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Buyer Beware... If you're non-American, think twice before purchasing from the US

Why not just Cut/Polish/Buy the local stuff in country ?
Ironic the 3rd Largest Diamond producer in the World needs to import them.


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Here’s an email I just received- it’s from one of the largest diamond cutter/ dealers in the world right now. They’re based in India. Maybe just a push for sales???
Or will we see broad based increases??

I'm writing to inform you about a potential increase in import tariffs that may affect the pricing of our products. We have received information indicating that import tariffs are expected to increase by 15-20%, and this change may take effect as early as April 2nd.

To ensure you can secure the current pricing and avoid any additional costs, I recommend placing your order before this tariff change occurs. I understand that you may need some time to evaluate your needs and make a decision, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I'm here to help you navigate this situation and ensure you get the best possible value.
 
So...the US is threatening to impose an extra 15-20% tariffs on goods purchased from India? So it's a worldwide increase? None of it's making a whole lot of sense... Every day I turn on the news, and...well... It's like guerilla government in the US...
 
togal said:
So...the US is threatening to impose an extra 15-20% tariffs on goods purchased from India? So it's a worldwide increase? None of it's making a whole lot of sense... Every day I turn on the news, and...well... It's like guerilla government in the US...
Click to expand...

I assume the objective is worldwide inflation... Nice...
 
togal said:
My understanding is that tariffs weren't even part of the campaign. The whole talk of tariffs/trade wars, were not mentioned until after orange was brought into power.


I agree that it's difficult to discuss the issue of newly implemented retaliatory tariffs on loose diamonds/gemstones/gold on this forum, where this conversation has relevance, whilst remaining neutral on the subject. It's not a secret that this current 'trade war', as it unfolds, was implemented under a false pretense. As a Canadian, it's impossible to discuss it with neutrality at this juncture. And if my use of the word 'orange' was perceived as 'name calling' then so be it. I think I'm affording far more respect than is deserved under the current circumstances, which are ultimately impacting all of us in a negative way. This discussion IS important, in that it relates to the worldwide gem trade... People don't know what they've got...until it's gone...
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The point is that all Americans don’t agree with it or have a dim view of our Canadian neighbors. Many are appalled by it and if all had been listening closely, they would have realized this was part of the plan. Might not have been able to foresee it all in its entirety, but the premise was there.
Many of us are saddened by this turn of events toward our neighbors and allies. We only had a vote, and will hopefully have another in the future. Please don’t paint us all with the same brush. Hopefully, things will eventually level out a bit.
 
MissGotRocks said:
The point is that all Americans don’t agree with it or have a dim view of our Canadian neighbors. Many are appalled by it and if all had been listening closely, they would have realized this was part of the plan. Might not have been able to foresee it all in its entirety, but the premise was there.
Many of us are saddened by this turn of events toward our neighbors and allies. We only had a vote, and will hopefully have another in the future. Please don’t paint us all with the same brush. Hopefully, things will eventually level out a bit.
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I'm not... I know how I feel, as a Canadian...so I can only imagine how the non-M**A feel, waking-up every morning to the daily news...which I assume is a gut-wrenching, all-pervasive, sinking feeling... I empathize...and will miss my trips to the diamond district in NYC...but...gotta do what we gotta do...
 
togal said:
I'm not... I know how I feel, as a Canadian...so I can only imagine how the non-M**A feel, waking-up every morning to the daily news...which I assume is a gut-wrenching, all-pervasive, sinking feeling... I empathize...and will miss my trips to the diamond district in NYC...but...gotta do what we gotta do...
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Understood
 
togal said:
so I can only imagine
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I really hope you can't visualize how sad this is for so many of us. Many many people are having emotional, sleep issues.. you name it. It's quite upsetting.....
And I can't repeat this enough....
I- and a massive number of my fellow citizens are horrified to see slanderous statements about Canada. I can't even begin to think of a word to describe my feelings about threats or "jokes" of annexation.
 
Folks, last warning, no politics here. Discuss the policies not the politicians.
 
