Country of Origin, blanks from China, but finished product is made in the US.

Buying & Selling

Selling

If I get blanks from China, but the finished product is made here in the US.

Would I put China or the US?

kensgiftshop

389 View listings

Posted 4 months ago·Last reply 4 months ago

30 comments

lacemaker3

·4 months ago

4, 3, 2, 1 ... Earth below us, drifting, falling ... Floating weightless, calling, calling ...690 View listings

@kensgiftshop

Because you are making and selling these in the US, the US government doesn’t care how you label them. As long as your supplies were correctly labeled and duty collected when they were imported, that is what the US government is concerned about.

eBay only cares about the Country of Origin when items are being sold as exports to another country. In that case, it is the regulations of the receiving country that will matter. I would expect that items of US origin might be less desirable, at the moment.

If the t-shirts and coffee mugs are already labeled with the CoA, I would not try to change that. From what I’ve read, just adding paint is not enough to change the CoA. It appears that US Customs, at least, would consider that to be unacceptable.

chapeau-noir

·4 months ago

No bad meows!6575 View listings

Try to source a made in USA supplier.

inhawaii

·4 months ago

Ebay's most handsome seller.4909 View listings

"Proudly assembled in the USA with parts made from China."

My answer would be: USA

chapeau-noir

·4 months ago

No bad meows!6575 View listings

If I purchased a mug purported to be made in the USA and all it had was a picture from a POD printing outfit on a made in China mug, I would consider that false advertising.

Actually creating something new out of a raw material from China I would say made in USA as it is substantially transformed.

christworks

·4 months ago

1329 View listings

@kensgiftshop Let's try this. Do your blanks say "Made In China?"

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@christworks wrote:
@kensgiftshop Let's try this. Do your blanks say "Made In China?"

Not that I've noticed.

sin-n-dex

·4 months ago

12213 View listings

@kensgiftshop wrote:
If I get blanks from China, but the finished product is made here in the US.
Would I put China or the US?

In my limited knowledge about Customs Policies, if there is a tariff shift (like the tariff code on what you started with is different from the finished product), then you would go with the country of origin for the finished product which would be USA.

The example my shipper used is if you started with wood and ended with a jewellery box, it would be made in Canada (if the finished product was made there), if you got a t-shirt from China and put a design on it, you still have a t-shirt so it would be made in China even though you altered it in Canada.

fullers_uk

·4 months ago

2608 View listings

Looks like a case of "Preferential Origin" is USA, having said that US tariffs for vehicle manufacturer is done by % of the origin of the components.

jdbelt1960

·4 months ago

227 View listings

Most of my inventory has been made in Italy, Germany and China. I designate as such although only ship domestically in the US. I have never seen it make a difference tax or shipping wise. The only thing I can think of is it shows the buyer where the item is created. Sometimes it can help authenticate an Item. For example a Capodimonte not created in Italy would raise red flags. Just trying to make sense of it.

slippinjimmy

·4 months ago

4 View listings

@jdbelt1960 wrote:
Most of my inventory has been made in Italy, Germany and China. I designate as such although only ship domestically in the US. I have never seen it make a difference tax or shipping wise. The only thing I can think of is it shows the buyer where the item is created. Sometimes it can help authenticate an Item. For example a Capodimonte not created in Italy would raise red flags. Just trying to make sense of it.

If you are only selling within the US (including no EIS) then the Country Of Origin is only relevant to buyers, there is no affect on fees or Sales Tax.

If you are offering goods to International buyer (direct or via EIS) then the Country of Origin is critical and needs to be accurate.

Personally I think that Country Of Origin should be mandatory for all listings, it's critical if shipping out of the country and for buyers such as myself Country of Origin is a critical factor in my decision to buy or not.

jonathanbrightlight

·4 months ago

0 View listings

@slippinjimmy wrote:
@jdbelt1960 wrote:
Most of my inventory has been made in Italy, Germany and China. I designate as such although only ship domestically in the US. I have never seen it make a difference tax or shipping wise. The only thing I can think of is it shows the buyer where the item is created. Sometimes it can help authenticate an Item. For example a Capodimonte not created in Italy would raise red flags. Just trying to make sense of it.
If you are only selling within the US (including no EIS) then the Country Of Origin is only relevant to buyers, there is no affect on fees or Sales Tax.

If you are offering goods to International buyer (direct or via EIS) then the Country of Origin is critical and needs to be accurate.

Personally I think that Country Of Origin should be mandatory for all listings, it's critical if shipping out of the country and for buyers such as myself Country of Origin is a critical factor in my decision to buy or not.

The only reason I see that Country of Origin can't be mandatory (unless Unknown is allowed) is that not all items have it marked or listed anywhere. Many books, CDs/DVDs, etc (since that's what I mostly handle) don't say anywhere on or in them where they were made, or they say something like "Made in the EU", which isn't a country.

tobaccocardyahoo

·4 months ago

5533 View listings

If the only country of origin information I had said Made in the EU, I would not hesitate to enter European Economic Community.

