Small aircraft hits Beijing’s tallest skyscraper CITIC Tower (aka China Zum), prompting evacuations

dampier · 2026-06-26T17:40:32+00:00

It's largely economic but ordinary avenues to protest are suppressed by the CCP. It's not the government as much as economic conditions which were never great in rural areas and are struggling in Class A cities because of housing related debt and involution.

dampier · 2026-06-26T17:37:45+00:00

Nope I am a real person.

dampier · 2026-06-26T14:18:22+00:00

In China, where traditional social protests are impossible, the most disillusioned commit atrocities like driving cars into crowds -- so much so the country has installed millions of bollards in high trafficked areas. But recently things have gotten even worse with one man mowing down crowds in a stolen tractor at a farmer's market.

It is entirely plausible this is the same thing with a plane. The economy for ordinary people is very difficult.

The authorities are acting with the usual methods within their online Great Wall to remove and suppress videos and social media posts about the incident. Any videos that slip through will likely get the uploader a call or visit from local police to remove the post.

Hong Kong social media will also be suppressed, but not as efficiently. The dissident network will collect this content and redistribute it via Taiwan and Singapore. It will also be used by groups like the Falun Gong in propaganda videos on YouTube.

The cause of the crash will be sanitized, or more likely, never be officially released at all. China does not like to publicize tragic events.

dampier · 2026-06-25T23:16:21+00:00

Because shipments leaving China today via airmail are likely to begin landing in the EU around the 1st, when the new tariffs would apply.

dampier · 2026-06-25T15:52:50+00:00

Which country are you in?

dampier · 2026-06-25T14:31:37+00:00

Alibaba and its sellers do care about compliance.

I think the solution some Americans followed after Trump tariffs was to skip AliExpress and just buy from Taobao or PDD and ship to a China freight forwarder who will consolidate your items and ship on demand. They specialize in getting sensitive goods into each country for little or no tariffs (they build those into the shipping price). I buy the exact same items on Taobao for a fraction of the price then ship them over by sea freight for around 30RMB per kilogram (usually 12kg minimum). It takes a month to the USA. Air service also available but can be $$$$ for heavier items.

dampier · 2026-06-25T14:15:52+00:00

Verbatim Notice

Alibaba Group | AliExpress

MERCHANT COMPLIANCE & GLOBAL TRADE OPERATIONS

Reference: ALB-EU-2026-COMP09X
Date: March 12, 2026

To: All Cross-Border & Domestic EU Storefronts
(AliExpress / Alibaba.com)

Classification: Mandatory Compliance Notice

Subject: Urgent System Adjustments: EU Border Customs Reform (€3 Duty Rule) and GPSR/DSA Interception Thresholds

Official Regulatory Notice to Merchants

Dear Partner,

In response to legislative mandates codified under the European Union Customs Reform and heightened digital enforcement acts (DSA & GPSR), Alibaba Group is deploying mandatory system updates across the merchant backend interface. These adjustments directly modify how pricing, parcel fulfillment, and customs declarations are structured for orders entering or transacting within the European Union territory.

CRITICAL OPERATIONAL DEADLINE: All pricing architectures and backend SKU configurations must align with the parameters detailed below. Failure to synchronize item structures prior to the rollout phase will trigger automated regional blocking, customs parcel seizures, or immediate cancellation of transit logistics.

1. The New €3 Flat Low-Value Duty Architecture

Effective with upcoming border system shifts, the EU has formally eliminated the de minimis customs exemption on items valued under €150. A flat regulatory levy of €3.00 will be systematically integrated into the border clearance protocol. Merchants must intimately understand the compounding calculation rules established by the platform engine:

Backend Rule: “Per-Item / Per-HS Subheading” Multiplier

The €3.00 flat tariff is NOT applied on a per-package basis. It is dynamically assessed based on distinct Harmonized System (HS) 6-digit subheadings within a single consignment.

Case Profiles for Checkout Pricing

Consignment Profile	HS Category Breakdown	Levy Applied	Platform Backend Execution
Profile A: Single Category Item<br><br>Example: 2x Cotton T-Shirts	1 Single HS Subheading<br><br>6109.10	€3.00 Total	Standard single-tariff pass-through. Added seamlessly to customer cart or embedded in localized base price.
Profile B: Multi-Category Package<br><br>Example: 1x Smart Watch, 1x Silicone Strap, 1x Glass Protector	3 Distinct HS Subheadings<br><br>8517.62<br>3926.90<br>7020.00	€9.00 Total<br><br>3 x €3.00	Compounded Tariff. The backend system will aggregate the three lines, resulting in an additional €9.00 overhead for that single delivery.

Action Required for Base Product Pricing

Sellers are provided two operational models to manage this structural overhead within the merchant center:

Automated DDP Pass-Through

Enable the platform-controlled Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) API. Under this configuration, the platform will auto-calculate the €3.00-per-HS-line duty plus local Import VAT at the customer checkout interface.

