Tool price increase coming?
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This might come as a shock here, but tools are not the only thing made out of steel.
AutoZone wanted almost 50 bucks for a small brake drum, probably still made in China.
Price of everything is going up,no matter what it's made of.
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AutoZone wanted almost 50 bucks for a small brake drum, probably still made in China.
Price of everything is going up,no matter what it's made of.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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As much as you might say to yourself "Oh well, I'll just buy Williams sockets" that just shows how singular focused a GJ member can be. This goes way beyond hand tools. You're not going to find a USA made alternative to every single CN made good you have been purchasing for years. And many/most USA manufacturers use globally sourced materials - even at the highest level manufacturing for the military. I speak from experience.
We live in a global economy for a reason, it's efficient. The idea we need to wind the clock back on the greatest economy on earth by about 40 years is very clearly not forward thinking. We would need every Tom, ****, harry and Jane in America swinging hammers and operating forges to meet our own demand. And lets face it, I look around my office, I stop in at the coffee shop, I look at the kids in school - I'm glad our current generation of young workers are not making all of my goods. We would be in a lot of trouble. I stop in at my old places or work in manufacturing and it's not a new crop of guys. It's the same ol' gray hairs like me.
We live in a global economy for a reason, it's efficient. The idea we need to wind the clock back on the greatest economy on earth by about 40 years is very clearly not forward thinking. We would need every Tom, ****, harry and Jane in America swinging hammers and operating forges to meet our own demand. And lets face it, I look around my office, I stop in at the coffee shop, I look at the kids in school - I'm glad our current generation of young workers are not making all of my goods. We would be in a lot of trouble. I stop in at my old places or work in manufacturing and it's not a new crop of guys. It's the same ol' gray hairs like me.
Yep The gist here, is pretty much..
"move along, folk's, move along, nothing to see here!"
I get it.
GF said she's been paying $2.99 for The exact same bagels for a couple of years. All the sudden the price jumped to $3.39 and now there at $3.99.
Wheat shortage?
BTW the drums for about 50 bucks at Napa as well
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One of the issues with the tarriffs is as soon as they went into effect, US metal foundries raised their prices. So raw materials costs went up even for 100% US production.
As an aside I don't disagree with going after China for their intellectual property policies. They are bad in a zero sum world.
As far as your jack at Costco though, I think that is mostly the normal October price increase so it can be 'discounted' for the holidays. For those complaining that X isn't made here anymore so it must be imported; you are correct. The hope is the tarriffs will provide an incentive to start producing that item here again. Of course that may not be the result only time will tell.
As an aside I don't disagree with going after China for their intellectual property policies. They are bad in a zero sum world.
As far as your jack at Costco though, I think that is mostly the normal October price increase so it can be 'discounted' for the holidays. For those complaining that X isn't made here anymore so it must be imported; you are correct. The hope is the tarriffs will provide an incentive to start producing that item here again. Of course that may not be the result only time will tell.
Farmall450
Well-known member
That doesn't make a lot of sense, although ig china bought plenty of scrap, tho I thought more so nonferrous
thooks
Well-known member
My Union Dues are going up!!! They cut my benefits, too!!!
reader2580
Well-known member
This was the exact reason for tariffs. China and others are/were selling steel for less than American suppliers could sell it for so the tariffs were supposed to increase the price of imported steel enough to make it feasible to make steel in the USA again.
Tariffs are doing for us what we were unwilling to voluntarily to do for ourselves.
For generations manufacturing has been migrating offshore to areas where there were huge labor forces available to work at much lower costs due to local economies. This has been a huge economic boon to countries like China and India who's economic stature has increased exponentially. At an ever increasing rate China is bringing in hoards of rural peasants and putting them to work in factories (and paying them what their fathers earn in a year in one month). They've probably tapped into 20% of their available workforce so they are poised to continue this process in leaps and bounds until their standards of living exceeds the countries they are tapping into, USA, Canada, Australia, Africa, Germany, anywhere that jumps into the vacuum. All the while we are greedily grabbing up 2 sets (because they were cheap), they are busily buying up all of our countries' natural resources and 51% or more of publicly traded shares of major corporations.
