Saxophones How will Tariffs affect Sax Prices?

[mizmar]

said the guy at the Swedish custom

I have to admit, when i brought the shabby sax to Norway from the UK, the customs guy looked at me with utter distain and waved me through. So he must've also known stuff about saxophones.

 

[Dr G]

If you enter the US with a recent saxophone and you don't have a proof of origin how will customs react?

a: clearly a chineese saxophone, the tariff is 145%
b: that one is made in Vietnam, the tariff is 10%
c: That looks Asian, but our ai can't recognize it, so we take it in for further research.

That’s such a flawed question. Why would anyone want to enter the US?

On the other hand, if I were to travel with any of my instruments, it has been a long while since I had a receipt for their purchase, so how am I to prove when it was purchased… or even that it is mine?

Should I get an inventory of everything of value in my custody as I leave the US?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Should I get an inventory of everything of value in my custody as I leave the US?

If you are on a tourist visa, probably not. If on a work visa that’s a different matter.

Customs procedures obviously vary from country to country and probably until now US customs have been quite lax unless they sudd as peck drugs or weapons. (My son had his skateboard spanner confiscated at the US border)

A trumpet player I was travelling with bought a $1900 Getzen trumpet in NY

when customs at Heathrow looked at it and asked how it cost he said $200. They took out their Getzen catalogue and told him he had two options.

• Show them the receipt
• Pay duty on its catalogue price
• Leave it with them and go to court to get it back

 

[mizmar]

Here's Jay Metcalf's slightly oblique take on some aspects of this discussion

View: https://youtu.be/wWBlbG4Qo9A

 

[mizmar]

That’s such a flawed question. Why would anyone want to enter the US?

😄😟

On the other hand, if I were to travel with any of my instruments, it has been a long while since I had a receipt for their purchase, so how am I to prove when it was purchased… or even that it is mine?

To be a little boring... Get a carnét

ATA Carnet - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Pete Thomas]

Here's Jay Metcalf's slightly oblique take on some aspects of this discussion

View: https://youtu.be/wWBlbG4Qo9A

Seems a bit of a convoluted way to plug their mouthpieces, but nothing to do with this discussion re: tariffs.

 

[mizmar]

but nothing to do with this discussion re: tariffs.

To do with manufacturing (pro level) saxophones, stateside; which has been discussed in this thread.
Seemed to me to be a response to part of the discussion. Just published on YT now.. by coincidence?

But, yeah, seems Jay can't make a video with out some promo. Maybe a contractual agreement with his investors? Who knows.

 

[wakyct]

Oblique indeed, he doesn't really answer the question does he? It's a good historical review though assuming it's accurate.

edit: I'm most interested in the tariff discussion wrt to the used market. So far I haven't noticed much difference in what's available locally though I expect there'll be a lag of a few months.

 

[ghostler]

Oblique indeed, he doesn't really answer the question does he? It's a good historical review though assuming it's accurate.

I watched the video. He basically states what occurred, but did not get into the factors as to why sales declined and could no longer be competitive. Over time I've learned why, but now we delve into politics which I do not care to get involved with.

I am just happy that I have been able to afford what I have, and want to focus on the finer things of musicianship, speaking of the musical qualities of the various makes of saxes and not get into the weeds of why scientifically it sounds as it should and that I should care (the usual scientific conical / tubular drivel versus art).

Regarding trade agreements and non-native sax production, my Yamaha YAS-61 pro model alto was purchased new on a clearance half-price sale around 1971 for only $239 US which included the then Hawaii 4% sales tax. Japan was the new overseas kid on the block.

My Chinese Venus straight soprano sax I bought for $219 in 2012, plays like a good intermediate. China now is the new kid on the block like Japan was a half century ago and Taiwan a third century ago.

edit: I'm most interested in the tariff discussion wrt to the used market. So far I haven't noticed much difference in what's available locally though I expect there'll be a lag of a few months.

If buying used within the country, IMO it may inflate a little due to the rising cost of inflation, but it is indeed a viable alternative. With the increase in new sax prices, may make it worthwhile to keep one's older sax repaired or buy a recently refurbed older sax in like new playing condition.

