Should We Stock Up This Year Before Proposed Heavy Tariff On China?

Fear of what might happen in Jan. 2025 drives articles like
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/...ck-trumps-tariffs-potentially-raise-116041014

key word missed is "potentially"

The sky hasn't fallen. As for stocking up most of the concern through out the various posts has been about toilet paper. IMO while shortages due to people panicking the resupply didn't take all that long. Somehow people managed didn't they?
 

Teacher Terry said:
According to economists prices are going to go up on everything even things made here.
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Prices almost always go up on everything. That's why people get cost of living increases. That's how the economy works. You don't need a degree to know that.
The thing that has the most influence on prices, aside from overhead, is supply and demand. Just immediately prior to the pandemic, I bought a dozen N95 masks just for shop use, for about $15. Then when the pandemic hit, the price skyrocketed, and I know it wasn't due to manufacturing costs. There was a huge demand, and it drove prices up.

People will hoard something they don't need to, a shortage will ensue, the price will go up, and economists will say: "See, we told you they would".

Tariffs will certainly add to this for imported goods.
 
I use Linux, that being said I also purchase renewed (Win 10 Pro) laptops when needed from Amazon's renewed store (easier to install without the pesky secure boot). I queued up a list of potential purchases prior to buying. One was priced @ $199, after a few days it jumped to $265. I'm still waiting on the other 2 to drop in price, (wishful thinking).

The $265 seems to be locked in. This is a 2 year old laptop in the warehouse, I guess Amazon is price gouging it's customers, & blaming the tariffs. It's like the paper towels & TP question, mostly made in the US & should be tariff-free. It's all about money.
 
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bobcat said:
Imposed tariffs are lame.
Also, I really don't understand the hoarding of toilet tissue because most of it is made right here in America or in Canada.
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Everyone totally missed the point of what I said. It is the "hording" that makes no sense to me, in light of tariffs.
bobcat said:
If something is made here in America or Canada, then why would people think they needed to hoard it in the first place.
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I didn't miss your point Bob. And you know I love your mind. I'm interested to know what you consider hoarding. I currently have 39 rolls of TP. If I send my son to Costco to get another 30 roll bundle, would that be hoarding in your opinion? Also, I think in some cases, people who hoard have a sickness, like those on the show Hoarders. You can hardly get into their homes they have so much stuff.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Everyone totally missed the point of what I said. It is the "hording" that makes no sense to me, in light of tariffs.

I didn't miss your point Bob. And you know I love your mind. I'm interested to know what you consider hoarding. I currently have 39 rolls of TP. If I send my son to Costco to get another 30 roll bundle, would that be hoarding in your opinion? Also, I think in some cases, people who hoard have a sickness, like those on the show Hoarders. You can hardly get into their homes they have so much stuff.
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Thank you, and perhaps hoarding isn't the proper word here because it has connotations beyond what is being discussed here, and I apologize for that. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this may help.
TP hoarding.jpg

Now here is the result afterward.


empty TP shelves.jpg
 
No matter how much you store up, you will never have enough. You will run out eventually of everything. Here is the main issue. Why are you storing up? A brief snow storm, a hurricane that devastates your area. A world event that threatens our lives.
What are you storing up for??
Short term, milk and eggs though I have never figured out the need of those two items. Hurricane, down power lines, no utilities, okay. Here comes toilet paper and paper towels. Here comes the emergency generator to keep the fridge going. Now you have the issue of enough gas to keep the generator going????? as everybody else does.
Where to get the gas. How long will 5 gallons last?
Okay, no gas, fridge stops. We are using battery operated lights. Batteries go dead and we can't find any. Butane heaters to boil water, provided you have enough refills. Now what??

My point being that your fears need to be looked at and proper decisions need to be made. There is a whole host of merchants willing to feed your fears. End result is what?

Think about this without emotion. Really think. Decide on a course of action and prepare accordingly.
 
Most likely the wisest choice for your septic system is just Plastic bag your tissue paper and toss in in the landfill garbage.
 
rbtvgo said:
No matter how much you store up, you will never have enough. You will run out eventually of everything. Here is the main issue. Why are you storing up? A brief snow storm, a hurricane that devastates your area. A world event that threatens our lives.
What are you storing up for??
Short term, milk and eggs though I have never figured out the need of those two items. Hurricane, down power lines, no utilities, okay. Here comes toilet paper and paper towels. Here comes the emergency generator to keep the fridge going. Now you have the issue of enough gas to keep the generator going????? as everybody else does.
Where to get the gas. How long will 5 gallons last?
Okay, no gas, fridge stops. We are using battery operated lights. Batteries go dead and we can't find any. Butane heaters to boil water, provided you have enough refills. Now what??

My point being that your fears need to be looked at and proper decisions need to be made. There is a whole host of merchants willing to feed your fears. End result is what?

Think about this without emotion. Really think. Decide on a course of action and prepare accordingly.
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basically the Northeast stock up in the spare bedroom just in case of a snow out shut down for a week.
 
bobcat said:
Thank you, and perhaps hoarding isn't the proper word here because it has connotations beyond what is being discussed here, and I apologize for that. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this may help.
View attachment 383253

Now here is the result afterward.


View attachment 383256
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That brings back memories of how things were so much better four years ago. I miss those days. :rolleyes:
 
Ok I guess the "60%" was referring to tariffs on Chinese goods entering the US.

