Tariffs and Film and Paper prices

[BrianShaw]

Can't the sales tax and tariffs and import duties be paid to an international shipper like DHL along with their shipping charges? Then DHL pays the government for the purchaser? Just like ebay or Paypal would do?

That's exactly what Greg was implying in post 364. Yes, that is a funstion that most, if not all, international shipping companies offer. Have you not seen the periodic threads with gripes about shippers like that and their exorbinant processing fees and (not of hteir doing) import duties? How have you not noticed these discussions?; they seem to come up on a regular basis.

 

[BrianShaw]

I believe when B&H in the USA ships internationally, they collect all foreign charges and reimbursed the foreign governments. These costs are included of course, in their total selling price. So what do you do in Canada if you buy something directly from the original manufacturer or store that doesn't handle these charges? How do you get the package in Alberta?

They have a service where they estimate and forward the funds to the international shipping broker.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/International.jsp#dutiesTaxes

If you opt to pre-pay, we will collect and pass-thru to a licensed broker the import duties and taxes on your behalf. By choosing this service, you authorize B&H to charge any additional import duties, or taxes to the original payment method. You also authorize us to charge any subsequent delivery fee resulting from incorrectly identifying your delivery location as a business vs. residential address to the original payment method.

Brokerage​

The goods will be imported by a locally approved/licensed agent on behalf of the consignee/ebuyer. The consignee authorizes B&H Photo Video to delegate the obligation to import the goods on their behalf to a subcontractor (e.g. customs broker). When you place an order for shipment Internationally, you are authorizing the customs broker designated by us or our contractor to act as agent on the importer's behalf (whether the Importer is you or another person) to clear, report, and account for the imported merchandise and remit all applicable duties, fees and taxes arising from such importation, on behalf of the Importer in accordance with all applicable legal requirements. This authorization does not preclude and may still require the consignee to complete a written POA directly with the customs broker. The consignee will pay the taxes and duties in addition to the purchase price of the goods.

 

[GregY]

Can't the sales tax and tariffs and import duties be paid to an international shipper like DHL along with their shipping charges? Then DHL pays the government for the purchaser? Just like ebay or Paypal would do?

Well for those big international companies that's true...but there is a charge for the customs clearance, and their freight rates are typically higher. But for that to work the tariffs must be stable.... otherwise how can the companies be expected to react to the daily whims of those threatening the tariffs?
Which is why, I as an individual am not importing or exporting anything from/to the USA at this time. Big corporations are also currently doing that...which upsets supply chains.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

That's correct in my experience, and is the reason why I (living in the EU) nearly always buy from individual sellers within the EU ... no additional taxes to pay. (Like buying from within the US if you live in the US, it's very straightforward.)

When I buy stuff from outside the EU, I tend to use eBay, AliExpress or Amazon, all of whom handle the Value Added Tax (VAT) without charging extra fees. We pay VAT on almost everything (except food, books, children's clothes) within the EU, and "everything" also includes things we import from outside the EU ... there is no escaping VAT and for me (Ireland) its a whopping 23%.

If I buy from an individual seller outside the EU, the courier or postal service collects the VAT and charges an extra fee for doing so. But a bigger problem, especially when the seller is not used to international norms (i.e. many US sellers!), is that the seller fails to put the correct HS/Taric code on the package, so it gets returned to the seller by customs. Sellers can't just write "camera" on the customs form, they must put a HS/Taric code. I'd say the VAT charges are the lessor of the two issues, getting the documentation right is the bigger issue.

How does eBay know what the correct HS/Taric code is if the seller just puts "camera" on the box or if the seller gives them the wrong code?

 

[GregY]

How does eBay know what the correct HS/Taric code is if the seller just puts "camera" on the box or if the seller gives them the wrong code?

