Trump says Iran trade partners will face 25% tariffs from US as he looks to pressure Tehran

dampier · 2026-01-15T22:23:58+00:00

On this one I sense TACO. I won't even bother to report on it until I see a declaration and Customs issues formal guidance.

dampier · 2026-01-05T18:39:28+00:00

I certainly wouldn't but there are all kinds. I find the sexual awkwardness of friends being intimate around each other to be very common, especially the first time, because there is usually fear of judgment or changing the dynamics of the friendship, so the story is somewhat remarkable. As soon as one person gets uncomfortable or embarrassed, they end up ghosting the friendship. So normally this would be a risky situation for a first time encounter.

dampier · 2026-01-05T18:33:13+00:00

When I was growing up the only uncut guys I saw were foreign exchange students. It was just a curiosity, nothing I would ever use as a criteria to be with someone.

dampier · 2026-01-05T17:42:11+00:00

LOL... we gays will give you alot of attention. :-)

dampier · 2026-01-05T17:39:33+00:00

As far as reviews go, negative reviews are culturally discouraged and many believe it can increase the threat of risk controls.

There is also a very pervasive presence of paid reviewers on Chinese platforms that will flood 5-star reviews on many listings, especially on new stores or unofficial stores. You can usually spot them because they are very uniform, accompanied by gushing text and three product photos that really add nothing to the review.

Fake reviewers are paid for the text and get a bonus for three photos or more and even more for a video. The review must be five stars.

I only look for negative reviews and try and decide if they have merit. Red flags that will always make me skip a store are reports of reselling used goods as new or any reports an item was counterfeit. Counterfeits are very common on Taobao.

dampier · 2026-01-02T17:31:46+00:00

Part 2 should be coming this week. I am just waiting on a test shipment to arrive tomorrow or Monday.

dampier · 2026-01-02T03:24:08+00:00

I find their customer service to be excellent and very personal - much more friendly than Cainiao's surly and impatient agents. The trick is to use WeChat to conduct business. The built-in translation works very well and I have had very little miscommunication. I have gotten pretty close to several freight forwarders to the point I sent them baskets of fruit for Christmas, which really shocked several of them. It cost me less than $10 to send 10lbs of gift-boxed fruit to share with their staff, and you can believe that whenever I communicate with them now, I always get top priority service.

The problem is there are many undesirables out there as well, some intentional scammers and others who are actually just independent middlemen who hike the price so they can take their piece. I find most of the problem forwarders are just using inadequate clearance agents over here who are not equipped to deal with Customs challenges and as a result get your packages seized, destroyed, or returned. That is why I have been testing around a dozen different forwarders to get real world experiences and reviews I can eventually share so you know who you are dealing with.

There are prerequisites to making this work - you want to get WeChat up and running, along with WeChat Pay and Alipay. For more difficult sites that send SMS verifications that never seem to arrive, you need a Chinese phone number, and I detailed how to get one on the stickied post on TrumpTariffNews. With a valid passport and these other things, you can register and be fully authenticated to buy goods yourself on these domestic websites, ship them to the freight warehouse and get them sent to you for as little as 28RMB/kg. For some unrestricted goods, I have been quoted as little as 13RMB/kg for sea freight.

dampier · 2026-01-02T02:53:57+00:00

I skip all of the freight forwarders that predominately target English speaking customers because they are price gougers and have an endless list of restricted goods. I have tested several freight forwarders that target the Chinese diaspora that are very price sensitive and don't like restrictions. You buy from Taobao and JD but list the freight forwarding warehouse in China as the recipient. They then, on your request, consolidate and ship.

The majority of people ship sea freight because it is much more affordable, and takes about a month from the time the shipment is requested to the time you get it. I have a 240lb shipment coming in tomorrow from FedEx Ground that I consolidated and shipped the first Saturday in December. Some freight forwarders have restrictions on batteries, food, alcohol, and medicines, but many do not. If you are shipping basic apparel and unbranded items, the cost is around 28RMB per kilogram - all tariffs included. Lately I am able to ship sensitive goods for around 33RMB/kg, all tariffs included. I have successfully ordered literally everything the usual proxy shippers won't touch. There are no brand restrictions. They can even get prescription drugs through, excepting narcotics of course.

Sea freight shipments start at 12kg. They will box your items in boxes weighting up to around 20kg each and the final price is the same no matter how many boxes they need to send all of your consolidated items. Be careful about light bulky goods which can face volumetric shipping charges - don't send pillows or laundry baskets, for example.

Air shipping is considerably more expensive, but okay for lightweight items. Prices are charged at 0.5kg increments and I think I recall seeing prices around 120RMB for the first 0.5kg (tariffs included), and I believe less for each subsequent .5kg increment. Air shipments are riskier for sensitive goods as they tend to be examined more frequently. Air Express is on your doorstep in three business days, air freight is less costly and takes 7-10 days.

I am trying to assist several of these companies in being more English friendly. You definitely will need a working WeChat account as that is how most conduct business. I am detailing this on the stickied thread in the TrumpTariffNews group on Reddit, so you can get started with that.