Trump tariffs: 25% on Mexico, Canada from day one, more too for China | REUTERS
 
Per the Library of Congress, "The Tax Foundation is a non-partisan, tax-exempt, non-profit educational and research organization in Washington, founded in 1937, with a stated mission to educate taxpayers about sound tax policy and the size of the tax burden borne by Americans at all levels of government."

From the Tax Foundation
 
MACKTEXAS said:
Per the Library of Congress, "The Tax Foundation is a non-partisan, tax-exempt, non-profit educational and research organization in Washington, founded in 1937, with a stated mission to educate taxpayers about sound tax policy and the size of the tax burden borne by Americans at all levels of government."

From the Tax Foundation
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So we lower taxes on the middle class and increase tariffs. šŸ˜‰šŸ¤­šŸ˜‚

1732635944209.gif
 
Aunt Bea said:
So we lower taxes on the middle class and increase tariffs. šŸ˜‰šŸ¤­šŸ˜‚
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But we also repatriate jobs. This benefits working Americans rather than foreign and domestic middlemen. It slows the oppression of low-wage foreign workers standing in pools of unregulated toxic wastes until they throw themselves from upper-story windows seeking relief from long hours and insufferable conditions.

It also lances the boils that are our coastal port cities, which have brought in one invasive species after another.
 
DebraMae said:
I have a septic too and usually use Angel Soft which is septic friendly. When I went camping I actually looked forward to purchasing and using a "luxury" brand. :ROFLMAO:
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I haven't bought Angle Soft in decades but Charmin feels real nice. It's $10 more a bundle of 30 at Costco (unless it's on sale) than Kirkland (Costo's brand) and doesn't last as long. I treat us only if Costco doesn't have Kirkland.
rbtvgo said:
I think, all things considered that the impact on us is next to nothing. I hope that when I go to Costco there are paper towels and toilet paper available. During the last panic attack they were sold out??
Have to wonder where people store all this toilet paper. Amazing.
Seems that at one time, milk and eggs were the preferred emergency items.
Now it's toilet paper??????????
I'm getting too old, I guess
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Rbtvgp. I know exactly what you mean! See my reply #6.
@jlhog You make a good point about what products are likely to be affected. I'm hoping I don't need to buy any of those.
@Harry Le Hermit I keep reading and seeing on the news about the 60% tariff "it" wants to impose once "it" takes office in 2025. Does this mean he can override what has already been agreed on this year? I don't know.

 
bobcat said:
Thank you, and perhaps hoarding isn't the proper word here because it has connotations beyond what is being discussed here, and I apologize for that. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this may help.
View attachment 383253

Now here is the result afterward.


View attachment 383256
Click to expand...
No apology necessary my friend. Yes, some, probably most of those in photo #1 are hoarding, but some may be buying for other family members, perhaps elderly parents or neighbors who don't drive and cannot get to the store often. I saw a cute story, though the woman probably didn't think it was cute at the time, of a woman online who was accused of hoarding when another shopper saw her cart full of toilet paper. The woman let her know that she had about 20 children and all of that TP was absolutely necessary.

I saw another cute story about a woman in Australia (I think), who inadvertently became a hoarder. She wasn't aware that the company she ordered TP from had changed hands and changed the way orders were placed. She wound up with about 48 cases of TP (she may have thought she was ordering 48 rolls). In any event, it would have cost her too much money to send the excess back. Perhaps she sold some to people she and her husband knew; it was during the pandemic. Speaking of which, stores started putting limits on how much people could purchase during the pandemic when hoarding became an issue.
 
Happyflowerlady said:
I am not concerned about the tariff issue until it looks like that will actuallly become an issue. However, we still have that dockworkerā€™s strike, which they put off until January, and if that happens again, and is not settled in between now and January, then there is maybe going to be some shortages of items coming in from China.
Most of what I buy is just groceries and household necessities, and that should all be from here in the United States.
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I agree. I bought my mom extra coffee cuz that will be hit every which way and now she has enough for several months.
 
chic said:
I agree. I bought my mom extra coffee cuz that will be hit every which way and now she has enough for several months.
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I researched how long coffee stays fresh and it was 4 months so thatā€™s how much I bought. Coffee is going to get very expensive. Luckily I only drink 2-3 cups a day.
 
gilead said:
I use Linux, that being said I also purchase renewed (Win 10 Pro) laptops when needed from Amazon's renewed store (easier to install without the pesky secure boot). I queued up a list of potential purchases prior to buying. One was priced @ $199, after a few days it jumped to $265. I'm still waiting on the other 2 to drop in price, (wishful thinking).

The $265 seems to be locked in. This is a 2 year old laptop in the warehouse, I guess Amazon is price gouging it's customers, & blaming the tariffs. It's like the paper towels & TP question, mostly made in the US & should be tariff-free. It's all about money.
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The price of $265 has been dropped to $232, Amazon getting ready to discount it back to $199 for their 'Black Friday sale or whatever.
 
chic said:
I agree. I bought my mom extra coffee cuz that will be hit every which way and now she has enough for several months.
Click to expand...
For some reason, Walmart+ has the McCafe Columbian on a wonderful sale, at least here it does. My husband loves that particular coffee, and it has gone up from around $10 for a 30 oz can to almost $15 now. However, the app says ā€œoptionsā€, and when I choose that, it offers me a 3-pack shipped free for just over $16. I have bought this several times, and I am sure it is some kind of mistake because all of their other 3-packs are around $42 .
 

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