Yes. Manufacture is a multi stage operation. Transportation costs (waste) is balanced against production cost at each stage. Tariffs are one (synthetic) aspect

Yes. Manufacture is a multi stage operation. Transportation costs (waste) is balanced against production cost at each stage. Tariffs are one (synthetic) aspect of production costs. This may be a hint that the tariff structure is inconsistent, or perhaps it working fine and transportation waste is an acceptable cost. One way to look at is that it's often cheaper to export inputs (cells) for foreign assemble and then reimport the outputs, even if tariffs are not a factor in the location of the inputs. I believe steel or aluminum or oil is similar in that taw materials are mined/extracted somewhere, sent elsewhere for processing, and then finished products sent back. You yourself might have once sent a piece of equipment or repair via mail order, or sent your children away temporarily for education?