Can I again...thank Ella, and the forum itself.
This thread has gotten 1k views...woo hoo?
Point is, we're not changing anything.... and sadly, likely no ones views either.
It is a very tight knit community.....likely that's giving PS management the headaches.
Trying to discuss things that are vitally important to so many of us in terms that don't upset other people......it's really impossible.
It's just a very tense time...many old enduring friendships have been shattered.....
Peace my diamond and jewelry loving sisters and brothers~!
 
Rockdiamond said:
Can I again...thank Ella, and the forum itself.
This thread has gotten 1k views...woo hoo?
Point is, we're not changing anything.... and sadly, likely no ones views either.
It is a very tight knit community.....likely that's giving PS management the headaches.
Trying to discuss things that are vitally important to so many of us in terms that don't upset other people......it's really impossible.
It's just a very tense time...many old enduring friendships have been shattered.....
Peace my diamond and jewelry loving sisters and brothers~!
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A number of posts were removed that directly violate the policies. You can easily discuss the policies and not lay blame on the politicians or blame the parties. Plenty of important information can still be shared and people are smart enough to decide for themselves who is responsible without everyone fighting about it every day.

Perhaps if folks discuss without laying blame that may make others consider points of view they would not otherwise consider.
 
Yes...peace and love...and all things sparkly!...
 
Ella said:
A number of posts were removed that directly violate the policies. You can easily discuss the policies and not lay blame on the politicians or blame the parties. Plenty of important information can still be shared and people are smart enough to decide for themselves who is responsible without everyone fighting about it every day.

Perhaps if folks discuss without laying blame that may make others consider points of view they would not otherwise consider.
Click to expand...

This
 
freddyboston said:
Why not just Cut/Polish/Buy the local stuff in country ?
Ironic the 3rd Largest Diamond producer in the World needs to import them.


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It's a logical question. Remember that the majority of that production is small, and India is pretty much the only place that has the capacity to process it economically. Theoretically Canada could invest in automation technologies that might make such an industry viable. But that's a long range bet, and everyone in the diamond industry is trying to figure out where things are heading in the short term.
 
JloS said:
Not sure why you injected that last paragraph but that is misinformation. These political comments detracts from this forums appeal, prompting me to seek alternative communities for exploring diamonds and jewelry.
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It is still a free country, do as you wish.
 
LGD are looking now to be a very price competitive option.
At least if they are made in the US.
 
Both side impose tariffs...........

It would be nice to have a list of what countries will have import tariffs on jewelry, diamonds, etc..
 
autumngems said:
Both side impose tariffs...........

It would be nice to have a list of what countries will have import tariffs on jewelry, diamonds, etc..
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He started it. Just sayin'
 
The job of "moderator" is an impossible one, in the best of circumstances.
I, for one, would ask- if something written offends you, consider that the person writing it feels strongly- on either side. So do you.
We all share a love of diamonds and jewelry, can we give each other a break?
Reporting posts will just end the discussion.
Dialog with those we disagree is the only peaceful way out of this.
Thanks again Ella, and sorry.....
 
I've been aware of charges being assessed on foreign shipments for a long time.
Were they "tariffs"?
It's hard to say.
We have a unique tax system in the US.
EU has VAT- I believe that standardizes things
I'm certainly no expert but local sales taxes in the US are a patchwork of different rates, based on locality.
Smaller internet sellers slip under the radar ...it's up to the recipient in Massachusetts who buys an item from an out of state seller to report the sale and pay applicable sales tax ...I doubt many people do that.
Larger sellers now collect sales tax for the different states.

But it is definitely true that we have trade agreements with other countries that would/will be broken by instituting new tariffs.
Also easy to distort the actual situation on the ground.
For example- a 250% tariff on US dairy products going into Canada...but it's not all that simple..
Canada accepts a certain amount of dairy products duty-free, without tariffs.
I can't re-print the entire article- there are a lot of names mentioned...but this

“Above and beyond that cap, you are charged a tariff in the realm of 250-270%. That's the simplest way to think about it. Our complaint is we're not able to get anywhere near that cap, even though we have buyers who tell us they would like to bring in our product,” she says, noting the specific tariff rate depends on the product.

 
Folks, I'm handing out time outs for those who refuse to follow the rules. We're closing all political-adjacent threads next, please don't make us do that.
 
