How will the recently implemented tariffs affect your doll collecting?

If a tariff is set up by January and you've paid a doll by then, you'll most certainly have to pay when the item enters US customs, according to the value that is declared - that's assuming this will work the same as VAT in Europe.

 

Thank you for asking this. I was wondering how those of us in the US are going to deal with the added costs to our hobby. I have one layaway that I'm sure I'm going to see an extra charge on now. It's going to be a lot of waiting and seeing what happens, and it might be better to order now if we can.

 

I'm pretty sure Alice will declare a lower value if you ask them to, but you'll probably need to reach out to specifically ask for it. On the plus side, if you ordered it in August, there's a likelihood it will be ready to ship before there's been time for any major changes like tarriffs to take effect. They won't be passed instantly in January. That said, I'm also looking at placing orders ASAP for things because of the likelihood of dealing with tarriffs or other customs issues getting things, especially things from China.

For the faceup, I'd think that would depend how it's marked on the customs sheet the artist fills out to send it back to you. I know when we send things overseas from the US, we can mark it as a gift and up to a certain value, it's not supposed to incur customs fees for the recipient. But to be on the safe side, might be worth it to just deal with as much overseas purchasing and receiving now as you can :/

 

@krystina I have absolutely no idea, it could be that this will be an added tax to industrial scale imports and you will never see anything happen when it comes to dolls (do assume that general life costs will go up if imports from China will get additional taxes). I'm going to be rather cynical here and assume that everyone but the big corpos (e.g. Amazon, Aliexpress) will be targeted because that's what always happens which is the opposite of what should be done.
It could also be that US will keep tax-free import goods (like "toys") regardless of this maneuver, so dolls will be unaffected. In my country we have a very useful index that lists every single type of good and whatever taxes apply to it, perhaps you have a similar index for the US as well? If you have anything like that, any changes would be listed.

My only input is that it's most likely going to be calculated at customs. I'm also going to assume that if they're serious about getting that money they might be more thorough with verification. You've got to wait till when the changes will be applied and budget for the worst case scenario.

 

Tariffs generally apply to anything that comes into the country. The biggest problem is going to be sending your doll to China and then getting it back again. It will be a package coming in from China, so chances are it may count as an "import" even if the doll is yours, unless there's some kind of provision.
Marking the package down helps (the doll head value could be $0 because technically the doll is yours so you're not buying it), but insurance of the package is tied to the listed value, so that's a risk.

I had something like this happen to a cross stitch "Round Robin" when it was sent around the world. If you're not familiar with them: you start a project and send it on to somebody, who works on it and then sends it on, etc. until it gets back to you in the end. Anyhow, the person who had the bad luck to be the first address in our country from the US had to pay import duties on every project coming in, even though it was not her property. Of course we all chipped in, but it was a hassle.

 

I think the import duties exemption on "toys" contributed to the BJD hobby getting so popular in the USA in the first place. It's a big deal.
I don't want to think catastrophically but given how difficult and stressful it is to buy dolls in Europe because of customs and taxes, it's possible that the US market for BJDs will shrink quite a lot if these new taxes will come into effect, especially for Korean and Japanese makers.

 

Looks like "toys" are now going to be on the list of goods with increased tarriffs, assuming this passes :/ 10-20% for things from outside China and at least 70% on things coming from China. Most of the charts I'm seeing list the % increase when buying from a retailer here, so it's possible, given that we currently don't pay customs on packages that are valued at less than $1000 regardless of what they are or where they're from, that it might not affect individuals receiving packages from overseas too much unless you're going to be receiving very expensive dolls. But it could affect our dealers like Denver Doll and BJDivas pretty hard, so their prices could possibly go up in accordance, especially Denver Doll, since they're the dealer for Fairyland and Resinsoul, and a lot of Fairyland's dolls are pretty close to or exceed that 1k cutoff already.

 

I will have to cut back on buying dolls alongside doll clothes.

 

I've already had to cut back on buying dolls in the last few years. Thankfully, I only have a handful that are left on my wish list. I am hoping to get them ordered before any tariffs kick in, if this goes through, for U.S. citizens. I am thinking it might take awhile for it to take affect.

It is a proposed 10% tariff rate from China, and I do love the Chinese doll companies the best. I am not going to stop buying the dolls that I want, but it might take me a bit more to save up for them. I don't currently want anything that is time limited, I can wait on sales, and that can help make up for the 10% tariff rate.

While it might take me a little longer to collect the dolls that I want, it is not going to stop me from getting them.

 

i was thinking that I would give me problems, but maybe not so much?.