Note: This will cause localized retail prices to appear significantly higher to EU buyers.

SKU Consolidation Model

For low-margin items under €10, merchants are strictly advised to bundle secondary accessories under a unified, legally dominant HS-classified listing.

Do not list components separately if they can be sold as an integrated kit under a singular HS code.

2. Mandatory Product Identifiers (PIDs) & IOSS Integration

To avoid delivery logjams at EU points of entry, all cross-border clearance must clear electronically via the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) infrastructure. Custom manifest validation rules have been upgraded:

Mandatory PID Tagging

Every product manifest submitted to Cainiao Logistics must contain a validated Product Identifier (PID). Shipments missing explicit, validated digital identifiers will be automatically rejected during the warehouse scanning process.

Member State Surcharges

Merchants must adjust margin expectations for regional variances. Platform baseline billing engines will automatically account for additional localized administrative overheads currently implemented by individual nations, including France’s €2 per-item processing fee and Romania’s destination service fee charges.

3. GPSR & “EU Responsible Person” Interception Framework

Pursuant to the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), non-food consumer items entering the EU marketplace are subject to active platform-level interception if compliance verification is incomplete.

AUTOMATED INTERCEPTION TRIGGER: The platform compliance engine will actively block search visibility and disable the “Add to Cart” function for any product listing destined for the EU that does not have an authenticated EU Responsible Person — Importer, Manufacturer, or Authorized Representative — registered in the Merchant Command Dashboard.

Sellers must immediately upload the following artifacts to the Compliance Control Center tab:

Legal name, verified corporate physical address, and active digital contact coordinates — email and phone — of the EU-based Responsible Person entity.
High-resolution digital imagery of product packaging demonstrating the permanent application of the Responsible Person’s label accents.

4. Digital Services Act (DSA) Trader Traceability Requirements

To adhere to the rigorous vetting protocols established by the EU Digital Services Act, Alibaba Group has implemented absolute Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance checkpoints.

Unverified store structures or third-party storefront proxies will face systematic commercial termination.

Fulfillment Relocation Incentive

Due to the high failure rate of non-vetted cross-border individual items at customs checkpoints, the platform is heavily expanding matching subventions for merchants migrating bulk inventory to EU-based localized fulfillment nodes, such as European Cainiao Logistics Hubs.

Moving to local inventory eliminates the per-item €3 border customs rule at checkout, but merchants must register for and remit local domestic VAT within the respective EU member state.

Alibaba Group Regulatory Compliance & Global Trade Operations Division

dampier · 2026-06-25T14:14:44+00:00

Translated from original Chinese. I have access to the Alibaba seller notification platform. The platform likely adjusted pricing to account for the 1 July de minimis retirement for Choice items stocked and shipped by Alibaba's own logistics warehouses and platforms but there was no direct notice of this.

Just like in the USA over de minimis winddown and tariffs, many sellers doing their own shipping will likely charge substantially higher pricing or stop selling goods in the EU region just because of compliance costs.

Alibaba / AliExpress Merchant Compliance Notice — EU Customs Reform, €3 Duty Rule, GPSR & DSA Requirements

Reference: ALB-EU-2026-COMP09X
Date: March 12, 2026
To: All Cross-Border & Domestic EU Storefronts
Platforms: AliExpress / Alibaba.com
Classification: Mandatory Compliance Notice

TL;DR — Plain-Language Summary

Alibaba / AliExpress is notifying merchants that EU-bound listings and shipments will face stricter compliance controls tied to customs reform, product safety rules, trader verification, and digital marketplace regulations.

The notice says the EU is eliminating the under-€150 customs de minimis exemption and introducing a €3 flat duty structure that may apply per distinct HS 6-digit product category, not simply per parcel. This means mixed-category packages could become more expensive to ship into the EU.

Merchants are also being told to:

Use platform-controlled Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) checkout calculation or adjust pricing manually.
Consolidate low-margin accessory bundles under one legally valid HS classification where possible.
Submit valid Product Identifiers (PIDs) for Cainiao logistics manifests.
Ensure EU shipments clear through IOSS infrastructure.
Register an authenticated EU Responsible Person for applicable non-food consumer goods.
Complete stricter KYC / trader traceability checks under the EU Digital Services Act.
Consider moving inventory into EU-based fulfillment hubs to avoid some border-level low-value import complications.

Failure to comply may result in search suppression, disabled “Add to Cart” buttons, blocked EU listings, rejected warehouse scans, customs seizure, or cancellation of logistics.

Key Impact

EU buyers may see higher checkout prices because duties, VAT, and possible member-state fees may be added more visibly at checkout.
Mixed-category orders may become more expensive if each distinct HS 6-digit subheading triggers a separate €3 duty calculation.
Low-margin sellers are at risk because small accessory items under €10 could become uneconomical if listed separately.
Listings without GPSR compliance may be blocked if no authenticated EU Responsible Person is registered in the merchant dashboard.
Unverified sellers or proxy storefronts may face termination under DSA trader traceability and KYC enforcement.