Ebay does not & errors occur. Here's the catch with international sales & why i avoid buying from EBay sellers in the USA. Ebay charges for shipping....and ships through their midwest hub...from which the box is sent on to customs in Ontario. There the box can languish for weeks (or disappear)...then it gets transferred to DHL Canada...who contacts me with an amount owing if i ever want to see the goods..once paid, the closer it gets to me DHL may offload to a local delivery service... A real nightmare.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Alan - there is no light at the end of the tunnel - because the whole damn tunnel is so arbitrarily twisted and contorted that nobody even knows how long it is, or how long it will get. Supply chains getting disrupted for even a few months can send thousands businesses in many countries into the ditch, even worse than what happened during the pandemic. Just wait until you need a car repair and all the already obscenely expensive parts cost twice as much. I've gotta pick up another doorknob and some grab bars for the bathroom remodel before the price doubles. Plywood is already up 400% from what it was when I retired. With a tariff war with China, what was a $15 sheet of underlayment or roofing ply not long ago is apt to be a $100 sheet quite soon. So much for "affordable housing" or even realistic recovery from a firestorm, flood, or tornado. The sledgehammer has just barely begun to come down hard.

Building new big factories here can take a decade or longer, and cost billions of dollars apiece, including finding and training suitable labor. Entire infrastructures have to be rebuilt; and that takes a lot of time, as well the kind of sheer risk which many investors simply aren't willing to take on in such an unpredictable financial environment. The one significant variable certain economics geeks don't know how to factor into their blackboard equations is common sense.

 

[GregY]

Alan - there is no light at the end of the tunnel - because the whole damn tunnel is so arbitrarily twisted and contorted that nobody even knows how long it is, or how long it will get. Supply chains getting disrupted for even a few months can send thousands businesses in many countries into the ditch, even worse than what happened during the pandemic. Just wait until you need a car repair and all the already obscenely expensive parts cost twice as much. I've gotta pick up another doorknob and some grab bars for the bathroom remodel before the price doubles. Plywood is already up 400% from what it was when I retired. With a tariff war with China, what was a $15 sheet of underlayment or roofing ply not long ago is apt to be a $100 sheet quite soon. So much for "affordable housing" or even realistic recovery from a firestorm, flood, or tornado. The sledgehammer has just barely begun to come down hard.

Building new big factories here can take a decade or longer, and cost billions of dollars apiece, including finding and training suitable labor. Entire infrastructures have to be rebuilt; and that takes a lot of time, as well the kind of sheer risk which many investors simply aren't willing to take on in such an unpredictable financial environment. The one significant variable certain economics geeks don't know how to factor into their blackboard equations is common sense.

....to extrapolate..... parts for new cars come from many countries....the production of new vehicles comes to a grinding halt.
Parts....yes.... we think of the pain when our Contax T, Canon T90, or Leica M7 can't be repaired because there are no spare parts....

 

[pentaxuser]

Also worth noting that Starmer says he is working to negotiate to "remove or reduce" the US tariffs and that such a deal "is already within reach, possibly within weeks."

I wonder what he has to offer DT that also gives the U.K. a reasonable deal?

pentaxuser

 

[MurrayMinchin]

I wonder what he has to offer DT that also gives the U.K. a reasonable deal?

pentaxuser

A little history from the Canadian perspective.

We had a decades long free trade agreement with the US which DT renegotiated in his first term. This time around he has ripped up that deal claiming we are ripping the US off. It's his own deal that he's complaining about.

How can any country trust any agreement with a trading partner like that?

 

[GregY]

A little history from the Canadian perspective.

We had a decades long free trade agreement with the US which DT renegotiated in his first term. This time around he has ripped up that deal claiming we are ripping the US off. It's his own deal that he's complaining about.

How can any country trust any agreement with a trading partner like that?

 

[MattKing]

Prior to all this kerfuffle, the average duty rate paid by US importers for importing from all international sources was approximately 1-3%.
After the so called 90 day pause, the average duty rate decreases from the expected 32% before the pause to approximately 25%.
So if you are wondering about price increases from a high volume, low inventory seller like B&H, the duty rates might help you understand the situation.

 

[AERO]

I look at all this like..you/I have a car..petrol price keeps going up..you/I still buy and drive.
Same will be with photographic supplies...