Im based in Northern Europe. I will have to set on hold for buy from Denver ( luckily have no order there now). witch is quite sad, I have bought in stock doll from them that I wanted but could not find any other places.

But I have received two smaller packages from legenddoll here in January. Normally I will have to pay tax, import tax and handling fees and so on.. I have paid nothing this time for both packages. Confused i contacted my post office, they said all was fine. So maybe my country all ready have some new deals going on or maybe it truly was a mistake... xD.
- I do not have any other packages coming, so I don't know what to expect at the moment.

But yes, It will chance my spending habit, for now.
I have bought from a lot of companies from a lot of deferent country over the last 2-3 years. I will have to be more selective and have to know where it will be sending form. hopefully it will be normal soon again.

 

I’m not sure. I don’t tend to order much from China, but I do like having the option. Realistically, my next 4 years should be spent saving up and getting ready to/moving out. Dolls will not be the only thing that goes up and so purchasing them will go farther down the priority list. I’m more worried about food, medicine and medical supplies, and other household goods.
I intend to let myself get one doll for the next few years if I work the extra shifts for it, but that would be from Japan. No tariffs there.

 

Tarriffs that might affect dolls specifically I don't think will impact my decisions much, since I didn't plan on buying very many anyway and I make most clothes, shoes, etc for mine, but with the tarriffs being imposed on everything else, that will affect my ability to buy anything fun, dolls and doll related things included, simply since everything for the cost of living is now going to skyrocket :/ Food especially is a big concern, since it's not just the tarriffs that will affect those costs but also the ICE raids, since most farms employ migrant workers to work fields and pick crops. Groceries are already so expensive so I have a feeling that's where the biggest hike in my expenses is going to be, meaning less to put aside for dolls

 

I'm on the same page as quilleth, there are a lot of factors at play and none of them are good. I actually ordered some doll clothes/small items in December because I was worried. Probably not the best use of money, necessarily, but a lot of my doll's shoes had gone bad in storage while I wasn't in the hobby actively, and I wanted to still be able to "play" with them. So maybe if you usually focus on buying dolls, think about other ways you can interact with the hobby... meetups, taking photos, making items, practicing faceups, looking in thrift stores for fun props, I think there are a lot of possibilities. Just my suggestion, but I think hobbies are important to your mental health!

I have a small/lower value package in transit from China (my fault being slow deciding, not the seller). I'm in communities with people who sell at artist alleys, and they pointed out that in addition to increased costs, we will definitely see shipping times become longer, since it will take far more time for packages to clear customs. Smaller packages (under $800) used to just breeze through more or less and not require agents to check them, but that exemption has been removed. So we shall see what actually happens. I'm happy to update on how that goes if it's useful.

 

I am not good with this sort of thing at all. Can someone explain to me what the tarrif is, and what changed? I get it's connected to items coming into the country and paying for the privilege of it, but what IS it?

 

It's essentially an additional tax put on goods coming into the country, so the cost of any goods imported from the countries set (in this case most recently for the US, Canada, Mexico, and China) will increase for consumers. The percentages, specifically for goods coming from Canada and Mexico, have been set quite high compared to what they have been, which is problematic because we import a lot of daily goods from both of them, and many also come from China, which had tarriffs set at a slightly lower percentage. Countries affected have also announced retaliatory tarriffs in response, which means goods the US usually exports, will have less demand or won't sell, losing companies money, and in return, probably costing jobs so the companies can save money.

 

Yep, like Quilleth said. On top of how that affects companies and therefore the economy in general, the extra wrinkle now is it will affect items individuals are "importing," too, without the "de minimis" exemption. So say you buy a doll from a shop in China for $500 USD. If it was under $800, that used to not be affected by tariffs. Now it won't pass customs inspection without that tariff (it's a tax, that's simpler) being paid. I wish I could say exactly what this will be like here, but I don't think anyone really knows yet (even though people outside the US do have to pay these costs in many cases!).

 

From the videos I’ve seen, places like Denver Doll will get a bill when the items arrive at the docks. After they pay the bill, they can continue with the import. They can then decide if they’re going to pass on the costs to their buyers.

Some places like Walmart and Amazon in anticipation of tariffs, ordered a lot of goods from China in advance and have warehoused them so we only pay for the warehouse cost. I don’t know if Denver Doll did anything like that. They are a small business though and a lot of small businesses can’t afford even that.

For now, I think it only impacts China, Mexico and Canada. So Korean dolls might be ok.

 

I've already cut down my doll buying to almost nothing, and I have a hefty stash of crafting supplies if there's anything I want for my current dolls. That said, if I need something like glue or needles, I'll have to pay more, along with household necessities.

