The trade and economy mega-thread (7 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

Is there a trade deal with China? Is it really a deal or just a pull-back to status quo ante? Is Trump advancing US interests in this well-executed trade battle plan or was this poorly conceived from the start . . . and harmful?

I think the jury's still out, but I haven't seen that the Chinese are offering much in compromise - and it's not even clear if there's going to be an agreement. But it's clear they are working on something and I'm sure Trump will sell it as the greatest trade deal ever. The proof will be in the details.

 

[ktulu909]

Also,Something very interesting is happening on TikTok. Chinese manufacturers are posting actual costs and in alot of cases offering to sell directly to the public. Examples are laundry pods 20 for $1.00 Even if you slap 145% tarrifs on that,its still a better deal than retail

 

[bird]

Ive been working on a couple of small projects involving some orders from AliExpress as recent as this week and havnt paid a dime in tarrifs. Now maybe ive been lucky,or something else is going on.

I saw something on Democratic Underground that said there wasn’t a competent mechanism in place to collect tariffs. Perhaps that might have something to do with it.

Yeesh, I’m a goof. I saw your reply but didn’t look at what you linked.

(Hangs head in shame)

 

[Optimus Prime]

DETROIT — As President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on imported vehicles remain in effect despite a pullback this week on other country-based levies, analysts are expecting massive global implications for the automotive industry due to the policies.

They’re expecting to see a drop in vehicle sales in the millions, higher new and used vehicle prices, and increased costs of more than $100 billion for the industry, according to research reports from Wall Street and automotive analysts.…:::

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/12/auto-tariffs-sales-costs.html

 

[nolaspe]

Lol...

 

[superchuck500]

 

[bird]

Aw, they don’t want to work in manufacturing? Send them to do stoop labor in the fields to help with harvest.

 

[efil4]

the disconnect is real

80% want mfg to return, yet only 20% would actually want to work in a factory.

So that should tell you folks STILL want cheap products, they just dont want to MAKE the cheap products.

 

[coldseat]

How could so many people in this country lack any type of foresight into what type of President Trump would be in his second term and the effect that would have on the country and our stability? They were all told exactly who Trump was, what he would do and the effect it would have. It's playing out exactly as foretold. This didn't take Nostradamus to understand, but now they're all finally waking up and are like, "Yeah, he's horrible." Well no forking shirt! He's been this horrible all along.

And yet we still have people on this board like TampaJoe carrying the mantra of "BOTH SIDES", when it's clearly one side more than the other. Democrats can be accused of many things, but they aren't professional government arsonist. They aren't trying to burn everything down the way Republicans are. They aren't hijacking people of the street and sending them to concentration camps outside the country. They aren't trying to turn Gaza into a strip mall and allying with every authoritarian dictator in the world. If you don't have enough "common sense" to acknowledge the obvious, then maybe reevaluate your conceptions of what "common sense" is. Because this both sides BS will lead to the destruction of the US and make us a failed state faster than Trump can bankrupt another company. It just really pisses me off because all of this was so forking unnecessary.

 

[bird]

the disconnect is real

80% want mfg to return, yet only 20% would actually want to work in a factory.

So that should tell you folks STILL want cheap products, they just dont want to MAKE the cheap products.

And the only problem is that they wouldn’t be cheap. Of course, Republicans would work extra hard to destroy labor so there is that.

 

[bird]

How could so many people in this country lack any type of foresight into what type of President Trump would be in his second term and the effect that would have on the country and our stability? They were all told exactly who Trump was, what he would do and the effect it would have. It's playing out exactly as foretold. This didn't take Nostradamus to understand, but now they're all finally waking up and are like, "Yeah, he's horrible." Well no forking shirt! He's been this horrible all along.

And yet we still have people on this board like TampaJoe carrying the mantra of "BOTH SIDES", when it's clearly one side more than the other. Democrats can be accused of many things, but they aren't professional government arsonist. They aren't trying to burn everything down the way Republicans are. They aren't hijacking people of the street and sending them to concentration camps outside the country. They aren't trying to turn Gaza into a strip mall and allying with every authoritarian dictator in the world. If you don't have enough "common sense" to acknowledge the obvious, then maybe reevaluate your conceptions of what "common sense" is. Because this both sides BS will lead to the destruction of the US and make us a failed state faster than Trump can bankrupt another company. It just really pisses me off because all of this was so forking unnecessary.