 

[GregY]

I look at all this like..you/I have a car..petrol price keeps going up..you/I still buy and drive.
Same will be with photographic supplies...

it's not exactly the same. Film, paper & chemistry are produced in many countries. There are choices. Do you go to the gas station where the people are friendly, the bathrooms are clean and you can put air in your tires for free? ... or the rundown one that looks more like a crack house ?

 

[pentaxuser]

A little history from the Canadian perspective.

We had a decades long free trade agreement with the US which DT renegotiated in his first term. This time around he has ripped up that deal claiming we are ripping the US off. It's his own deal that he's complaining about.

How can any country trust any agreement with a trading partner like that?

Thanks and I appreciate the Canadian perspective based on recent history but I am still genuinely curious as to what Starmer might have in his negotiating bag that would give DT a reason to lower or rescind his 10% tariff and then want to stick to that agreement

I was hoping that as dhkirby sounded quite optimistic of an agreement he might say what he thought it may be

pentaxuser

 

[Chuck1]

it's not exactly the same. Film paper chemistry are produced in many countries. Do you go to the gas station where the people are friendly, the bathrooms are clean and you can put air in your tires for free? ... or the run down one that looks more like a crack house ?

Crack 🏚

 

[dhkirby]

that may be so, but Tri-X comes from a U.S. company. Also the GBP has recently strengthened against the USD....that affects the price of goods originating in the UK.

Yes; my bringing Tri-X into the conversation was to say that B&H raised prices in a way that didn't match the tariffs but used them as an implicit excuse for the raises, since Tri-X would theoretically not be affected by the tariffs but could be raised the same amount as its main competitor, HP5, in the pursuit of higher profits.

Thanks and I appreciate the Canadian perspective based on recent history but I am still genuinely curious as to what Starmer might have in his negotiating bag that would give DT a reason to lower or rescind his 10% tariff and then want to stick to that agreement

I was hoping that as dhkirby sounded quite optimistic of an agreement he might say what he thought it may be

pentaxuser

From the Washington Post (same article I quoted earlier): "The British have already offered to cut tariffs on imported American beef and fish, according to two people familiar with the negotiations between London and Washington, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions. And Starmer's government is ready to put an even bigger prize on the table: lowering British taxes paid by big American tech companies..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/04/britain-trade-deal-trump-tariffs/

Other things I've read suggest the auto industry is also key to the negotiations, and there seem to be things the US wants that the UK is unwilling to give at present, such as changes to import restrictions on some US agriculture.

As an American I also just want to say that I have much love for our British and Canadian friends. I hope this gets resolved for many reasons, but the one that's relevant to this forum is that I see Kodak's B&W films as being inferior to Harman's, with the exception of Tri-X, and would prefer to have your films in my cameras as fast and as cheaply as possible.

Hopefully I kept that all on topic.

 

[GregY]

Yes; my bringing Tri-X into the conversation was to say that B&H raised prices in a way that didn't match the tariffs but used them as an implicit excuse for the raises, since Tri-X would theoretically not be affected by the tariffs but could be raised the same amount as its main competitor, HP5, in the pursuit of higher profits.




From the Washington Post (same article I quoted earlier): "The British have already offered to cut tariffs on imported American beef and fish, according to two people familiar with the negotiations between London and Washington, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions. And Starmer's government is ready to put an even bigger prize on the table: lowering British taxes paid by big American tech companies..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/04/britain-trade-deal-trump-tariffs/

Other things I've read suggest the auto industry is also key to the negotiations, and there seem to be things the US wants that the UK is unwilling to give at present, such as changes to import restrictions on some US agriculture.

As an American I also just want to say that I have much love for our British and Canadian friends. I hope this gets resolved for many ireasons, but the one that's relevant to this forum is that I see Kodak's B&W films as being inferior to Harman's, with the exception of Tri-X, and would prefer to have your films in my cameras as fast and as cheaply as possible.

Hopefully I kept that all on topic.