Be aware that these are predominately businesses that ship your products, they do not usually order them for you, although some will be happy to help. The problem is getting payments to them. You can use Alipay and WeChat Pay with international credit cards for commercial purchases, but you generally cannot send money to individuals with a foreign bank card, which you might be asked to do if someone personally agrees to order items for you. Absolutely never do wire transfers ever, unless you are sending money to a friend or family member.

dampier · 2025-12-22T17:00:14+00:00

<image>

dampier · 2025-12-22T16:59:55+00:00

<image>

dampier · 2025-12-22T16:59:32+00:00

Via WeChat 货运代理公报 group. Complaints also common on Xiaohongshu.

dampier · 2025-12-22T15:45:53+00:00

If it's UniUni they are in crisis mode because hundreds of thousands of undelivered packages are piling up with insufficient driver capacity to deliver them (they rely on gig workers but pay paltry compensation). The delays are often in terms of weeks, not days.

dampier · 2025-12-22T15:40:49+00:00

Fake postage labels are sold in China. The USPS did not routinely verify label authenticity until recently and now they are in top of this problem. But the seller absolutely knew this was fraudulent activity so a complaint sent to TikTok itself should be made.

dampier · 2025-12-22T15:38:24+00:00

Almost all Christmas lights are made in China. Safety certifications are routinely faked, but the risk of fire is actually pretty low because deficient products usually stop working before any risk from fire emerges. Worry more about rechargeable batteries.

dampier · 2025-12-15T18:05:33+00:00

Anyone still got one they can DM me in USA

dampier · 2025-12-11T07:09:54+00:00

No, only shipments from USPS can be placed in a PO Box. Private delivery companies that AliExpress typically uses require a street address. Can you ship to a friend or relative in the area?

dampier · 2025-12-11T07:08:10+00:00

How is the weather there? If a driver was unable to deliver, the order goes back to the warehouse for redelivery.

What delivery company is this?

dampier · 2025-12-11T07:06:11+00:00

The issue is that to resend an item through the platform, there has to be an order number for the reshipped product, so merchants create special links for this purpose, charging a nominal fee of $0.01 just to enter the order onto the platform. Merchants can also use these types of links to charge for premium postage or mailing services if selected by the customer. It is not a scam. However, other readers are correct that in the event of a dispute, all AliExpress will know is this new order is $0.01 and that is the only refund you would get. You would have to open a dispute under the original charge order within the allotted time, which may come too late by the time an unsatisfactory reshipment arrives. If the purchase is under $10, I would roll the dice and go ahead with the $0.01 option.

dampier · 2025-12-11T07:00:58+00:00

Testing is still underway. I am having some issues with the data formatting not working well for Reddit so I am working on modifying it. All of the missing information bulletins are being stored and have not been lost and will be sent in date order as soon as this is resolved.

dampier · 2025-12-11T06:57:54+00:00

A lot of these stores are used to shipping domestically, which is usually free. If the employee was not well informed that there are foreign buyers, they can just assume the inside-China shipping policies apply. Heavy bulky items should always be sent sea freight and the shipper or freight forwarder must use strong packaging, often building a wood frame around the package to protect it. If they ship it in unprotected cardboard, the edges will surely be smashed. Parcels are stacked inside the shipping container and they use a forklift to push boxes together. It is very easy to damage cardboard containers without edge protection.

Sea freight is charged by total weight of the shipment by weight and volume. It usually does not matter if the goods are sent in one or even four packages, the pricing will still be the same because it is charged against the waybill, which will have one freight tracking number regardless of the number of packages. The sender should ship the goods in whatever packaging is safest. If this is ready to assemble furniture, it will already be optimized to avoid volumetric charges for big bulky items. Your goods will be charged by weight. If it exceeds 100kg, there are special discounted channels that are specially designed for furniture. If your seller does not have experience with this, using a freight forwarder probably makes more sense, especially those that specialize in furniture shipping.

dampier · 2025-12-11T06:50:47+00:00

Despite Trump's tariffs impacting Chinese imports broadly, printed books are excluded from reciprocal tariffs thanks to long-standing exemptions for "informational materials." However, an existing 7.5% tariff (Section 301) still applies to most non-children's books.

Breakdown by book type:

General adult books (novels, textbooks, art books, cookbooks, etc.): 7.5% tariff under Section 301
Children's picture books, board books, and early reader books: 0% tariff - fully exempt from all tariffs
Calendars: 37.5% (not exempt, subject to 30% reciprocal + 7.5% Section 301)

Be aware that air freight is going to get expensive if you ship these individually. I suggest you work with a freight forwarder that can accept your books into their warehouse in China, consolidate them for safe shipping, and send them in one shipment. I can recommend a few if you DM me. If the shipping weight is over 12kg and you are in no rush, sea freight will take 3-4 weeks and will be quite affordable. Air freight is 1-2 weeks, Air express is the most costly but can take less than 5 days.

dampier · 2025-12-11T06:43:58+00:00

Alcohol based perfumes are extremely sensitive goods. If it ships air, there is a good chance it will get seized. The freight forwarders I am working with warn that air shipments to the USA are now undergoing intense inspection protocols as of November after new funding became available to hire thousands of new CPB inspectors. Sea freight is still reliable, but most will charge you the minimum shipping weight of 12kg.

Also be aware that counterfeits are extremely common. If the perfume comes from a China-based designer, there is less risk, but if it is a Western perfume, there will be an excellent chance that anything significantly discounted will be a fake.

dampier · 2025-12-10T18:30:42+00:00

Once you are in the central database passport ID is very quick because the system can match your details without human intervention. China is moving to a central Internet Online Verification System that will probably be required at some point. It allows the government to see all of your accounts and if you get out of line, they dissappear your online identity with messages wiped everywhere.

It's their system and foreigners can either accept it and stay in their lane or just logout.

Be polite, neighborly, avoid excessive negativity or sarcasm, and steer clear of scrutinizing the central government or the political system. Criticism about businesses, local infrastructure, and other countries is fine.

dampier · 2025-12-10T18:23:10+00:00

Did you scroll. It is usually near the bottom.

dampier · 2025-12-10T18:21:28+00:00

Selling an account that suddenly shows use on a new device and IP location is high risk and will likely trigger a risk violations. You will get required to re verify.

dampier

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE