Looks like, if Trump gets his way, low shipping charges from China might be increased (no more cheap prices on ebay kits?):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2018/10/19/donald-trump-says-its-time-china-started-paying-the-going-rate-for-mail-deliveries/#675c57803446

Won't affect you though,your in Canada ?
I guess it is kind of silly to classify China as developing country.

This is not another "Tariff War", but could affect shipping charges from China to world-wide.


edit: Actually you might be right, but the UPU is a world-wide organization, and the article doesn't clarify if this would just effect China/US shipping, or China/world-wide shipping.

I think it may only be for China-U.S. shipping, as unless it changes China's status as a 'developing nation' then it wouldn't affect what they charge to other countries.

I think it may only affect direct shipping to individuals for the most part. I wonder if it will affect the shippers who wait until they fill a cargo container for the volume discounts.

Break it down. IF, as Trump desires us to, the US quits the UPC, the UPC rules for ALL international postal shipments and fees for goods posted from any and ALL current UPC members into and out of the US will vacated. ALL US-over-seas postal costs will be up for possible changes - not just China-to-US postal shipping and fees.

It will not matter whether the sending country is listed as being "developing" or "developed". The UPC is a long-standing international agreement to standardize international postal shipping and delivery charges. IF we quit the UPC, we go back to a "pre-UPC" world where everyone else will be free to charge whatever they want for postal deliveries sent FROM the US over-seas, AND our USPS will be free to charge whatever it wants to for domestic handling and delivery of foreign post sent HERE. It's not just about China, friends.

As for the "who will be affected" question: Bulk commercial shipments won't be. Those container-loads of small Chinese stuff, including bulk shipments of Chinese model kits sent to distribution warehouses in the US, are not goods traveling as "mail" - they are commercial shipments - same as cars, bulk food, etc. So kit distributors here in the US who order bulk piles of kits won't be paying more for their kits - they aren't shipping through either ChinaPost or the USPS.

Those of us who individually buy a kit from a Chinese eBay vendor who posts it via ChinaPost to be delivered by the USPS here in the US WILL be affected. IF that vendor sends it via ChinaPost to a US shipping warehouse be delivered in the US by some other service (FedEx, UPS, etc.), the shipping costs MAY or MAY NOT be affected - that will depend on whether ChinaPost is involved AND ChinaPost decides to charge some different, non-UPC rate, for its service to a US port-of-entry. IF your individual kit falls into the hands of our glorious postal service, the cost of its delivery to you from China - or from any other country - WILL be free to change, if we quit UPC.

Personally, I expect that we will not exit the UPC, whether Trump wants to quit it or not. The potential increased cost for companies that get stuff sent by via some foreign postal system from overseas to USPS for domestic delivery will certainly raise their interests in this question. The USPS may well be "losing" millions of bucks because of the UPC, but US companies and US citizens won't be very interested in paying higher domestic postal charges just to allegedly bail out the USPS. And, in the end, folks, it will be US, not overseas shippers, who will ultimately PAY MORE for postage and our DOMESTIC DELIVERIES if we quit the UPC.

IF YOU don't want to have to pay MORE for goods POSTED from overseas to you, perhaps YOU should speak up and signal your Congress-person that YOU don't want to quit the UPC.

Cheers! Bob

I stopped buying anything from China about three months ago after the purchasing three kits, from three different sellers, via eBay that never arrived. The sellers all had lots of positive feedback, package tracking, with everything looking completely legit.

All three showed they were shipped and delivered when in fact, none were actually even sent. eBay refunded when the sellers could not provide evidence of the actual tracking.

Total waste of time, so I am done!

I've ordered a few small things directly from sellers in China, but with more expensive items like kits I'd rather get them from a seller in Japan or the U.S. so I can be assured there will be no problems. There is a Bronco kit that just arrived in LA from Hobbylink, hopefully in my sweaty hands by the end of the week. The peace of mind doing it that way was worth a few extra dollars.