Hell’s bells and Easter ears, Trump himself told them the schlitz that he would pull.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Ive been working on a couple of small projects involving some orders from AliExpress as recent as this week and havnt paid a dime in tarrifs. Now maybe ive been lucky,or something else is going on.

they are usually exempt because of the dollar amount.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I'll admit that a lot of this is beyond me

Can someone explain this to me?

There has been talk of short term pain versus long term gain

It costs X to make a product in a foreign country, it is sent to America and sold to the American consumers for Y

When a tariff is added to the product the American importer pays that tariff and passes the cost of to the consumer so now the product is sold to the public for Y + tariff

Is that right?

If so then that is the pain.

My understanding is the long term gain is that America is supposed to start making the products here instead of buying them from overseas

If the land was already purchased, the permits acquired, the plans completed and the first shovelful of dirt was turned over today how long would it be until a factory would be ready to start churning out product? I'm betting a year at the bare minimum probably several, and it would take a year at least to get the land, plans, permits etc.

And Is it even possible to get all the raw materials and parts and components made here (each of which would need their own factories)?

And these factories would need employees (at expensive American salaries) and/or expensive robotics

Stuff is made in foreign countries for a reason, and most of that reason is that it's much cheaper

My understanding is that the cost to make the same product here would be much more than X and that would make the price the public pays would be much more than Y, is that right?

So if it would take years to even get to the point be able to make these goods stateside, and the products would be much more expensive what is the point and positive to any of this?

This guy says it would cost 10s of billions of dollars to build a factory which would take 4-5 years and even with a US factory a lot of the parts and components would still have to come from Asia

 

[efil4]

 

[Optimus Prime]

Chinese factories are flooding TikTok with videos urging Americans to buy from them directly to undercut Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

Dozens of videos have gone viral in recent days offering buyers the chance to purchase from factories in China that claim to produce goods for high-end brands like Lululemon and Louis Vuitton, and for a fraction of the price.

In one video that has nearly 10 million views, a creator claims to be able to sell yoga pants from the same manufacturer that supplies Lululemon for $5-$6, instead of the $100 they sell for in the United States.

“The material and the craftsmanship are basically the same because they come from the same production line,” she says, standing in front of what appears to be a factory.

In another, a man standing on a factory floor claims to have access to manufacturers that produce Louis Vuitton bags, which he says can be sold directly to customers for $50.

But both companies deny their products are finished in China, and experts told The Independent the videos are likely an effort by counterfeit or “dupe” manufacturers to take advantage of the chaos over the tariffs to boost their sales.

“They're trying to conflate the fake manufacturers in China with the real manufacturers,” said Conrad Quilty-Harper, author of Dark Luxury, a newsletter about the luxury goods industry.

“They're very clever with their social media, and they’re very effective at driving demand in the West,” he added.…….

Chinese factories flood TikTok with videos urging Americans to buy direct

Experts say videos are likely an effort by counterfeit manufacturers to take advantage of confusion over tariffs to boost their sales

www.independent.co.uk

 

[efil4]

Chinese factories are flooding TikTok with videos urging Americans to buy from them directly to undercut Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

Dozens of videos have gone viral in recent days offering buyers the chance to purchase from factories in China that claim to produce goods for high-end brands like Lululemon and Louis Vuitton, and for a fraction of the price.

In one video that has nearly 10 million views, a creator claims to be able to sell yoga pants from the same manufacturer that supplies Lululemon for $5-$6, instead of the $100 they sell for in the United States.

“The material and the craftsmanship are basically the same because they come from the same production line,” she says, standing in front of what appears to be a factory.

In another, a man standing on a factory floor claims to have access to manufacturers that produce Louis Vuitton bags, which he says can be sold directly to customers for $50.

But both companies deny their products are finished in China, and experts told The Independent the videos are likely an effort by counterfeit or “dupe” manufacturers to take advantage of the chaos over the tariffs to boost their sales.

“They're trying to conflate the fake manufacturers in China with the real manufacturers,” said Conrad Quilty-Harper, author of Dark Luxury, a newsletter about the luxury goods industry.

“They're very clever with their social media, and they’re very effective at driving demand in the West,” he added.…….

Chinese factories flood TikTok with videos urging Americans to buy direct

Experts say videos are likely an effort by counterfeit manufacturers to take advantage of confusion over tariffs to boost their sales

www.independent.co.uk

If you have teen to early 20s girls, you absolutely know what "dupes" are and where to get them. Lol.
From Chanel to Golden Goose. It's pretty wild.
Now they marketing direct to the consumer.

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[superchuck500]

 

[efil4]

This is what winning looks like?

holy crap.