Tariffs will do for us what we as individuals won't do, slow down our consumption hemorrhage, tighten our belts and support our own economies and work force. I've never been to China but I was appalled last time I was in a big city and saw the over-run streets full of drug addicts and homeless. This trend is spreading to the rural areas quickly. The sound of sirens rushing to save an addict is constant on welfare day while we import highly educated skilled young workers from overseas (and guess who they'll vote for and yes, unlike local citizens, they all vote). Why does it seem like these other countries are on the up and up while we are on a downward spiral? Tariffs may help maintain a countries' reign from within it's borders instead of from foreign controllers of it's wealth. We've been selling our countries wealth, it's future, so that we can wallow in excess while conversely a peasant in China owns little more than the clothes on their back. When the peasants move to the cities to work in the factories they bunk 10 to a room, each one keeping all their possessions in a shoe box along the wall. There is a huge shift of wealth in the world and we need to slow it down.
For generations manufacturing has been migrating offshore to areas where there were huge labor forces available to work at much lower costs due to local economies. This has been a huge economic boon to countries like China and India who's economic stature has increased exponentially. At an ever increasing rate China is bringing in hoards of rural peasants and putting them to work in factories (and paying them what their fathers earn in a year in one month). They've probably tapped into 20% of their available workforce so they are poised to continue this process in leaps and bounds until their standards of living exceeds the countries they are tapping into, USA, Canada, Australia, Africa, Germany, anywhere that jumps into the vacuum. All the while we are greedily grabbing up 2 sets (because they were cheap), they are busily buying up all of our countries' natural resources and 51% or more of publicly traded shares of major corporations.
Tariffs will do for us what we as individuals won't do, slow down our consumption hemorrhage, tighten our belts and support our own economies and work force. I've never been to China but I was appalled last time I was in a big city and saw the over-run streets full of drug addicts and homeless. This trend is spreading to the rural areas quickly. The sound of sirens rushing to save an addict is constant on welfare day while we import highly educated skilled young workers from overseas (and guess who they'll vote for and yes, unlike local citizens, they all vote). Why does it seem like these other countries are on the up and up while we are on a downward spiral? Tariffs may help maintain a countries' reign from within it's borders instead of from foreign controllers of it's wealth. We've been selling our countries wealth, it's future, so that we can wallow in excess while conversely a peasant in China owns little more than the clothes on their back. When the peasants move to the cities to work in the factories they bunk 10 to a room, each one keeping all their possessions in a shoe box along the wall. There is a huge shift of wealth in the world and we need to slow it down.
Huh? We've made steel in the US for centuries. We never stopped. We make about as much as we ever did and now with a fraction of people due to automation . Look it up. But Now it costs 50% more because of tariffs for 150? million US consumers so a few thousand more people can go to work at a mill. On national security justification.
Just wait till new car prices jump $2k between material tariffs and less allowed Mexican content.
You can't turn back the clock. 1960 ain't coming back and the rotary phone factory is closed. Adapt to the present and the coming future or be left behind.
People just don't understand that when you pay $75 for a floor jack instead of $375, you have $300 to do something else with.
I just heard on the news where American Corporations now have so much money, they are doing massive stock buybacks, instead of paying their employees higher wages, which in the case of Walmart might take their employees out of poverty and off of taxpayer-funded (meaning us) food stamps.
We just don't get it.
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rijndael
Well-known member
A friend of mine just got out of the EMT/Medic line of work because it's nearly all overdose cases ...
AffableCurmudgeon
Well-known member
So instead of helping people as an EMT, he bailed? Glad he did, he was not cut out for the job.
rijndael
Well-known member
Not quite, but nice try.
He was an 18D for nearly 15 years, he's pretty well suited for the job.
At some point in your career, you get tired of dealing with the political issues of a particular problem and leave it for someone else because you're just tired of it. IMO, many community leaders (and communities) don't do enough to support volunteers.
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NO....That $300+ more needs to go to some corporations with a CEO that takes 100million salary... and his buddies at....