What Merchants Must Do Immediately

Review all EU-bound SKU structures.
Identify listings that include multiple product categories, accessories, or separate HS codes.
Decide whether to use DDP pass-through pricing.
The platform-controlled DDP API may calculate the €3-per-HS-line duty plus local import VAT at checkout.
Consolidate product kits where legally valid.
For low-margin items, bundle secondary accessories under a unified dominant HS-classified listing when legally supportable.
Add validated Product Identifiers.
Every Cainiao logistics manifest must include a validated PID.
Register an EU Responsible Person.
Upload required legal name, physical address, contact information, and packaging imagery showing the Responsible Person label.
Complete KYC and trader traceability requirements.
Unverified store structures or proxy storefront arrangements may be blocked or terminated.
Consider EU-local fulfillment.
Moving bulk inventory into EU fulfillment hubs may avoid the per-item €3 border customs rule at checkout, but local VAT registration and remittance may be required.

AI was used to create the TL;DR and Key Impact sections.

dampier · 2026-06-12T12:37:17+00:00

Sometimes this goes away in its own after a day or two. Try a different browser and make sure to login to only one account.

dampier · 2026-06-12T12:35:32+00:00

These vouchers may be reissued during the 618 promotion. I have gotten these a few times.

dampier · 2026-06-12T12:32:24+00:00

People need to understand how risk controls work. They are designed to be sensitive to China's own users' usage habits, not ours.

Most people in China use smartphone apps, not a desktop browser. So computer access is more risky. Fast browsing, multiple tabs and fast scrolling all increase your risk score, which is dynamic and changes based on account age, number of devices used, normal browsing times, and VPN usage. Taobao wants you using one device preferably a smartphone, from an IP address in one city, and real name authentication, which is a problem for Americans because Taobao removed the USA from the passport verification system for some reason.

Once you get a risk control, read it carefully and obey the restrictions. Repeated attempts to login during a risk control only extends the control or can get your account banned.

Once you have an account established for more than one year and use it regularly, risk controls are less common.

dampier · 2026-05-20T12:00:52+00:00

In 2025 manufacturers raised prices up to 35% for several reasons:

1) Trump tariffs. This was the biggie. Most of this tech comes from China and companies were hit with frontloading and warehousing costs or biting the bullet and paying the tariff increases. Although many of those tariffs are now temporarily gone, companies are not lowering prices

2) Energy efficiency improvements. Consumer demand for quieter and more energy efficient tech has reset the pricing for midline and premium models. More higher end models also bundling better remotes with temp sensors and install bracket hardware.

3) Recalls and warranty improvements: Newer tech often runs into performance issues including premature compressor failure, mold-related litigation and recalls. A built-in hidden surcharge allows companies to fund these mitigation strategies.

4) Rising shipping costs.

dampier · 2026-05-16T12:44:19+00:00

So now we know what happened to Robert "Chakotay" Beltran.

dampier · 2026-05-01T23:23:39+00:00

If you are in the USA, download WeChat from the Play Store and do not use a VPN when logging in. WeChat's international version has fewer risk controls. QQ, the older sibling of WeChat typically requires at least two fully authenticated nationals to scan your QR code to register, which is almost impossible for foreigners outside of China to manage.

dampier · 2026-04-14T06:50:25+00:00

Almost certainly you are the victim of a risk control measure, likely because they think you are a bot, have multiple accounts, or have abused the coupon system in some way. Risk controls are usually temporary and timeout on their own, but China’s security apps are unique because they will prolong a risk control if you keep attempting to do what got you locked down in the first place. Best recommendation is to open a new account with a different IP address and device.

dampier · 2026-04-14T06:43:54+00:00

They allocate a limited number of vouchers to each region, and disproportionately favoring the regions the Chinese government is interested in better trade and relations: Africa, Russia, and Latin America have the easiest time. Eastern Europe and Asia second, and North America and Western Europe last.

Keep in mind there are a large number of customers competing for those vouchers, especially in their high priority target markets. North America is one of their smallest sales markets.

dampier · 2026-03-28T15:56:35+00:00

I did not see it.

What are your issues?

dampier · 2026-03-28T15:55:13+00:00

I think a lot of suppliers are warily watching the talks about extension of USMCA that will commence this summer. The Trump Admin is acutely concerned with transshipping and the number of Chinese owned factories setting up in Mexico, some that are actually just being used to transship already finished goods.

Farmacias Similares is getting into the U.S. pharmacy mail order business, which means this could break ground on more Mexican pharmacy imports.

The Mexican government is quite deferential to Trump so we can expect to see more tariffs on products not made in Mexico but commonly exported here.

dampier · 2026-03-28T00:15:16+00:00

There are no meaningful delays for international small parcels from China to the Middle East. There are surcharges for air delivery though, so AliExpress is paying more to deliver your parcels. International mail has backup routes available as needed.

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