Metropoulos amps are done

[RedPlated]

Those resistors are manufactured in Germany and The Czech Republic. Both countries are part of the European Union. IEEPA Reciprocal tariffs for goods from the E.U. have a maximum cap of 15%. That means the most US Customs and Border Patrol can change is 15%. Hard stop. Period.

If Mouser is charging you 47%, that's on them. That's not tariffs. I would reach out to them and ask why they're doing this.

The Harmonized Tariff Code for resistors is HTS 8533.21 or 8533.29.


If you buy these resistors from a supplier in Europe, for example, US Customs would charge you 15%. If you're buying them from Mouser and they're charging you 47%... something else is going on.


Same thing as above. If you buy parts from a supplier oversees and import them yourself—i.e. you have them shipped to you via FedEx or DHL or UPS— you supply US Customs with the appropriate HTS code and country of origin for the parts. And you pay the tariffs directly to US Customs.

You’re looking at “baseline” tariffs. They are not the bigger picture. There’s ton of other moving parts and charges to both sides within the all the convoluted rules. That’s why the effective tariff is much higher.

Basically, there are a lot more tariff charges on the importers than we see in the baseline. And other fees and charges throughout the process.

I think Mouser would be in serious violation of Federal law if they were charging for other business costs and listing them as tariff costs.

 

[FourT6and2]

You’re looking at “baseline” tariffs. They are not the bigger picture. There’s ton of other moving parts and charges to both sides within the all the convoluted rules. That’s why the effective tariff is much higher.

Basically, there are a lot more tariff charges on the importers than we see in the baseline. And other fees and charges throughout the process.

Tariffs from the EU do not stack. They are capped at 15% total. Hard stop.

I've been buying parts all year from abroad and importing them myself. I know how it works. You are being ripped off by your suppliers. Sorry.

If I go to Distrelec or Arrow or some other European supplier and buy those parts, the only tariff I'll pay is 15%. Shipping might be more expensive and there are small admin/broker fees you pay to FedEx, UPS, or DHL. But nowhere near 47%. So it makes sense to order everything you need from one place and have it all shipped over in one box. Keep the cost under $2,500 per shipment to avoid a formal Customs clearance.

 

[mnemonic]

Whenever I’ve ordered components from mouser it’s shipped from Texas (I’m in U.K.) so I wonder if those resistors are already in the USA and the tariff rate shown is the rate paid by mouser when they were imported them whenever that happened (or a weighted average rate across their stock).

 

[FourT6and2]

Whenever I’ve ordered components from mouser it’s shipped from Texas (I’m in U.K.) so I wonder if those resistors are already in the USA and the tariff rate shown is the rate paid by mouser when they were imported them whenever that happened (or a weighted average rate across their stock).

The rate Mouser shows is probably not just tariffs. It's probably whatever tariff they paid + admin costs/fees + broker fees + operating costs + a little bit on top for their pain and suffering. They could also just be getting the tariffs wrong, which happens all the time.

When you buy parts from a retailer outside the USA, you are the importer. The shipping carrier (FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS) handles customs clearance for you (or you can self-clear). Then they send you a bill for duties/tariffs after the fact (or sometimes have you pay the tariffs before delivery). They also tend to charge a small handling fee for doing this. But it's a single line item. A formal clearance (anything over $2500) is more involved and more expensive.

Let's say you need a bunch of parts: pots, caps, resistors, wire, switches, jacks, etc. Buy them from as few places as possible to consolidate shipments and keep it under $2,500 in value. You pay the exact tariffs to US Customs and Border Patrol without a third-party retailer attaching a premium.

Maybe Mouser is burying all the additional costs within the single heading of "tariffs". So when they say they charge a 47% "tariff" on a resistor from the E.U., the tariff might very well be 15%. But they're including additional operating expenses without breaking it down for the customer—which I think is dishonest, if that's what's happening.

Importing yourself is more work and takes more time. But if you're a business, it will save you money.

 

[Geo]

Those resistors are manufactured in Germany and The Czech Republic. Both countries are part of the European Union. IEEPA Reciprocal tariffs for goods from the E.U. have a maximum cap of 15%. That means the most US Customs and Border Patrol can change is 15%. Hard stop. Period.

The price increase is probably due to Germany and the entire EU in big financial trouble.

@RedPlated I would stock up on such components, who knows how long you will be able to get them.

 

[FourT6and2]

The price increase is probably due to Germany and the entire EU in big financial trouble.

@RedPlated I would stock up on such components, who knows how long you will be able to get them.

Mouser's retail price hasn't changed. They have an additional line item attached to that specific product that says, "A tariff of 47% may be applied if shipping to the United States." However, tariffs on goods from the EU are capped at 15% per US Customs and Border Patrol and HTSUS 9903.02.20. The additional 32% must be from Mouser themselves—for who knows what. I might give them a call to find out more.