Musicinabottle
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How could shipping raw materials and finished products to and fro across the ocean be more efficient? Wouldn't employing every tom and **** in this country and then some be a good thing though? Sure seems like it would be a plus all the way around to make things right here........ well, a plus for workers. Maybe not CEOs.
Musicinabottle
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Do you have a historical example of how domestic tariffs on imported goods have addressed any of these things you sight as being problems?
ultgar
Well-known member
For those of you who buy online, many dealers and Amazon/Ebay stores did not collect sales tax from out of state customers. With the new tax laws, that's about to change. As a smaller dealer, I should be under the Nexus threshold in most states but I've already discontinued sales of big ticket items in PA, OK and WA as the threshold is only $10,000/yr. Once sales exceed this amount in any of these 3 states, I'd have to register, collect, file and remit. For me, it's not worth the trouble. Others will subscribe to tax services from Alavara, Taxjar and others but this cost is likely to make its way into the customer's final price.
Unemployment is already at a historical low, so not sure what "employing every tom and **** in this country" by making them all swing hammers resolves in that regard. Making unqualified people switch professions due to a unilateral decision at the top is what Mao did and it did not unfold well.
The fact that countries are far apart has not been a significant argument against a global economy (which is extremely efficient due to the invisible hand of capitalism) for a few hundred years. When brought in with quantity and disregarding tariffs, the monetary penalty of importing goods for instance from CN & TW to USA is around 1.5-2.5%. Unless you take into account the cost on the environmental due to pollution, which is its own fair argument.
a good question to ask you, just say yea or nea, no actual figure or Personal identifiable info needed...
Do you see an increase in your cost from your supplier or over cost of your items on this charade ?
ultgar
Well-known member
Stanley Proto had a 3% price increase last month due to material costs. Facom and USAG hold their costs until year end....no increases anticipated this year. Tariffs not a factor yet on European imports. Lots more paperwork to fill out on Countervailing Duties and Anti-Dumping, especially on products with China as the COO.
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WittHay
Well-known member
Well lets see, I think that is lol. Which means lot of laughs. About as funny as alibaba or is that alidan, same thing some eastern stuff that doesnt mean much in real life
That $300 needs to go to buying something that lasts for years, has parts available, has some used market value or use and not just scrapped after a few years.
Least with tariffs some money goes to the US goverment instead of tool importers. Why would I ever give money to a billionaire like Harbor Freights owner who has made a fortune selling Chinese stuff.
People have no clue as to how wealthy Chinese factory owners are and where they spend their money. Thre is no fairy tale land in real life, Chinese people dont really care much for Americans
Keep up the good work, seen a Bentley and Mcleran driven by young Chinese guys the other day. Sure helps cars sales around here
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LOL ....
Psst, some fun facts.... those aka Chinese Factory Owners are Canadian if they are a legal resident of Canada and they drove the Ferrari in BC right? BC Canada have the largest influx of Wealth Asians migrants in that area... Why, you know why, and that influx of migrant has help your economy that have been tanking in the 1990s... Why BC Canada ?
If I remember some article correctly, that was due to the China taking back HK, and lots of those migrants that can not be accepted to their Motherload England went to USA and Canada... being the popular BC Canada and Vancouver... and for the USA of cause the California and NYC.. Now why... Canada more popular... it's because all you needed is a dollar x million and a dream (business proposal of sort), 1million might not seems to be a lot now a days but when you speak of 1990s... it's a lot.
Now the problem comes, don't you feel like, we just want your $$$ thank you? So those migrants are not Canadians ? They drive that luxury sports car in Canada bought and hopefully paid tax in Canada . No.? As funny as it seems... or proud Canadian as it can be... but that is the truth.. I don't like their snob **** **** as well but have you meet some of the rich white ppl here? Just the other day, one freaking guy tried to run me over with him in his Maserati having a stop sign, me crossing the road, and him impatience for some one walking.... and that chap aint no Chinese either.
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I had to answer this in two posts...