 

So I have a doll I paid for already, through Alice Collections. When it comes ready to be shipped to the US I might have to pay an extra fee, either to AC or when it hits my post office? Or warehouse in California I suppose.

 

Personally I oscillate between UK and EU and dolls come from China or Korea so not too much impact on myself. But it just ads to the general sense of craziness of the world and some countries in particular.

 

Yeah, I shopped a lot in advance in Dec. and stocked up, just to make sure I would have all I needed and would not have to shop much at all instead for food necessities, under this hare-brained- well never mind. I even stockpiled Mr. Super Clear! the doll I am awaiting now will be the last one, as well, until the insanity has passed.

 

Yes, you might have to pay an additional fee when it gets to the US in order to have it delivered to you. Depending on when your doll is ready, it might be something they charge Alice's for on top of the usual shipping fee, and then it's up to them to decide if they'll pass the charge onto you, since Alice's usually offers free shipping on dolls. I think in a lot of international online marketplaces, things like the VAT are added at checkout, but there hasn't been time for places to figure out how to work with these new tarriffs.

 

I'm sorry if this is dumb question, but I'm having trouble finding reliable sources that clearly explain anything without heavy biases or arguments for whether tariffs are good or bad. So, my question is this---do the tariffs only affect stuff being imported in bulk, like for retail or businesses? Or does it affect individuals just buying single items for themselves? Is this something we even know yet?

I'll admit, I've panic bought a lot of dolls/accessories in the last few months. My number of dolls has more than doubled in the last year, just because I'm so afraid that it won't be long before the current situation makes it impossible for me to buy new dolls. I guess I'm sort of "stocking up", both to keep me active in the hobby and give me a distraction.

I guess maybe the one single silver lining here is that maybe the secondhand market will pick up...if anybody can still afford to buy, and we're not all panic selling to afford necessities...

(Apologies for the doom and gloom. I usually try to keep my responses in the hobby positive and cheerful, but this has really been weighing on me and frying my nerves.)

 

I didn't think the tariffs would necessarily affect me as an Australian, but with the AUD now very low against the USD, I am extremely reluctant to buy anything where I have to pay in USD.
The only doll parts/accessories I'm likely to buy this year will now be from Japan

 

@CloakedSchemer You might have to pay a tariff if you ordered directly from a company in China. If you went through a dealer, they may tack it on to your overall cost. But, I think that some would rather eat the cost as you already agreed to a certain amount. Unless, their profit margins are so slim they would go out of business? I think this is a question that’s unanswerable until it happens. If you did order through a dealer or company, you can try to ask them. That’s what I would do.

 

I am in EU and have to pay VAT (which is not the same as a tariff, but I assume the logistics would the same for the consumer) - the parcel goes through customs and I have to pay the fee in the post office (some countries also send a bill online or via mail before delivering the parcel). I assume it will be a similar process in the US.

It's also worth noting that ACBJD and some other companies and dealers mark a lower price on the customs form on the package so the fee itself will be quite small in the end.

 

I think the bigger issue is the USD having zero value then you can't buy dolls at all

I just thought, people hated it how US collectors would not ship overseas (not including me I love selling international, you meet new people)now we'll be begging for yalls money.

 

I have three dolls that I'm waiting on, some ordered back when I naively thought the tariffs would not happen (which is putting way too much trust in our government system that I won't get into). I know I'll pay for these dolls but I do think depending on the tariff situation I'll slow down my purchasing a lot, and I typically order a lot from China. It's super disappointing, and very concerning.

 

Definitely won’t be ordering off the popular apps of Temu, Shein, Aliexpress since that 10% tariff is substantial enough to deter me. I can continue ordering from Japan and Europe for now. Definitely will be steering clear of Canada and Mexico because 20% is too rich for my blood.

 

I'm pretty sad about the tariffs because any bargain I find will stop being a bargain... There are no dolls or craft stores in my city so I can't simply buy them in person, I'll have to cut out the shopping for some time.

I noticed that too, I'm thankful they mark it a lower price but at the same time I feel bad because if they get caught they could get in trouble, or that's what I heard.

 

I tried to impulse buy a doll before tariffs a few months ago but couldn't find any I wanted so here I am enjoying the dolls I have instead ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Looks like the Mexican tariffs got stalled for another month (yay for food prices!) but that probably won't affect much else for the hobby.
I think the no buy thread is about to be a great inspiration to many of us. I keep falling off the wagon, but compliance is about to get a lot more incentivised.

