Uh-oh, Chinese retaliatory tariffs in action?
Note: this post will utilize jewelry sales for illustration because that's my main category, but the basic topic may be of interest to anyone who ever has Chinese buyers.
As stated in my previous post, I've been having an increasing portion of my sales go to Chinese buyers in recent weeks, no clue whether it has anything to do with the tariff war or any other explanation. But I'm starting a new thread because now I'm seeing something that opens a new question: Shouldn't they be hesitant to buy from us, same as the reverse, because of their retaliatory tariffs?
I had these 2 auctions close Monday night, both lower than expected (one abysmally so). Neither buyer has paid yet and honestly I kinda hope the ultra-low-winning-bid one never does, so I don't can keep and reevaluate the pieces in that lot. Granted it's been only about 40 hours, but here's the thing: they're both Chinese winners, and they tend to pay pretty quickly, normally no more than several hours (even less with offers because I have auto-accept amounts set up).
But I got particularly curious last night because of the news that the USA has ended the de minimus exemption on imports under $800 (if you haven't yet seen any of the screenshots from Temu or Amazon, you will soon). So this made me wonder exactly what China's policies were. According to google, China never had any sort of de minimus exemption; when their tariffs engaged on April 10th, it was for all American imports regardless of price.
So then, why have I continued to have success with Chinese buyers, even since then? Is it because my items are pre-owned and that exempts them? Could that maybe explain why these 2 auctions are snagged, because they're mixed lots, therefore flagging as potentially including new items, even though they were listed in the Vintage Jewelry category?
Mind you, this piece was in Vintage Brooches .... but with the condition of New With Tags ... and I didn't enter a country of origin in item specifics because this particular Givenchy piece did not say Paris or New York on the back. But still its' Chinese buyer paid immediately. I'm almost tempted to write and ask her outright if she was charged an import fee, but I have no idea of her English fluency or if a translation tool might transform my curiosity into hostility. 😔
And here's another complicating factor: since all these Chinese buyers have US freight forwarders as their registered shipping addresses, presumably eBay only charges them the same total as any domestic buyer, but surely the FREIGHT FORWARDERS are applying tariffs ("import fees") since they're the ones making the actual overseas arrangements. So who knows what rules they're using, according to item type, condition, maybe even item price!
So could it be that the bidders on these two mixed lots didn't realize what their total costs would be until after they won the auctions and then got quotes from the freight forwarders online, and it's just so high they're not going to pay because of that?
I think I will start a post on my favorite vintage jewelry Facebook group, which has tens of thousands of members and is "seller friendly" (doesn't allow sales posts but discussions about the business are fine). Like I said I'm only able to look at this through the jewelry lens because that's what I sell, but considering many members on that FB group sell on other platforms (Etsy, Posh, etc.) I may be able to gather a bigger picture there. And I will share any insights here, if I get them.
participatrophy
·1 year agoPresumably they themselves do. My instinct here would be to just ask them directly.
dcrtechandelec
·1 year agoAnd they might be taking longer to pay because they are calling around trying to make proper arrangements. If anything, it is a sign they actually want the item or worst case just a relist.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoAh, so you think some of them are having their items shipped to Hong Kong, and then from there to China? That would be very interesting. Thanks for the insights! And yes I do believe some of my buyers over there have a lot of spending money, ha. I've never had any problems with any of them.
dcrtechandelec
·1 year agoSo there are lots of ways they can get their items to them. It is important to realize that the policies of China are not identical to those of Hong Kong, as that's where free trade is occurring. They will have to pay a tariff on US goods in the same manner as the other way around. As long as they are using some sort of proxy to transport it to them, and eBay's policy of the seller only being responsible for delivery to the specified domestic address would apply, you should be in the clear. Emphasis on should, but if you are not the one shipping to an international address, there is no customs paperwork you are responsible for.
However, if you want the most accurate answer, you can always call US customs and ask them.
You are inquiring about why you are seeing increased traffic from Chinese buyers. I can only speculate, but I do know that a designer brand such as Givenchy is highly sought after, and it is the same situation here where it is viewed as a symbol of status. Wealthy buyers from China who want these luxury items often don't care at all what the price is. I would guess that other channels of obtaining such merchandise might not be able to meet demand at the moment. The potential of any import fee probably doesn't matter to them, in fact it is entirely possible that someone is buying it knowing how much they can sell it for there. It is likely a niche group of buyers seeking luxury items with money not being an issue.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoLike sin-n-dex I also block China now.
With many sellers blocking China you should get more buyers because of so many blocking buyers from China.
Have you ever gotten an eBay shipping address only in Chinese as the address?
One reason I block them now.
Communication can be difficult if there is a problem between buyer and seller...another reason.
It was like 'pulling strings' to email Chinese buyers to send me an English address as well to put on the envelope.
Of note: Chinese buyers want their telephone number usually added next to shipping address.
My concern is something getting stuck in 'limbo land' with the off and on again tariffs.
Good luck.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoNo, never. I would say at least 95% of my Chinese buyers use legit freight forwarder addresses, and the other 5% use EIS.
I don't do any direct foreign shipping to any countries.
sin-n-dex
·1 year agoI don't ship direct to China, I've had one this year for Hong Kong.