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@jonathanbrightlight wrote:
@slippinjimmy wrote:
@jdbelt1960 wrote:
Most of my inventory has been made in Italy, Germany and China. I designate as such although only ship domestically in the US. I have never seen it make a difference tax or shipping wise. The only thing I can think of is it shows the buyer where the item is created. Sometimes it can help authenticate an Item. For example a Capodimonte not created in Italy would raise red flags. Just trying to make sense of it.
If you are only selling within the US (including no EIS) then the Country Of Origin is only relevant to buyers, there is no affect on fees or Sales Tax.

If you are offering goods to International buyer (direct or via EIS) then the Country of Origin is critical and needs to be accurate.

Personally I think that Country Of Origin should be mandatory for all listings, it's critical if shipping out of the country and for buyers such as myself Country of Origin is a critical factor in my decision to buy or not.

The only reason I see that Country of Origin can't be mandatory (unless Unknown is allowed) is that not all items have it marked or listed anywhere. Many books, CDs/DVDs, etc (since that's what I mostly handle) don't say anywhere on or in them where they were made, or they say something like "Made in the EU", which isn't a country.

I have some older items that doesn't say where they were made and can't find anything online about the items or the company.

onefootflipper

·4 months ago

4245 View listings

@kensgiftshop wrote:
@jonathanbrightlight wrote:
@slippinjimmy wrote:
@jdbelt1960 wrote:
Most of my inventory has been made in Italy, Germany and China. I designate as such although only ship domestically in the US. I have never seen it make a difference tax or shipping wise. The only thing I can think of is it shows the buyer where the item is created. Sometimes it can help authenticate an Item. For example a Capodimonte not created in Italy would raise red flags. Just trying to make sense of it.
If you are only selling within the US (including no EIS) then the Country Of Origin is only relevant to buyers, there is no affect on fees or Sales Tax.

If you are offering goods to International buyer (direct or via EIS) then the Country of Origin is critical and needs to be accurate.

Personally I think that Country Of Origin should be mandatory for all listings, it's critical if shipping out of the country and for buyers such as myself Country of Origin is a critical factor in my decision to buy or not.

The only reason I see that Country of Origin can't be mandatory (unless Unknown is allowed) is that not all items have it marked or listed anywhere. Many books, CDs/DVDs, etc (since that's what I mostly handle) don't say anywhere on or in them where they were made, or they say something like "Made in the EU", which isn't a country.

I have some older items that doesn't say where they were made and can't find anything online about the items or the company.

Can't tell where it was made. It was probably made in America then.

jdbelt1960

·4 months ago

227 View listings

With that thinking it would mean if I shipped an item internationally that was made in China from the US, for customs it would be as if it is shipped from China. Or if an overseas vendor shipped a US made product to me in the US it would not be liable to tariffs. I can ship items overseas as long as it was made overseas. Just trying to make sense.

meme6253

·4 months ago

3964 View listings

You would put the USA, So many things come from China & are assembled here to make the finished product.

powell-collectibles

·4 months ago

Mixed Bag Guy AND Unofficial Mentor to the Stars2349 View listings

It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@powell-collectibles wrote:
It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

Some items are t shirts and coffee cups.

The blanks are from China, but I design and print them here.

Some small sheets of plywood from China that I use a laser cutter and make different items from the wood.

powell-collectibles

·4 months ago

Mixed Bag Guy AND Unofficial Mentor to the Stars2349 View listings

OK – my strong belief is that coffee cups and T-shirts would and should remain country of origin in China.

Probably the same on the plywood being cut, but I suppose it depends on how complicated things are getting. You’d really need to see if there is a significant transformation that would change the HTS code. That is my take on it. Regardless, probably low risk stuff for you. I don’t think it should be on the radar for a deep dive from the government.

sin-n-dex

·4 months ago

12213 View listings

@kensgiftshop wrote:
@powell-collectibles wrote:
It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

Some items are t shirts and coffee cups.
The blanks are from China, but I design and print them here.
Some small sheets of plywood from China that I use a laser cutter and make different items from the wood.

As per my shipper, if you start with t-shirts and coffee cups, decorate them, and end up with t-shirts and coffee cups, the country of origin is still China. If you have pieces of wood that you make into something else, country of origin would be USA. (Reference - My shipper Stallion Express with their directives for customs declarations for when we ship goods to the US).

tools*

·4 months ago

474 View listings

@kensgiftshop wrote:
@powell-collectibles wrote:
It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

Some items are t shirts and coffee cups.
The blanks are from China, but I design and print them here.
Some small sheets of plywood from China that I use a laser cutter and make different items from the wood.

I've read posts where you've railed against such things. Why don't you have the blanks manufactured in your town so you can then add your design and call it Made in the USA?

