do you do it in the States? UPS just loops me around. In general I think you need to clear it BEFORE they arrive at least last time I called.

 

[swagninja84]

Well one question that comes up is what is UPS telling shippers.

A bit of digging on their website doesn't come up with much, with references to De Minimis (Section 321)
The CBP website also still references De Minimis.

I think because the orange tub of lard doesn't know WTF he is doing, the agencies responsible to handling the enforcement do not know what to do, nor do the transporters.

TLDR: everything is effed because of an orange idiot.