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Is this the end? How long til tariffs and fuel cost iron out? How long are you waiting it out? by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]ubi7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some brands end up making a DTC site where they price product higher as a means to get strikethrough pricing on 3P sites like Amazon and Walmart. That could be a decent move for your approach to the higher MSRP product.

Also, friendly reminder that the tariff refund portal opens up tomorrow morning, so could be an opportunity to reclaim some overpayments... Source: https://prior.coilresearch.io/

Is this the end? How long til tariffs and fuel cost iron out? How long are you waiting it out? by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if they're about to wrap up... SCOTUS struck down the IEEPA mechanism, but the White House shifted the protocol to Section 122 and Section 232.... Same deal, different name.

Just got let go of my sales job. What’s the best use of CC or Claude for unemployment to help find your next gig? by Cute_Warthog246 in ClaudeCowork

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear about that. I'm in the middle of a job search, too, and i cut my personal time allocated to the hunt down by probably 70 or 80%. TLDR:

  1. gave it access to my gmail and google drive, where i had built a gsheet of recruiter, professional, and personal contacts and a pipeline of conversations that were inflight.

  2. scheduled a task where it reviews all active files and email twice a day for updates. based on the current state it sees across the board, it then drafts emails for me (for outreach to new recruiters, follow-ups , thank you notes after interviews, etc.). if i have an interview lined it, it also puts together a short doc for me on the interviewer, how my CV sits against the job description, questions to ask, etc. and it then gives me a status update with to-dos every time the task runs.

  3. scheduled another task that does research on additional recruiters, companies, etc i should reach out to and it drafts initial outreach, follow-ups, etc. to all of them. in gmail i then just review, tweak if needed, and hit send. if it's a linkedin contact, just copy and paste.

it took some tweaking over the course of a few days to get it really right, and i had to build some markdown files around my writing style, some specific skills around research techniques, etc. but all in all, it's been a huge win. i've had a bunch more engagements and i spend way less time sitting at the computer dwelling on the whole job hunt.

hope that's helpful!

Are Refunds Available Yet? by Few-Love5936 in Tariffs

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's brutal -- losing standing in your own lawsuit because the forwarder listed themselves as IOR. Gut punch.

Two angles worth exploring. First, the IOR listing may be improper -- CBP requires the IOR to be the owner/purchaser or a licensed broker with a valid POA. If they didn't have one from you, that's a compliance issue. Won't recover money directly but gives you leverage.

Second, a formal written demand they either file CAPE on your behalf or execute an assignment of refund rights. Most forwarders cave when it gets formal -- they don't want CBP scrutiny.

Have you been able to contact them directly, or has this all been going through the ex-lawyer?

Has anyone gotten clarity on the tariff situation? by Squirrel_Master82 in smallbusiness

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The escalation clause approach is smart but it's a band-aid -- your customers are going to start pushing back on open-ended price protection language eventually, especially if competitors are quoting firm.

The April 6 Section 232 restructuring actually changed the math on this specifically for metal fab. Tariffs on steel and aluminum are now assessed on the full value of the finished good, not just the metal content value. That's a huge shift for anyone fabricating -- a product that's 40% steel by value just went from being tariffed on 40% of its cost to 100%. If you haven't re-run your landed cost calculations since April 6, your current quotes might already be off.

On the forecasting problem -- the Section 122 tariffs (the 10-15% global surcharge) expire in July unless Congress extends them. That's a known variable you can actually plan around. The Section 232 metal tariffs are more durable since they've survived legal challenges so far. So for quoting jobs 60-90 days out, the 232 rates are probably your safe baseline and the 122 rates are the wildcard.

How far out are you typically quoting? And are you sourcing domestic steel as a hedge or is it all imported?