 

That delay is so meaningless compared to everything else. I want to live
This is so unfair

 

There sure is a lot more on my mind about this situation, but to keep it doll-relevant: I've cut back my doll buying significantly in the last year anyway, and managed not to buy any new dolls at all in 2024. I was hoping to keep that streak going, but I guess this just cinches it. Most of my dolls are from China as it is, and my favorite company right now is Dream Valley, so any potential purchases, if I wasn't on this "no spending" spree, would be affected.

Again, keeping it hobby related, I mostly just feel bad for everyone else, and for the companies that will be negatively impacted. I know the US isn't the biggest BJD market, but losing sales here probably won't be a non-issue. (And for those who already have to pay big fees outside the US, I feel for you as well, I've always thought it was unnecessarily harsh.)

 

Tariffs?? Haha! I think I should update my doll list....

 

An update for all US based collectors the postal service USPS has temporarily suspended packages from China & Honk Kong due to the tariffs.

 

Yep and I have a bunch of stuff from both I have no idea how to get home to me

 

I saw the news about USPS suspending delivery, and I contacted the company where my one pending order is waiting to be shipped. (Shipping was only delayed due to the New Year holidays.) I'm hoping that using FedEx or DHL will be okay. I wasn't able to find any news that they were affected. Does anyone know if private shipping companies are affected?

 

I’m really concerned about USPS halting shipping, I have so much stuff ordered…from what I understand, FedEx and DHL aren’t affected, but I’m not totally sure on that? Maybe that will help those of you with dolls or other big orders. Unfortunately for me, everything I have ordered is a bunch of small stuff from various sellers, so it’s a lot of money to lose, but not worth paying for FedEx or DHL shipping. And most of it is already in transit.

 

I just saw a news article from The Standard (an established newspaper in Hong Kong) that said both Hong Kong Post and DHL Hong Kong have stopped accepting parcels from Hong Kong to the US.

According to it, UPS Hong Kong, FedEx Hong Kong and SF Express are still accepting parcels for now.

Not sure if the DHL thing applies to parcels from Mainland China as well.

 

Oh, looks like the US Postal Service has already reversed their decision to suspend packages from China and Hong Kong according to this BBC article. Postal services are back now?

 

Well, I've set 2025 as my 'no new resin year' just awhile ago in the resolution thread.

Maybe this year it's time to strictly follow my new year resolution

For those who want to buy from Japan, you are still safe, but I don't know until when.

 

AP article on USPS reversing this decision

US Postal Service flip-flops on Hong Kong-China packages, lifting a ban imposed a day earlier

 

In terms of the first question - to be honest I am really pumping the brakes on the hobby. It's not so much that I'm concerned about how much more expensive the dolls will be, I'm more concerned about how much more expensive everything will be if these tariffs are successfully implemented. Canada and Mexico have helped us by negotiating to postpone the tariffs, but I am still concerned that it's only been postponed.

I don't say this to disregard other people's personal concerns as it pertains to the hobby. I know many people find their joy in dolls and should definitely seek joy during these uncertain times... it's just personally I am worried about so much more than dolls right now. I've been very blessed that I have a large collection to enjoy and work on - I'm honestly going to just focus on that.

 

Everything, and those sentences in particular, right now, @Dybbuk
I am looking forward to perhaps seeing the crafting forums and modding forums get a lot of activity in the future and actually look forward to receiving advice and sharing journeys and cheering everyone on in their endeavors, over there!

 

I only have a few bodies left to get to finish out my crew, and with the tariffs it just means I'm going to have to be much more careful about when and where and how I purchase those last few. Likely with layaway from US based dealers if I can. Or with more planning and saving if I must order overseas. Only time will tell. I may end up just keeping my head down and hiding with my hoard for the next 4 years...Though it would be a great excuse/motivator to get some modding and faceup work done.

 

I was already planning on only buying maybe a body this year and some accessories, so the tariffs aren't really changing my plans except for maybe making me look for things secondhand. My biggest doll concern currently is that I'm waiting on an off-topic mjd doll from China, so I don't really know how this is going to affect that.

It feels trivial, though. As others have said, dolls are the least of my worries right now.

 

I heard that they got rid of the De Minimis rule, but does it still apply to other countries? Or is it just gone for China? And are there still exemptions for toys?

I was planning on getting another Do Dolls Dream this year, but now I'm kinda anxious on if the EU might be affected by this, too, because I didn't have tariffs in my original budget. I'll probably end up getting most of my doll stuff secondhand the next 4 years, if at all. I'd imagine prices with DDE would go up if they're paying a lot of tariffs, too.

