Hang on are tarriffs not effective on date of purchase? I'm not American but it seems madness to apply them at any other time as then no one knows what will actually need paid if you've someone like Trump changing them frequently.
More typical policy would give 90 days notice so businesses could plan ahead. This policy was implemented far too fast with far too high of numbers and now it’s also changing rapidly. It doesn’t make sense.
> I'm not American but it seems madness to apply them at any other time
I’m American and I fully agree it’s madness. This administration clearly doesn’t understand or even care how businesses work. They just thought this was going to be a chest-thumping bargaining chip that caused other countries to come begging at the negotiation table.
It’s not working and now they’re panicking. They don’t want to look weak by backing down so we’re suffering.
Raising prices on everything is not going to help the majority of Americans. Taxing the rich might have but half the rationale for these tariffs is tax cuts for the rich.
There is no plan or logic to this.
The factories have to be designed and built. This includes all of the manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, automation, etc. All of which are done by reasonably paid, middle class engineers and trades.
Then you have all the 2nd order businesses that get stimulated. Energy must be provided. Mines, mills, refineries, etc. to make the raw materials. The packaging for the end products. Logistics for supplies and end products.
All of the value above used to be in the US but has been captured overseas for decades now.
Development of manufacturing takes time. If that were truly the logic behind the tariffs, wouldn't it make more sense to slowly ramp up tariffs on particular categories of goods with a long notice period to allow time for industries to develop?
Also why all the talk about "punishing" other countries for "taking advantage" if the real goal is to bring manufacturing home?
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-pr...
Except, of course, if we did that, the government wouldn't be able to hand those factories over to their friends or political allies. That's the real feature of these "industrial policy" moves, not a bug.
Argentina has been running a nearly identical playbook for decades: impose high tariffs and taxes on imports, hand out subsidies to politically connected local manufacturers, and claim it's all in the name of "national production" and "job creation." The result? Inefficient, uncompetitive factories that only survive because they're protected from global markets. Consumers get stuck paying absurd prices for low-quality goods, innovation dies, and the overall economy stagnates. The only real winners are the cronies who cash in on state favors.
If the U.S. goes down that same path, just like Argentina, it's not going to end in a manufacturing renaissance. It's going to end in inflation, stagnation, and a bunch of overpriced junk no one wants to buy.
But when tariffs change faster than it takes to get the shipment from source to destination, the bond won't be for the right amount. You then enter the wonderful world of "insufficient bonds". Here's "Understanding Insufficient Customs Bonds in Nine Easy Steps", which outlines the process and tries to sell you on a service that deals with the problem.[1]
Coming May 2: the end of "de miniumus" customs exemptions for small packages under $800 value. Goodbye, Shein, Ali Express, and dropshippers. Unless, of course, the rules are changed again.
[1] https://www.afcinternationalllc.com/customs-brokerage-news/u...