VoV, USA Tariffs, and your orders.
Hello!
It’s been a while since the USA ended their de minimis, and I feel like it’s time to start firming up some decisions that we’ve been considering. We wanted to ensure we had a clear plan before moving forward.
The good news is that all VoV releases (except the SIGNALIS CD) were produced domestically in Canada, which means they fall under the CUSMA agreement. Due to this, they will not have any additional fees when shipping to the USA. However, each SKU requires a form to be filled out and manually approved. We are still working through this.
The SIGNALIS CD was produced in the UK, as we found that this was the only production facility that could meet our needs and high expectations. Due to this, any future orders moving forward will incur a 10% tariff charge. All previously placed orders will remain unaffected, and we will be absorbing this cost. We can do this as all outstanding USA CD orders are being shipped to a 3PL service in the USA and dispatched from there (so we’re eating the tariff costs for this release).
Now, the other big elephant in the room: distribution titles.
This one is much harder to nail down the best way for us to move forward. We have implemented a 35% tariff on any distribution title headed to the USA, as that is the rate we will be charged, unless we have confirmed origin of manufacture. Orders from today moving forward will incur no fees upon delivery to USA addresses. Orders before Sept 25th will require fees to be paid upon delivery to USA addresses if applicable. We have almost 1,000 SKUs in the store, so bear with us as we work through all the distro titles. That’s where we’re at on distribution titles.
I want to thank all our customers from the USA for their patience while we work through the changes implemented by the US government. If this news upsets you, please be sure to contact your representative in government. They can be found here: https://www.house.gov/representatives
If you need a refresher on the policies, they can be found here: https://www.veryokvinyl.com/pages/policies-faq
Thank you for your continued support as we work though this.
Keep spinnin'
Scott
Owner
UPDATE: SEPT 26
We’re aware of the “50 U.S.C. § 1702(b)” law that exempts “music and informational media” from these new tariffs. Many of you have written in to let us know about.
Sadly, this requires one of two things to happen:
1) Our shipping partner needs to have an exception for this, which they do not. We have informed them, and they have said they are “looking into it,” but who knows what that means. When we use them, we pay upfront, so this charge is not dependent on the US border control.
2) From our test shipments using UPS, the US border control is not honouring this exemption. I called UPS and was on hold for an hour and 30 minutes, after being transferred multiple times, and was told that tariff charges are solely the responsibility of US border control, not UPS. They have no control over how they assess and charge the tariffs.
This is where we stand currently. After almost a month, there are no clear answers, and we cannot expedite this process. We’re frustrated, confused and feeling defeated. However, we’re dedicated to delivering items to our customers in the most cost-effective way possible. We appreciate your understanding, patience and support through this situation that has been thrust upon so many businesses.
- Scott