Not to be contrarian, but I'm not too concerned about an increase in kit prices. If you are anything like me, you have more model kits than time to build them. It's easy to become a model kit "collector" rather than a builder.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE buying new kits (theres nothing like the first time you crack open the box of a brand new kit and inspect the parts. I get excited just thinking about it).

Yet, at the same time, if kits are more expensive, maybe it will force us to buy less kits and focus on the ones that we REALLY WANT. Or force us to focus on taking our craft to the next level on some kits we already have.

I guess what I'm really saying is that while more expensive kits might be a drag, a change in our focus might get us through.

Here we go again...

Hey, looks like we share a love of foxes:

I'm with you, Jon! LOTS more than I can ever build, and hey, I love new kits, too! But the supply of new kits could dry up and become dust tomorrow for all I really care! At this point, if I ever "need" a "new" kit of a "new" subject, all I need to do is dig into my stash!

Just kidding, folks! New kits are like a new kidney when you really need one!

The IPMS nats will be here in just over a month! Better get building and painting!

Bob

Since I tend to do things OOB and not worry about super accuracy (as long as it looks the part to me I am fine; my guests don't know a Mustang from a Spitfire or a Panther from a Sherman half the time) based on my current rate of output I am good for at least 20 years of model building. By then, I may be very close to death unless 2020 results in a second civil war.

What the Fox?!?!?!?

I wouldn't worry about it too much. If things play out as usual, this is just a start of a renegotiation process. And let's face it, China has benefited heavily from, and has outgrown, many of these older agreements. Any rate changes should only impact direct orders from Chinese sellers. I don't order from Chinese suppliers so it shouldn't hit me.

Hi, All!

You know what? Some of you guys have fallen prey to the "scare-tactics and hype" of the "Chicken Littles" in the mainstream media.

You should all know by now that "sensationalism" is their middle name...

If You know anything about the "Man in the Oval Office", you'll know that President Trump is first and foremost a "businessman and a negotiator". The "talk-tough-stuff" is merely the opening ploy. I'm sure that the President doesn't want a nuclear WAR to come out of some tough-sounding rhetoric that is only the opening to some tough negotiating in order for the United States (and the rest of the world, when you come right down to it) to get a "better deal".

If we don't get higher tariffs handed down upon our collective tax-paying heads here in the United States, you can rest-assured that BOTH Houses of Congress will make sure that they find a sure-fire way or another for our multitudinous and varied TAXES to go up anyway... SO SUCK IT UP, come what may. I was just reading on line this morning that several of our States are already gearing-up to raise the fuel-taxes at our gas pumps by "an average" of 20-cents per-gallon. Nice, huh? Guess who's going to get blamed for that..?

If that Sd.Kfz.2-and-a-half is too expensive for you, wait a few weeks until you have a few more bucks in your moth-eaten wallets, and THEN buy the g******ed thing!!! An easy way for you to save a few extra bucks, is to cut down on your junk-food and beer...

I'm just going to wait and see. Personally I have had good luck ordering from Asia. I got the Border PZ IV for 30.00 US shipped free, and it arrived without incident. The Meng M4A3 was offered at 23.00 US shipped free, so I took a chance on it, and I'm waiting for it to arrive. I've seen it for 18.00 on EBay lately.

Long ago the humorist Will Rogers said:

If a man steals $100.00 we send him to jail. If he steals $1,000,000 we send him to congress.

That's how I view ALL of them, regardless of party.

Hmmm...to paraphrase Will Rogers: if a man sexually assaults a woman, he goes to jail. If he assaults 22+ women, he goes to the White House.

I despise them all equally.

Considering the kind of person running your country, I'd be careful about the jokes I cracked.

You're comparing Trudeau to Trump??? Granted, Trudeau proved to be no angel, but really?? I think you've been listening to too much "fake news"!

Are you under the impression using the term "fake news" or the little hand-waving emoji absolves you of sounding clueless?