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@tools* wrote:
@kensgiftshop wrote:
@powell-collectibles wrote:
It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

Some items are t shirts and coffee cups.
The blanks are from China, but I design and print them here.
Some small sheets of plywood from China that I use a laser cutter and make different items from the wood.

I've read posts where you've railed against such things. Why don't you have the blanks manufactured in your town so you can then add your design and call it Made in the USA?

If I knew how to make coffee cups and T shirts, I would make them myself.

The only thing my small town manufactures is drug addicts.

tools*

·4 months ago

474 View listings

@kensgiftshop wrote:
@tools* wrote:
@kensgiftshop wrote:
@powell-collectibles wrote:
It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

Some items are t shirts and coffee cups.
The blanks are from China, but I design and print them here.
Some small sheets of plywood from China that I use a laser cutter and make different items from the wood.

I've read posts where you've railed against such things. Why don't you have the blanks manufactured in your town so you can then add your design and call it Made in the USA?

If I knew how to make coffee cups and T shirts, I would make them myself.
The only thing my small town manufactures is drug addicts.

If I lived in a town like that, I'd move anywhere else. I live in NYC and very few people are drug addicts.

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@tools* wrote:
@kensgiftshop wrote:
@tools* wrote:
@kensgiftshop wrote:
@powell-collectibles wrote:
It’s very hard to tell from your message what you should do. Most likely, you should be putting US country of origin. Typically, to change a country of origin, a product must go through a “significant transformation.“ That would typically mean something that would change the HTS code of a product.

I certainly don’t know the HTS code of your material or what you sell. But, if it’s something like just polishing a blank, it probably isn’t going to be a significant transformation, probably would not change the HDS code, probably would not qualify as made in the USA. I assume you’re doing something more – something that the US government would say is something different and falls into a different HTS code category.

Some items are t shirts and coffee cups.
The blanks are from China, but I design and print them here.
Some small sheets of plywood from China that I use a laser cutter and make different items from the wood.

I've read posts where you've railed against such things. Why don't you have the blanks manufactured in your town so you can then add your design and call it Made in the USA?

If I knew how to make coffee cups and T shirts, I would make them myself.
The only thing my small town manufactures is drug addicts.

If I lived in a town like that, I'd move anywhere else. I live in NYC and very few people are drug addicts.

If my house wasn't paid for, I would probably move back to the country.

ten_o_nine

·4 months ago

7497 View listings

If you import blanks from China and significantly transform them in the U.S, like turning raw or unfinished materials into a new product with a different name, use, or character, then the origin becomes U.S.

If you’re only doing minor finishing steps like simple assembly, packaging, labeling, or slight modification, then the origin is still China

This concept comes from U.S. Customs rules around substantial transformation.

ten_o_nine

·4 months ago

7497 View listings

Here's Google.

Substantial transformation is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) principle determining a product's country of origin when it is manufactured in multiple countries. A product is "substantially transformed" if manufacturing changes its name, character, or use, creating a new article of commerce.

Key Aspects of Substantial Transformation:
"Name, Character, or Use" Test: The core standard is that the processing must change the product's identity. Simple assembly, packaging, or repacking usually does not qualify.
Case-by-Case Analysis: CBP makes determinations on a case-by-case basis based on the complexity of operations and the, often considering the skill, time, and value added.
Resulting Product: The imported parts must lose their separate identity and become an integral part of a new product.

What Does Not Constitute Substantial Transformation:
Minor processing such as painting, cleaning, or, simple assembly.
Repackaging or relabeling.
Basic heat treatments, like annealing or quenching, that do not change the article's fundamental nature.

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@ten_o_nine wrote:
If you import blanks from China and significantly transform them in the U.S, like turning raw or unfinished materials into a new product with a different name, use, or character, then the origin becomes U.S.
If you’re only doing minor finishing steps like simple assembly, packaging, labeling, or slight modification, then the origin is still China
This concept comes from U.S. Customs rules around substantial transformation.

I don't import the blanks.

They are made in China, but I buy from a US supplier, which does the importing.

ten_o_nine

·4 months ago

7497 View listings

@kensgiftshop

I don't import the blanks.

They are made in China, but I buy from a US supplier, which does the importing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry, I saw in the post "If I get blanks from China".

The same rules apply, if you buy an Item made in China in the U.S., it is still made in China unless you transform it into something else.

jonathanbrightlight

·4 months ago

0 View listings

I’m not a lawyer, but many things have components made in various countries, but the place where the final item is put together or crafted is considered the country of manufacture or origin. I would think that you would be justified in putting the country of origin as the United States.

kensgiftshop

OP4 months ago

389 View listings

@jonathanbrightlight wrote:
I’m not a lawyer, but many things have components made in various countries, but the place where the final item is put together or crafted is considered the country of manufacture or origin. I would think that you would be justified in putting the country of origin as the United States.

That's what I was thinking, since the final product is made in the US.