TimeOut

“Are we negotiating?”

Buy the watch in Canada and wear it home. Have the retailer, who has just become your good buddy , send the "collapsible box" (listening, Switzerland?) and the warranty card from his home to your home in a manilla envelope. I mean: what are friends for?

Pick up your watch order in Switzerland. Throw in a factory tour, some fine chocolate and champagne at 5% premium or no additional charges. Collectors saved on nearly 40% tariff charge and get a customised red carpet service. 

I'm quite sure the manufacturers would love that as whilst in the US that 31% is going to the government not them elsewhere that 31% would go to them. Now I wonder if you can work out just what the customers and buyers of their watches would feel about this or their reaction? So the manufacturers can have the same price everywhere just it will be a pre tax price. 

Good luck to the watch companies trying to increase prices in the rest of the world by 31%, or anything close to that, at a time of economic downturn.

The Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930, pushed by Republicans Willis Hawley and Reed Smoot, aimed to protect U.S. agriculture by imposing tariffs on 21,000 goods. Instead, it greatly worsened the global economic crisis after the 1929 stock market crash.

Around 30 foreign governments protested, Henry Ford called it “economic stupidity,” and over 1,000 economists begged President Hoover to stop the law—but he signed it anyway.

After the law took effect, U.S. imports dropped by two-thirds between 1929 and 1933, and exports fell by 61%. Many countries responded with their own tariffs, causing global trade to shrink by nearly two-thirds. The League of Nations’ call for a “tariff truce” was ignored.

Retaliatory tariffs acted as an accelerant to the economic crisis—a lesson that should not be forgotten.

If the guy doesn’t even know the difference between ‘ liberation ’ day and INFLATION day ….. that says enough 

If you look at the listings he has shown, you can see that he confused VAT with customs duties in some countries.

Imports from Switzerland (I am from Austria) for example are to be taxed at 31 percent. This shows that Trump is not interested in so-called "reciprocal" tariffs—that is, mutual tariffs. Switzerland does not impose any tariffs on goods imported from the United States.

It remains a mystery…

that he suffers from an attention deficit.

It remains a mystery. 🙏

What the tariffs are for is to bring manufacturing back to the United States. He hasn't thought through how many Americans will lose their jobs; how many countries will retaliate; how long it will take to be able to manufacture everything needed for a society to succeed/survive; and how small a market U.S. manufacturers will have since no other country will buy what we make and only a third of us will be working and be able to buy anything. And since unemployment numbers will be stratospheric the Treasury will be broke from paying welfare and Medicaid benefits.

…will go up by 31%.  But Swiss watches will certainly not be cheaper in the US.  

At 31% we’re into retail profit margin levels…

This message has been edited by India Whiskey Charlie on 2025-04-04 00:17:16

So in the case of the big brands they are paying the tariffs and will have to decide how much they want to absorb?

The import wholesale is probably around 55-65% of retail, so the 31% will increase that amount roughly 20%. So wondering how much the manufacturer/wholesaler/importer are willing to absorb? Surely the retailer will not absorb and be the one holding the bag of reduced profits. Unless the manufacturer absorbs the entirety the retail prices must rise, likely 20% or so. Just an informed layman’s opinion.

then watch prices will be lower in non-USA countries. US citizens might buy watches overseas and try to bring them home (declare or not declare, I don't know).
If watch companies try to harmonize pricing worldwide, then consumers in non-USA countries will pay a higher retail price than what it is now, while US consumers will also pay a higher retail price (but less than the full impact of the increased custom tariff). In other words, consumers in non-USA countries will bear part of the US tariff increase. Sigh!