I was getting quite a few to Oregon to the freight forwarder (which I presume were buyers in China, at least some of them) but I've noticed not many packages going to Portland, Oregon this year.
As of today, half my store will show item location in Canada (this isn't tariffs related, it has to do with problems using untracked shipping with USPS and my shipper together), we shall see if on those cheap untracked items shipping picks up internationally. (We won't know for a few more days, I'm on time away right now).
C.
ittybitnot
·1 year ago@gurlcat
There are a lot of things to consider in international trade other than tariffs. What is the tariff rate on US goods imported to China at this point? Is it different for businesses as opposed to direct to the end consumer as with an eBay sale?
What is the currency conversion rate of CNY to USD? If the USD is in the toilet, perhaps the Chinese are getting more "bang for their Yuan" so to speak. EIS is more expensive, and likely often an "excluded country" for many US sellers anyway. US sellers are required to ship to US freight forwarder addresses even if they don't wish to ship to China. The buyer gets "combined shipping" to their country of residence by using a forwarder.
I am pretty sure that the Chinese consumers know what duties, taxes, and tariffs are and how they will be affected. It is going to be 'sticker shock' for US buyers when their $100 purchase shows up at their door with an additional $145 price tag plus additional brokerage fees based on size/weight/price or all three. Some carriers are NOT going to handle direct to consumer deliveries anymore, and those that are seem to be tagging on additional charges to do so.
It would not be wise to believe the POTUS when he tells you "Tariffs are going to make you rich, and it is the exporter that has to pay them." That same story was in a speech or declaration given over the last few days once again. so maybe the guy is actually clueless. eBay says, if you (the buyer) don't pay them, you lose your MBG coverage.
It is tough when the plan changes almost daily, but you. as a US buyer had better be prepared for that $100 purchase to end up costing $300US by the time it is all done.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoYou might have misunderstood my post. I'm talking about selling, not buying.
I indicated that my Chinese buyers use freight forwarders, not EIS.
Also why are you "pretty sure that the Chinese consumers know what duties, taxes, and tariffs are and how they will be affected." Their tariffs on US goods are new as well, only started on April 10th. So why wouldn't they be getting sticker shock just like American buyers?
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoI doubt ALL of your Chinese buyers are brighter than many Americans and they may be surprised when they contact their freight forwarder.
Times of transition are tough.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoThe post is about hard facts that would be good to know like whether used items are tariffed or not. And mixed lots of used items. Whether the item specific of an eBay listing needs to specify its' country of origin even if it's used. Etc.
I apologize if it seemed to be about getting into buyers' heads -I don't think that's possible or even worthwhile.
tarotfindsandmore
·1 year agoThey may very well be. I found a couple articles that might provide a little insight...
https://www.thevintageseeker.ca/magazine/how-the-canada-u-s-tariffs-could-impact-the-secondhand-market#:~:text=In%20the%20U.S.%2C%20if%20the,%E2%80%8D
The one above explains imports, but the next one should clarify what your customers are dealing with a bit...
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-increase-tariffs-us-goods-125-up-84-finance-ministry-says-2025-04-11/#:~:text=Summary,Ministry%20said%20in%20a%20statement.
It might explain why your buyers haven't paid yet. They wouldn't have been able to see the final cost (with the 125% tariff) until they went to pay.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoThanks for looking around! Unfortunately both of those are just "almost" what I'm trying to figure out.
The first one focuses on items coming TO the US FROM China (I'm wondering about the opposite). The second is about that, but doesn't mention used goods, plus it's pretty old by crazy Trump trade war time (Apr. 11).
I suspect the answers I'm seeking aren't yet available. I'm not getting any on Facebook either. I might just have to ask these buyers why they're not paying, lol!
fbusoni
·1 year ago@gurlcat
FWIW, I've had only one buyer from China this year; usually I get five or six a month.
meme6253
·1 year agoI think they most likely did not figure in their total cost, & now are going DANG that's expensive!
hartungcards
·1 year agoYou never said there would be foreign trade policy questions on this quiz.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoBut it's open-book!
Ha, when I taught middle and high school science, I allowed all students to make their own "cheat sheets" for my tests. -One index card, with however much info they could cram in tiny handwriting, whatever info they thought they might need, from wherever they wanted to get it (their notes, the textbook, internet -I didn't read them, only circled the room to make sure they didn't have more than 1).
All the time I had kids finishing their tests and saying they didn't even need to look at their cheat sheets, or maybe for only one or two questions. Exactly as planned, because by looking up info and writing down the most relavent points yourself, you are way more likely to commit them to memory. One day I had a kid exclaim, "You tricked us into studying!" 🤣
hartungcards
·1 year agoI would have hid extra index cards in my pants.
gurlcat
OP1 year agoBut then found you didn't need them. Like Dumbo's feather. 😉
roccotacodad54
·1 year agoSmart teacher!
I was once asked by a craps dealer how I automatically seemed to know all the difficult payouts by heart. Craps is a difficult game to deal. I shared the fact that I wrote them over and over until I already knew the answer when I went to write them down again say the next day or a few days/weeks later.
My mother taught me to study for tests in school the same way, write it down as many times as it takes.