If the $$$ goes to us government... it is fine, but it is not right... this so called $$$ goes into us government is perceived...the real $$$ is still skinned of the Citizens or Illegals or aliens buying the product at higher price... It is all fine if the "local" have a chance to produce a similar product to match the price, but instead took the opportunity to rise the price because of tariff... now us illegal, aliens and ordinary citizen are stuck between a hard rock ending with paying more $$$ for the same ****** products, and not even seeing a cent increase in pay. I get it, you get blind over by the green eye monster seeing those wealth Chinese or look alike Asians driving nice cars around town while you are scrambling to meet ends mean. or is it?... Sorry had to go otherwise I would have ramble on and on... you don't have to answer but most of your posts are basically those influx of wealthy immigrants in your area are driving nice cars , driving up real estate prices... and you are not in any part of that pie... I aint either but I don't go all out communist at them.
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Pretty much and by driving away all affordable import competition, their job is now a whole lot easier.
The cheering of the folly of tariffs, reeks with the similar stench of the joy of the crushing of Unions.
Love em', or hate em', Union pay/benefits set a good stage, for their non Union counterparts. Would non union newcomer Honda have paid $18/hr, if GM, was paying $12?
Of course not.
Imported tools similar but the opposite.
Plenty of boasting here, about getting good prices on American made tools, in conjunction, with those happy with the import prices. It's all good.
Is this just coincidence?
Of course not.
I can buy a 10pc 3/8" Snap On ratchet/socket set for about $70 more than I paid for the exact same set - 40 years ago!
If anyone thinks that Harbor Freight and many others did not have a hand in making all tools more affordable, imported and domestic, they will have a rude awaking in the futures, when the inexpensive competition, is gone.
Just like today, when a $15/hr factory job, with no benefits, is bragged about, considered a "good job".
I hope I am wrong.
Love em', or hate em', Union pay/benefits set a good stage, for their non Union counterparts. Would non union newcomer Honda have paid $18/hr, if GM, was paying $12?
Of course not.
Imported tools similar but the opposite.
Plenty of boasting here, about getting good prices on American made tools, in conjunction, with those happy with the import prices. It's all good.
Is this just coincidence?
Of course not.
I can buy a 10pc 3/8" Snap On ratchet/socket set for about $70 more than I paid for the exact same set - 40 years ago!
If anyone thinks that Harbor Freight and many others did not have a hand in making all tools more affordable, imported and domestic, they will have a rude awaking in the futures, when the inexpensive competition, is gone.
Just like today, when a $15/hr factory job, with no benefits, is bragged about, considered a "good job".
I hope I am wrong.
reader2580
Well-known member
The USA produced about 40% more steel by volume in the 1970s than we do today. Minnesota experienced massive layoffs of taconite miners between 2013 and 2016, but they were back to work before the tariffs started.
I don’t think the tariffs are a good as we will have a net loss of jobs.
mudflap
Well-known member
Maybe thats where the cockroach killer comes from...?
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Cool, let them bump up new car prices. Who cares, most of the "cost" of a new car is built into expectation of financing. It's like all those people who thought their house was "worth" all that money prior to 2008. Dry up the loans, "values" plumet, to what the houses are actually worth when banks don't just hand out loans. People cry about snap on tools being oh-so expensive because of built in "truck credit". Think the same thing isn't true for houses and cars? The product the business really wants to sell is the loan.
Of course, mexico/canada/us just released a trade deal a day or so ago making the tariff free importation of cars built in mexico happen again, with just a bit more US content being required. Almost as though..... you impose tariffs to bring people to the bargaining table.
Honestly, if the relatively small price increases we're talking about are going to change your life drastically, one needs to fix their life. I'm a mechanic, not known for being a 100k+ year job. If buying proto at "street" price instead of HF is going to hurt you that bad, you need to get your life in order. If 2k (BS random number) on a brand new car is going to hurt so bad, you obviously can't afford a new car, especially if you are financing an extra 2k over a 5+ year term.
This country has a serious issue with consumerism, and being "credit-rich". If bopping the market on the nose, and making cheap non-essential products increase in price is what fixes that, I'm 100% for it. MOST of the discussion is non essential products, not steel/aluminum. It all started as raw material cost concerns (somewhat valid), but now has mostly devolved into:
"How will we ever survive without cheap imported "Live Laugh Love" wall accessories?"