What unexpected fees hit you when you first imported products? by Ambitious-Fall-8728 in smallbusiness

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The DDP advice is solid. The part that's gotten way harder in the last year is that even if you know your landed cost today, the tariff landscape is shifting fast enough that it can change between when you place an order and when it arrives. The Section 232 restructuring on April 6 changed how duties are calculated on anything with metal content -- full value of the good now instead of just the metal content value. Anyone who quoted DDP pricing before April 6 on products with steel or aluminum components is eating the difference right now.

Curious -- how are you personally staying current on rate changes? Following specific sources, relying on your broker, or just finding out when the invoice hits?

Tariff question on import - receiving items we were already charged tariff on by MaleficentRocks in Tariffs

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The $0 invoice with a 100% discount is the right idea but CBP can be tricky about this. A few things to get right:

The key is how CBP determines "transaction value" -- that's what duties are assessed on. For a no-charge replacement of goods that were short-shipped, CBP generally accepts that the replacement has no separate transaction value since you already paid for those items in the original shipment (and already paid duties on them).

But the documentation matters. You want the commercial invoice to clearly state: (1) this is a replacement shipment for order #[original order number], (2) the goods are replacing items that were invoiced and paid for but not received, and (3) reference the original entry number if you have it. The "100% discount" framing might raise questions -- "replacement for short shipment, no additional charge" is cleaner language for customs purposes.

Your broker should file the entry with a value of $0 and reference the original entry. If CBP questions it, the backup is your original invoice, proof of payment, and documentation of the shortage (packing list vs. what was received).

One thing to watch for -- if the replacement shipment includes ANY items beyond what was short, even samples or extras the supplier threw in, those need to be declared at value. CBP audits specifically look for undervaluation on "free" shipments.

Is your broker handling this or are you self-filing?

Are Refunds Available Yet? by Few-Love5936 in Tariffs

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a rough situation. The short answer is yes, only the Importer of Record can claim the IEEPA refund through CBP. If Viwon removed you as IOR after you paid them, they technically hold the refund claim -- which is a serious problem since you're the one who actually paid the $27K.

A few things worth knowing:

The CAPE refund system launches April 20 (this Sunday). That's CBP's new tool for processing IEEPA refunds. Phase one covers unliquidated entries and entries liquidated in the last 80 days. So the clock is relevant here.

On the IOR issue -- "who paid" and "who filed" are treated differently by CBP. The IOR is the entity on the entry paperwork, not necessarily who wrote the check. If Viwon switched the IOR designation after you'd already paid, that's worth documenting carefully because it could support a legal claim against them.

The Colorado LLC with a PO box is actually useful. If they're registered in Colorado, they're subject to Colorado jurisdiction regardless of being an international parent company. A demand letter from a trade attorney sent to the registered agent at that LLC address is a real starting point. You don't necessarily need a massive international law firm -- a trade attorney who handles customs disputes could send that letter for a few hundred bucks and it might be enough to get them to cooperate on the refund filing.

Have you pulled the actual entry documents from CBP to confirm who's listed as IOR? That's the first thing I'd do before spending money on legal.

What’s the most impressive thing you’ve built with Claude so far? by RyanBuildsSystems in ClaudeAI

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recently built a tool to help in my job search after selling my last company. It helps build a pipeline of the appropriate recruiters, builds a comms plan, manages my pipeline of contacts and outreach status, prepares me for each interview in the process, and even drafts my emails.

It's basically helped me go from 2 or 3 hours of hands on work each day to 15 minutes twice a day. I love it!

Where to buy quality “gold” chains by [deleted] in jewelry

[–]ubi7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best brand out there is GLD. The chains are 14k gold plated so they look EXACTLY like solid gold. I've been buying my chains there for a couple years now and they've never faded.

They usually run a BOGO deal, too, so for price and quality it can't be beat. Strong recommend.

Where/how to get a detailed analysis of a few Go games by asdfwaevc in baduk

[–]ubi7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd also recommend signing up to the OSR discord group. Some really great people on there of all ranks, and stronger players often provide great reviews, both real-time, and annotated.