 

I can't say if tarriffs will change in the EU, but if you order from DDE, then I would definitely suggest trying to plan for things to be more expensive, since they'll likely have to pay more.

Currently the demnimis rule is only eliminated for goods from China, and it's unclear exactly what things they eliminated it from, but given that they were hoping to target places like Shein, Temu, Aliexpress, and to some extent Amazon, I'd imagine that all small parcels under $800 will now have to go through the more in depth customs processing. USPS has made some comments about it, but this will also affect UPS, Fed Ex, and DHL in the States, though I haven't seen any comments from them yet about their plans for dealing with it.

 

It *should* only be for China, at least currently, and there are no exemptions. The EU->US route has come up in the tariff conversation but there's nothing currently. But as we've seen with the less-than-12-hour long package suspension, uh... it's all very unclear and uncertain, as are many things for those of us in the US.

And yeah, like others have said, and since it's come up in unrelated communities I'm in, too... make sure you're taking care of yourself as well as you can. Artists are always telling other artists not to apologize if they can't draw when they're sick, not to feel bad if they can't update their fanfic when they're dealing with life stuff, etc. Your communities will support you, no matter how you participate!

 

@quilleth I can imagine that CBP is going to be completely swamped, too, having to do so much more processing. I'd prepare for customs and shipping times to take longer, too.

@Ayaka Yeah, it does feel like there's a major lack of transparency on everything, not just tariffs and foreign trade. I think for right now I'll have to wait and see, since a lot could change between now and a few months. And of course I'll take care of myself first! ^^ I might take this as a time to practice more faceups and sewing for the hobby in the meantime.

 

I'm definitely going to be slowing down on imports from China, Hong Kong, and potentially Taiwan as well. A shame, because there's a number of Taobao outfits I still wanted but it's a good reason to work on learning to sew. I should use that official Super Dollfie sewing book I bought recently.
Since I haven't seen word of Taiwan being affected yet (but I'm not going to be surprised if they are within the year), I'm probably going to do a large wig order from my favorite company there. Wigs, eyes, and shoes are the 3 things I am simply not interested in making myself.
As far as dolls, I'm definitely slowing down to make up for other things (likely CoL increases, a wig order that will probably cost as much as 2 dolls, etc) although I normally import them from Japan so I'll be okay for now. I'm definitely planning to stick to my rule of no more PS Fair SDs or Flesh DDs, since I already have too many of those skintones. Beyond that, it's just... seeing what the future holds seen a lot recently about the yen going up and dollar going down, although it's still at a "good" (for US imports) rate for now.

 

I'm mainly worried about dolls I ordered from Alice's last year that will be shipping in the next month or two. I assume I'll have to pay the tariff to ransom them from customs. One confusion I see with people is that the tariff is charged to the buyer (Walmart, Denver Doll, us, for example), not the seller (Chinese doll dealer). Like a giant sales tax. The US Post Office seems to be working out how to implement all this, since I believe the executive orders were like "Do it", without much detail. So hopefully they can drag their heels for a while.

I also hope this gives energy to the crafting side of the hobby. And that everyone takes care of themselves.

 

I'm so, so frustrated. I pre-ordered the Dollzone Light fullset from Legend Doll back when it came out, so the thought of having to file the paperwork and $110 bucks (because I'm too scared of something happening to have the value declared lower) and hope like hell that nothing else happens. I had planned to order some clothes for him too, but that's gone out the window.

Even if it shipped tomorrow, everything being shipped from China is being held back so the USPS can figure out how to implement this deranged tariff. And it'll be held for a while, since setting up the structure and everything will take time. Who knows how places like UPS/FedEx/DHL/etc. will handle it.

 

I've just noticed that it seems like Macau has somehow fallen under the radar and doesn't seem to be affected by this tariff change (for now?), despite also being a Special Administrative Region of China like Hong Kong.

 

This article mentions what UPS/DHL are doing already. I'm a bit worried it'll be pretty dang hard to tell a REAL "you have a package being held" notice from the endless spam ones, but at least it's some info.

 

As others mentioned, I am more worried about overall cost increases versus doll stuff at the moment. I was fortunate that I don't currently have any outstanding orders, or any already planned future ones. At this point, I will waiting until the dust settles before making any more international orders. My biggest issue is that I am the sort that is very particular about wanting to know exactly what the price is on something before deciding if I want to buy. I don't like to be surprised with extra charges. Sadly, it can be hard to calculate costs because besides duties and tariffs the shipping companies will tack on brokerage/processing fees that are often way higher than the duties/tariffs themselves.