EDIT: And fun fact!
NPR (not a notoriously pro-trump/tariff organization) recently reported the CIA, FBI, Apple, Facebook, and others all have something in common. A chip on their servers that was discovered to be a back door into the networks. The US based manufacturer sourced the server boards from china. The supplier there added these chips which can log/transmit anything on that server.
National security; might be a slight stretch. However I think it's obvious the chinese are willing to bump trade/monetary/intellectual-property and other standards. Being that our economies are very closely related, I doubt the much hailed "trade war" is coming.
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I'm not an economist so, i can't explain why tool prices are going up but, they are. I was browsing the new NAPA real deals flyer yesterday, and just everything i looked at went up in price from last quarter's flyer.
It's ok though, as I don't really need anything so, i'll buy less.
No joke. I want the 3/8 roto head and keep hoping I can get it for less than $73 but it hasn't budged since I started looking.
Careful there. The unemployment rate is quite low but so is the participation rate so it is an apple and oranges comparison to the 1960s.
Musicinabottle is correct; the CEOs get it. Stock buybacks raises earnings per share. Their compensation is primarily in the form of stock options so buybacks are almost a sure thing compared to the risk of expanding, raising wages, etc that may take years to have a positive effect if ever.
I find that sort of short sighted greed reprehensible but I am not sure what it is going to take to change that management culture.
WittHay
Well-known member
If a price of a floor jack goes up tomorrow from $80 to $120, it shouldnt cause much hardship for anybody in North America.
Thats the strange thing about China its not a true communist country. Where the goverment owns everything and everybody is supposed to be more or less equal. it seems more capitalist than the US with poor workers and incredibly rich people
I totally understand that people cant pay Snap-on prices for everything in life. I just dont like that more and more of the worlds manufacturing is concentrated in one country.
The point of my comments, is that a lot of Chinese people must feel that life is better in other countrys beside mainland China. The current population of persons of Chinese descent in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area is 450,000 and increasing.
Musicinabottle
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So true. It really is a form of domestic terrorism. These guys don't give a **** about America, but they live here.
kctyphoon
Banned
You guys do realize alot of this “tariff war” media nonsense will just be a temporary thing.. not for everything, (because we SHOULD be doing it on some items) but its merely a strategy to bring china to the negotiating table in an effort to make them buy more of our stuff. They have much more to loose than us.. I wouldn’t go losing sleep over this. People dont need to act like paying an extra 5 cents for a can of coke is going to drive people into poverty.
We could also mention that everyone just got tax cuts, unemployment is at record lows, the economy is booming, stock market is at record highs, wages are increasing, more jobs available mean more economic mobility and opportunity - Or we can ignore all those things, and just make a case how the cheap jack just got a little less cheap, and now everyone is therefore doomed..
There is more than one moving part to this whole thing.. More good things have happened in the last 2 years to more people, then people have seen in the last few decades. Have a little faith, you have no reason not to.
We could also mention that everyone just got tax cuts, unemployment is at record lows, the economy is booming, stock market is at record highs, wages are increasing, more jobs available mean more economic mobility and opportunity - Or we can ignore all those things, and just make a case how the cheap jack just got a little less cheap, and now everyone is therefore doomed..
There is more than one moving part to this whole thing.. More good things have happened in the last 2 years to more people, then people have seen in the last few decades. Have a little faith, you have no reason not to.
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Hmmm, coulda fooled me.
US put steel tariffs - world wide, for many countries accused of "selling steel in the US, at unfair lower prices".
How does this not become a permanent price increase on all steel, foreign or domestic? US steel companies have absolutely no reason to not start jacking up their prices.
Besides, it's not just about floor jacks. That's too simple.
All companies that purchase steel products , will see their costs go up and will pass those costs on to their customers, who will pass their increased costs, on to their customers, even if it's for **** pills, or garden fertilizer. It will go right down the line ending up hitting "Average Joe" (you and me)
That's how an economy works.
Cheering about the low unemployment, maybe the 10,000 baby boomers retiring - each day, might have something to do with that number and with the sub 4% rate, it will be interesting who we are going to get to work, in all these new factories.
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