I remember back in the day (pre-internet) people used to Shop Diamond District @ NYC and have the goods mailed home get around NY Sales taxes. Whether they declared purchase to their home state.. i'm not sure :)
 
i dont understand something about this tarrif war
ive only know tarrifs where the importing country charges extra, not the exporting ?
 
Daisys and Diamonds said:
i dont understand something about this tarrif war
ive only know tarrifs where the importing country charges extra, not the exporting ?
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The importing entity, whether a person or business, is charged the tariff by the country imposing the tariff and into which the item is being imported. This is in addition to whatever fees/taxes are normally assessed such as VAT, GST etc.

In the case of businesses, let's say in the US, the US company importing the product pays the tariff imposed by the US government to the US treasury. The business then has an effective cost on the product that is increased by the amount of the tariff. The business then has to decide how much of that increase they can afford to absorb and how much has to be passed on to the US consumer in the form of higher prices. Further, the business has to decide if they can continue importing the product at all. If there are other sources in other countries that are not subject to the same level of US tariffs, a business that is able to might shift and import the product from a different country. This is not always feasible, but always disruptive.

In the case of consumers, if their country is imposing a tariff, it adds to the cost of purchasing that item, the extra money going to their own government in the form of a tax. If that makes item too expensive, the consumer stops buying from vendors in the country subject to their governments tariffs.

In a trade war, consumers pay more, businesses and livlihoods are threatened, and whole industries can be irreparably damaged.
 
To be more clear, the country/countries targeted by the tariffs are NOT paying the tariffs (contrary to what some want the public to believe). Consumers and businesses in the country imposing the tariffs are paying the direct price. That is not to say that the tariffs do not hurt the targeted countries - they do. That is essentially the intent. To inflict enough economic damage to force them to do what you want them to do.
Not exactly the way you want to treat your friends and allies. That's why they refer to them as trade "wars".
 
Why shouldn’t the US charge reciprocal equivalent tariffs on imports? If they’re our allies and friends why aren’t they lowering their tariffs to meet ours?
Just some food for thought…

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This table is likely the average tariff rate. Tariffs are applied very specifically to certain products as well as more broadly across a range of products. These are the particulars that governments work out by negotiation. But notice that no rate in the table is over 15%. A trade war is a different picture. For instance imposing 25% tariff on automobiles and auto parts designed specifically to cripple another country's auto industry.
 
Here's a simple example.

The jewelry boxes we buy are made in China.
In 2017, new tariffs were imposed, and the price of the boxes went from $8, to $12 each.
Maybe China has a 200% tariff on jewelry boxes we ship over there, but of course, that's irrelevant.
Our cost went up $4 a box.
We easily absorbed that cost.
If there's a 25% import duty on cars, there's no way the people selling cars could absorb it, meaning the US consumer will need to pay a lot more for cars here.
I don't see how penalizing the people buying cars here helps us- even if other countries make their people pay more for US cars.
It's not like this is going to make Europeans buy more US made Fords or Chevy's
Our cars weren't that popular over there before this.... for a lot of reasons...

Maybe this will cause more people to buy Fords and Chevy's instead of Toyota and Honda?
But those brands make cars here too.....I don't know how this is going to work.
 
Slickk said:
Why shouldn’t the US charge reciprocal equivalent tariffs on imports? If they’re our allies and friends why aren’t they lowering their tariffs to meet ours?
Just some food for thought…

IMG_5021.jpeg
Click to expand...

This! The USA is trying to level the playing field in trade. Do people know what the USA trade deficit is as of today, March 27th, 2025? The trade deficit for February was $147.9 billion.

No one mentions how much debt the USA currently has and as of, March 26, 2025, the U.S. national debt stands at $36.22 trillion. No one talks how much we have paid out on the world wide stage to assist other countries. Too much at this point and if this country is going to get back on it's financial feet, these changes are necessary. This isn't about hating Canada, this is about fair and equal trade for our country and leveling the playing field.

We have some wonderful Canadian friends who are wise and watch all news stations to get the full gist of the news. They know that if Canada should be attacked by a foreign nation, heaven forbid, which country would have their backs immediately. This isn't about hate, this is about what will level the field.
 
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