I'd suggest that's your personal preference. Kodak films both present & historic have long been well regarded and have been used for innumerable fine photographs. (Plus X, XX, & the Tmax films.....)
Likely as many photographers could claim Kodak films as being superior.
Is there any evidence on either side?
Both make professional grade film of the highest standard.

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for the reply, dhkirby You may be right but as far as I know the U.K. government has already rules out lowering taxers on U.S. big tech

There may be some leeway in agricultural products but Starmer has to be careful that whatever he gives does not interfere with his aim of getting closer to the EU.

I remain less optimistic than you that a deal to remove the 10% tariff is likely unless there is some kind of "soft power" deal available but he has already offered DT a state visit and I presume that any extension of that kind of an offer which benefits the POTUS alone in exchange for a lower or zero tariff might not be what DT can accept for the sake of his reputation with his supporters and voters

Still who is to know what leaders of governments believe is the strength of their positions.

pentaxuser

 

[BrianShaw]

We will probably know only after the deals are done, and there may be little assurance that any deal will stick.

 

[GregY]

We will probably know only after the deals are done, and there may be little assurance that any deal will stick.

That's the true story....

 

[Craig]

How does eBay know what the correct HS/Taric code is if the seller just puts "camera" on the box or if the seller gives them the wrong code?

Ebay doesn’t know, the seller has to declare what the item is and provide the proper HS code.

Some sellers can ship duty prepaid, but most are only set up to ship duty postpaid. Prepaid means that the tax owing is calculated when the purchaser buys the item and the seller remits the tax to the government of the importer.

As an example, i can buy autoparts from Rockauto.com and the GST is calculated and I pay that when I pay for the parts. Rockauto is registered with the Canadian government and has a Canadian tax number (rockauto is a US company and the parts ship from the US.) so when the package arrives it is delivered like a domestic package as it is already tax paid.

Most companies will not do this for every government in the world, they send the package post paid. That means customs of the government of importer ( the purchaser) determines what tax needs to be paid and the purchaser needs to deal with their government’s customs to pay the tax.

Outside of a few big vendors for a select few countries, most sellers of cameras fall into the second category.

 

[DREW WILEY]

B&H sells a LOT of electronics, plus digi camera gear. As their own cost on most of that skyrockets, it will inevitably shrink corresponding sales substantially. So they'll have to make back some of difference elsewhere. These current events might be likened to shock therapy; but it's potentially more like an electric chair execution to businesses largely dependent on imports. Even a considerable number of restaurants could collapse in this area, because so many of them specialize in ethnic cuisine with imported ingredients. Our famed wine industry is already becoming seriously affected both directions.

And just make stuff here? - when lots of the specialized machinery itself has to come from somewhere else. Just building a house or working in the yard - nearly every power tool brand being sold in this country, with just a couple partial exceptions, is now made in China. What had been a piece of toyish homeowner junk costing one of two hundred dollars will soon be two or four hundred dollars.

But that nuthin' like what will happen to "must have" smartphones etc unless somebody with a giant ego in the OK Corral standoff blinks soon.

 

[lecarp]

I look at all this like..you/I have a car..petrol price keeps going up..you/I still buy and drive.
Same will be with photographic supplies...

I will drive much less.
I will buy photographic supplies, in a more thoughtful way however. (hopefully in a way that avoids the orange seeing any profit)

 

[lecarp]

I look at all this like..you/I have a car..petrol price keeps going up..you/I still buy and drive.
Same will be with photographic supplies...

it's not exactly the same. Film, paper & chemistry are produced in many countries. There are choices. Do you go to the gas station where the people are friendly, the bathrooms are clean and you can put air in your tires for free? ... or the rundown one that looks more like a crack house ?

Definitely the clean bathroom and free air, its closer to home so i save on gas.
But, if the crack house has cheaper film prices I'm all in!

 

[mshchem]

I love You All!!!

So amazing how if Shutterbugs ran the planet everything would be fine

I'm still planning on slipping into Ontario some night even if I have to swim South from Detroit