 

[FourT6and2]

From Mouser's own website!

https://www.mouser.com/section-301-tariff-updates/

Tariffs on goods from the E.U. = 15%

So why are they charging customers 47%?

 

[Geo]

Mouser's retail price hasn't changed. They have an additional line item attached to that specific product that says, "A tariff of 47% may be applied if shipping to the United States." However, tariffs on goods from the EU are capped at 15% per US Customs and Border Patrol and HTSUS 9903.02.20. The additional 32% must be from Mouser themselves—for who knows what. I might give them a call to find out more.

Interesting.

Right now Trump and the EU are at odds with each other for many reasons, and in many ways effecting each other.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the pricing or is Mouser just trying to cash in? I just can't see Mouser just ripping everyone off.

Maybe it's just price increasing and tariffs. The EU has an energy problem, I believe it's buying LNG from us.

 

[FourT6and2]

Just got off the phone with Mouser. Here's what they said:

They pass the full cost of operations to import goods on to the customer. They didn't used to do this. They said they used to just eat those costs. But not anymore. That's not just reciprocal tariffs. It's staffing, admin, paperwork, fees, other operating expenses, etc. And the customer service gentleman said they have an internal team who does their best to track tariff costs and that all he can see is that those resistors, specifically, shipped from India (25% base duty + 25% reciprocal tariff = 50%). I pointed out that tariffs are applied based on where a product is manufactured, not where it ships from.

However, Vishay does have manufacturing facilities in India. This is a common problem: the same part manufactured in different countries can have two different tariffs. So... buy parts made somewhere with a lower tariff.

He said he would open a case to their import/tariff team and find out more. That's really all I got.

My suggestion to any business wanting to buy parts: be shrewd, be frugal, be a smart business owner. It's your duty to source parts with costs you can afford. Instead of paying high prices to Mouser or Digi-Key, buy parts from a retailer oversees and import them yourself. Then you can supply the correct HTS code and country of origin to US Customs and pay the correct duties yourself, rather than paying a middleman's markups.

More work and more time? Yes. Cheaper? Also yes.

 

[Rackman]

Sounds like Mouser has figured out that there's people out there who don't understand tariffs and that they can raise their prices and profits while those people incorrectly blame politicians.

Over time this will cost them business because electrical components are a commodity. But in the short terms they can turn TDS into cash which I guess isn't a bad thing in and of itself.

 

[FourT6and2]

Sounds like Mouser has figured out that there's people out there who don't understand tariffs and that they can raise their prices and profits while those people incorrectly blame politicians.

Most likely.

 

[shar-vell Dan]

Sounds like Mouser has figured out that there's people out there who don't understand tariffs and that they can raise their prices and profits while those people incorrectly blame politicians.

Over time this will cost them business because electrical components are a commodity. But in the short terms they can turn TDS into cash which I guess isn't a bad thing in and of itself.

Thats called "extortion" and its against the Law. The fact its been going on over a year is abhorent, absurd and unacceptable.
Don't you know what the "Boston Tea Party" was all about which started the "Revolutionary War".?
Hence how we got here. Brought to you by "Rebublicans" the same dickheads that called themselves "the tea party".
MAYBE IF THEY STILL TAUGHT "HISTORY" IN SCHOOL PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THIS.
TARIFF IS A TAX.



The phrase "no taxation without representation" was likely coined by lawyer James Otis of Boston in the early 1760s. The concept itself references a government taxing its people but not empowering them with the right to vote against such taxation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_taxation_without_representation

velvet george is an amp god.

 

[RedPlated]

Yeah I agree that if Mouser is charging additional costs above and beyond the actual tariff costs, they should have some legal implications to deal with. There’s no disclaimer on the site stating the additional fees, so that’s just wrong if they are really doing that. It’s hard to believe, but I’m not saying it isn’t happening.

The issue with buying overseas, for me, is the vast array of parts I have to order. I have a huge amount of different components that I use. Finding them all in one place is a huge challenge. Mouser has always been the best for that, as they carry a huge inventory.

I will definitely look into other options, but it may not make sense depending on parts availability. Plus, not all tariffs are 47%. Some are lower, like the pots I recently purchased at 20%. So the overall average tariff costs would have to be low enough overseas to justify the extra shipping and lack of inventory. Which would likely require ordering from multiple sources and paying shipping multiple times. If even one part I need is out of stock, I’ll have to pay additional shipping to get it somewhere else.

 

[FourT6and2]

Yeah I agree that if Mouser is charging additional costs above and beyond the actual tariff costs, they should have some legal implications to deal with. There’s no disclaimer on the site stating the additional fees, so that’s just wrong if they are really doing that. It’s hard to believe, but I’m not saying it isn’t happening.

The issue with buying overseas, for me, is the vast array of parts I have to order. I have a huge amount of different components that I use. Finding them all in one place is a huge challenge. Mouser has always been the best for that, as they carry a huge inventory.

