5 ms·

>So is drop shipping from China now dead? Probably. This is going to drop a lot of sellers off of Amazon and eBay, and likely have major effects on independent

>So is drop shipping from China now dead? Probably. This is going to drop a lot of sellers off of Amazon and eBay, and likely have major effects on independent small business dollar/99c stores.

Scoundreller 7y ago
Oh great, now I get to buy the same item from Walmart at 20x the price. If I can even find the one I need.
- mieseratte 7y ago
  Wal-Mart merchandise is not shipped via international post. This UPU situation has no influence here.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    If Chinese sellers get locked out, where will I turn to buy those same goods?
    - czinck 7y ago
      They won't be locked out, they'll just now have to pay whatever the standard rates for USPS shipping (or whichever carrier they'll use), instead of the artificially low rates mandated by the UPU. Presumably someone (whether in China or in the US) will find it worth selling whatever widget you want, just the shipping cost won't be subsidized.
    - ericd 7y ago
      You're still going to be free to buy those things, you just won't be getting subsidized, below cost shipping.
      - Scoundreller 7y ago
        Who knows what Trump will do to their shipping costs to punish China.
Accujack 7y ago
Also businesses like Harbor Freight will benefit, because it will be much harder/more expensive to buy direct. Same thing with the "cheap" brands at places like Menards. This will slow the pace of innovation in a lot of areas, especially among electronics hobbyists. Cheap chinese circuit boards from Shenzen are a major driver for electronics related businesses, robotics, drones, and lots of other areas. This is going to hurt a lot of people in the US, and put more money in the hands of big business like most other initiatives coming out of the government lately. All this isn't talking about the elephant in the room, which is the fact that this agreement is changing because our delusional President doesn't like non whites.
- traek 7y ago
  It's happening because many Americans don't see the value in subsidizing electronics hobbyists. It won't hurt robotics or drones companies, that's pure fearmongering. No business is having circuit boards shipped via ePacket.
- Kadin 7y ago
  There are lots of companies that buy in bulk from China and have US distribution. They will still be around for your Shenzen electronics needs. I have very little sympathy for people who were depending on what was essentially taxpayer-subsidized shipping from China. If you can't do what you're trying to do without that subsidy, you probably shouldn't be doing it. I'm certainly not interested in having the USPS lose money so someone can save a few bucks on a servo or flight controller vs. buying it from a legitimate retailer like Adafruit or Hobbyking (which has US warehouses in addition to its HK ones; I expect they'll need to expand the domestic ones now). The end-user cost of a good needs to encompass the price of manufacturing it and transporting it, inclusive of as many externalities as we can. Too many problems in the world are caused by artificially cheap goods that don't capture their full cost. Keeping stuff cheap for the purpose of having cheap stuff is not a noble goal.
  - Accujack 7y ago
    Having worked at the USPS, I can say definitively it will lose money anyway, and it is not taxpayer supported except by special request (USPS can ask congress for funding for special needs, which they can deny) So, despite all the people complaining here about "muh dollars subsidizing", that isn't correct. See the USPS FAQ for more info. The UPU situation was not great, but it has a limited impact on taxpayers.
outworlder 7y ago
Why would dollar stores be affected? Are they not buying stuff in bulk and shipping themselves?
- entropea 7y ago
  Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc, won't feel it, but little independent small 99c/dollar store businesses will.

>So is drop shipping from China now dead? Probably. This is going to drop a lot of sellers off of Amazon and eBay, and likely have major effects on independent small business dollar/99c stores.

Scoundreller 7y ago

Oh great, now I get to buy the same item from Walmart at 20x the price. If I can even find the one I need.

mieseratte 7y ago
Wal-Mart merchandise is not shipped via international post. This UPU situation has no influence here.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  If Chinese sellers get locked out, where will I turn to buy those same goods?
  - czinck 7y ago
    They won't be locked out, they'll just now have to pay whatever the standard rates for USPS shipping (or whichever carrier they'll use), instead of the artificially low rates mandated by the UPU. Presumably someone (whether in China or in the US) will find it worth selling whatever widget you want, just the shipping cost won't be subsidized.
  - ericd 7y ago
    You're still going to be free to buy those things, you just won't be getting subsidized, below cost shipping.
    - Scoundreller 7y ago
      Who knows what Trump will do to their shipping costs to punish China.

Accujack 7y ago

Also businesses like Harbor Freight will benefit, because it will be much harder/more expensive to buy direct. Same thing with the "cheap" brands at places like Menards. This will slow the pace of innovation in a lot of areas, especially among electronics hobbyists. Cheap chinese circuit boards from Shenzen are a major driver for electronics related businesses, robotics, drones, and lots of other areas. This is going to hurt a lot of people in the US, and put more money in the hands of big business like most other initiatives coming out of the government lately. All this isn't talking about the elephant in the room, which is the fact that this agreement is changing because our delusional President doesn't like non whites.

traek 7y ago
It's happening because many Americans don't see the value in subsidizing electronics hobbyists. It won't hurt robotics or drones companies, that's pure fearmongering. No business is having circuit boards shipped via ePacket.
Kadin 7y ago
There are lots of companies that buy in bulk from China and have US distribution. They will still be around for your Shenzen electronics needs. I have very little sympathy for people who were depending on what was essentially taxpayer-subsidized shipping from China. If you can't do what you're trying to do without that subsidy, you probably shouldn't be doing it. I'm certainly not interested in having the USPS lose money so someone can save a few bucks on a servo or flight controller vs. buying it from a legitimate retailer like Adafruit or Hobbyking (which has US warehouses in addition to its HK ones; I expect they'll need to expand the domestic ones now). The end-user cost of a good needs to encompass the price of manufacturing it and transporting it, inclusive of as many externalities as we can. Too many problems in the world are caused by artificially cheap goods that don't capture their full cost. Keeping stuff cheap for the purpose of having cheap stuff is not a noble goal.
- Accujack 7y ago
  Having worked at the USPS, I can say definitively it will lose money anyway, and it is not taxpayer supported except by special request (USPS can ask congress for funding for special needs, which they can deny) So, despite all the people complaining here about "muh dollars subsidizing", that isn't correct. See the USPS FAQ for more info. The UPU situation was not great, but it has a limited impact on taxpayers.

outworlder 7y ago

Why would dollar stores be affected? Are they not buying stuff in bulk and shipping themselves?

entropea 7y ago
Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc, won't feel it, but little independent small 99c/dollar store businesses will.