I like to find decent playing "underdog" models, which sound great but some odd reason isn't as popular as the so-called standard make and model all the colleges are raving about. An "orphan" has a special place in my heart. 😎

 

[Pete Thomas]

If buying used within the country, IMO it may inflate a little due to the rising cost of inflation, but it is indeed a viable alternative. With the increase in new sax prices, may make it worthwhile to keep one's older sax repaired or buy a recently refurbed older sax in like new playing condition.

On the assumption that used prices tend to maybe be around 50% of new prices, it may be fair to assume they will go up in line with the new price of the same, or equivalent, instrument. Hence about 10%

However the fact that tariffs on Chinese saxophones is so much more may skew that a bit, but there are no doubt big margins anyway, ie companies importing Chinese instruments and selling for 10 or more times the price.

 

[Woodpad]

It is a bit off topic but there is no science backing that the of line construction, mentioned in the video, is ergonomical better than the in line construction.
The M6 has a light applicature by using longer pillars, but is not much better than the 6M. It makes the M6 mechaniically more sensitive fo r gorilla grip. The functional innovation was the removable bow connection, but that wasn't mentioned.

 

[Honkin Ron Howe]

In the UK I often watch the prices of specific horn models from Thomann (Germany) and, Sax.co and Dawkes (UK) for comparison. I recently bought a Thomann Low Jazz baritone and check the price fluctuation of that as well as the Yamaha YTS-62 as I've owned one since 1981. I'll keep an eye on the BetterSax alto as I also bought one of those last year, as that is of course shipped from the US and, will be interesting as will be the US sold Jean Paul! The Low Jazz has recently gone down in price. The YTS-62 seems stable at the moment and, the BetterSax alto has actualluy gone down in price. I'm guessing that the BetterSax and Jean Paul are put together in Taiwan. The UK has always had decent trading deals with Japan, Taiwan, Korea and China. It's difficult to look at prices from Sweetwater for we in the UK because the tarrifs are applied at the sale point. ... Why do I do this? Because I often recommend horns to students, based on value for money.

 

[jonf]

I'm guessing that the BetterSax and Jean Paul are put together in Taiwan.

BetterSax and Jean Paul saxes are made in China.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Please keep this on topic and friendly. I have removed a few posts that were getting towards personal attacks, along with some others that no longer made sense as referring to removed posts.

Now, back to tariffs...

 

[CliveMA]

Hong Kong just suspended postal service for US-bound goods.

 

[CliveMA]

Hong Kong halts postal service for US-bound goods over Trump’s ‘bullying’ tariffs

Post office says it ‘definitely’ won’t collect tariffs on Washington’s behalf and Hongkongers should prepare to pay exorbitant fees

www.theguardian.com

 

[jonf]

Hong Kong just suspended postal service for US-bound goods.

Hong Kong will suspend service from 27 April, so anything currently in transit should be OK

 

[mizmar]

so anything currently in transit should be OK

Depends what you mean by "OK". Tariffs are in place already.

The Grawniad article says

"Hong Kong post will definitely not collect any so-called tariffs on behalf of the US.”

That was the interesting bit.

Now, in Norway, for example, it's up to the delivering entity (Post office) to collect any duties and VAT if the vendor didn't pre pay. It's not up to the sending parcel delivery company who have no means of charging the recipient.

If the US want the HK post to pay tariffs that's weird. They don't have a financial relationship with the final customer.
But, with the removal of the de minimis, the pony express is probably swamped with admin...

 

[mizmar]

Is there some confusion here?

Not with me. The US maybe.
What you said is the same as I said.

But yeah, that is what's weird about the US asking HK Postal to pay the tariff. Which is what it says in the grawniad article.

 

[Honkin Ron Howe]

Not with me. The US maybe.
What you said is the same as I said.

But yeah, that is what's weird about the US asking HK Postal to pay the tariff. Which is what it says in the grawniad article.

I didn't mean you. I posted in the wrong place and have asked the admins to delete my post! Sorry mizmar. It seems that we can't delete our own posts!!