I will definitely look into other options, but it may not make sense depending on parts availability. Plus, not all tariffs are 47%. Some are lower, like the pots I recently purchased at 20%. So the overall average tariff costs would have to be low enough overseas to justify the extra shipping and lack of inventory. Which would likely require ordering from multiple sources and paying shipping multiple times. If even one part I need is out of stock, I’ll have to pay additional shipping to get it somewhere else.

Here's an example of a capacitor with no tariff. Not sure where it's made, but just an example:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...GAEpiMZZMvwFf0viD3Y3eEvzHesuHwLKCZiVHq%2BKIs=

As far as buying oversees, yes it's more work. But if it saves you enough money, it's worth it. Look at the IEEPA chart to see what countries have what tariffs and how they're applied (stacked vs capped).

 

[RedPlated]

Here's an example of a capacitor with no tariff. Not sure where it's made, but just an example:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay-Sprague/53D500F250GE6?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvwFf0viD3Y3eEvzHesuHwLKCZiVHq%2BKIs=

As far as buying oversees, yes it's more work. But if it saves you enough money, it's worth it. Look at the IEEPA chart to see what countries have what tariffs and how they're applied (stacked vs capped).

Yeah some parts won’t have a tariff. But it’s not common. Problem is, I buy based on the specific manufacturer and part number I need based on what I prefer to use in my circuits. Not what’s cheapest or doesn’t have a tariff. So I can’t shop around to beat the tariff without compromising the end result from the parts I use.

I was at BAD recently and even they order a lot of parts from Mouser. Which makes me think there’s more to all of this. Because they especially wouldn’t be buying from them if they were getting taken for additional costs.

 

[Kordoba]

Sounds like Mouser has figured out that there's people out there who don't understand tariffs and that they can raise their prices and profits while those people incorrectly blame politicians.

Over time this will cost them business because electrical components are a commodity. But in the short terms they can turn TDS into cash which I guess isn't a bad thing in and of itself.

When the tariffs were announced earlier this year a liquor store in my neighborhood put a sign on the cash register: Due to tariffs, we will be
adding a 3.5% fee to all credit/debit card purchases. When I went back 2 weeks later the sign was gone lol.

 

[FourT6and2]

Yeah some parts won’t have a tariff. But it’s not common. Problem is, I buy based on the specific manufacturer and part number I need based on what I prefer to use in my circuits. Not what’s cheapest or doesn’t have a tariff. So I can’t shop around to beat the tariff without compromising the end result from the parts I use.

You can shop around to some extent. For example, the resistors you linked to earlier are made in the E.U. and in India. If you buy ones made in India, potentially 50% tariff. If you buy ones made in the E.U., 15%. I don't know why Mouser chose to buy them from India... Maybe they just weren't available from the E.U. at the time. Who knows.

I was at BAD recently and even they order a lot of parts from Mouser. Which makes me think there’s more to all of this. Because they especially wouldn’t be buying from them if they were getting taken for additional costs.

I dunno. People make mistakes sometimes. People are lazy sometimes. Sometimes people don't ask questions or do research or push back against authority or look up the laws for themselves. Sometimes people think it's too much work or too much trouble. Sometimes they think things are out of their control so they just accept what they've being told. Maybe the admin at BAD who handles parts sourcing just didn't look into it. Or... maybe they did and they figured it was a better option to get stuff domestically from Mouser or Digi-Key and pay higher fees because it was easier or faster. I dunno.

What I do know is it can't hurt to look into it and explore options. If it saves you money, what's the harm?

 

[shar-vell Dan]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-economy-liberation-day-d3458da225c1fdfade97ed494b23e868

 

[RedPlated]

I talked to my guy at BAD and they are basically in the same boat as I am with the tariff costs. I know the owner is not lazy and known as an aggressive business person. If you’ve been to BAD, that place is like a well-oiled machine, turning out absurd amounts of product. They are well organized and literally do multiple millions of dollars in sales per year. I can’t see them leaving upwards of 30% in profits on the table by not doing their research.

If you think about it, and it was so easy to pay 15% instead of potentially 47% tariff, Mouser wouldn’t be able to compete anymore and would literally go out of business. Guys like me aren’t keeping them afloat. It’s the big companies ordering 100’s of thousands in parts.

Here’s a good explanation from Google as to why the tariffs can be higher than 15%. I am guessing that when you are ordering direct from overseas, you are circumventing these additional add-ons, but they are likely required legally. Now, whether or not you want to go and pay those extra fees to be fully compliant is on the purchaser.

As I expected, this is much more complex than a fixed 15% rate. This is why I have an accountant for my business. There are so many nuances to the tax codes and reporting requirements, quarterly tax reporting etc…that I let him handle it. I don’t have the expertise nor the extra time.

It appears the tariffs are just as complex. That’s why Mouser has full-time admin staff that focus solely on them and staying in compliance.

 

[Geo]

Is it possible that these EU companies are just raising prices?

Since Nord Stream 1 was blown up all of the EU are paying way more for energy.

Also, the EU is gearing up for war with Russia.