DHL not shipping stuff to US over $800 (UPDATED)

djazzy · April 22

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/21/nx-s1-5371307/dhl-stops-shipping-packages-800-us-customers

I dont know what this means exactly in the long run for Americans buying abroad -- not good, I gather.

ChrisMartin · April 22

I have to be careful what I write here as I have been castigated for mentioning politics on here before, but the statistics from the last Presidential election show only about 60% of eligible voters bothered to vote last year. Given that those who want change are more likely to vote than those who accept how things are it was not surprising you got the government you now have. Considering what was at stake voter apathy is really no excuse and you got what you deserve.

Meanwhile the rest of the world is either laughing at or feeling some pity for the fate of the USA.

How long this will last is up to the American people now but more relevant to this forum any problems with the import of foreign made guitars is just another indicator of the bigger picture.

I wonder if Michael has any comment to make regarding the added cost that will inevitably hit his stock across the range from Altamira to Dupont.

MichaelHorowitz · April 22

@ChrisMartin Yes, we're looking at at least 10% price increases for instruments coming from Europe. Not sure how the Chinese stuff will work for instruments as there were already some large tariffs in place but I'm guessing at least a 100% increase. So any new stock of Altamira, Eastman, Gitane, etc will likely double in price.

billyshakes · April 22

https://djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/121018#Comment_121018

Get to work, @paulmcevoy75 ! When opportunity comes a knockin', can you hear it? 😜😂

billyshakes · April 22

If Altamiras become 100% more expensive, then that puts a Dupont Nomade (even with a 10% bump) at not much more for what I think is an upgrade. @MichaelHorowitz Have you considered importing some stock while you can to have at the more affordable price? Or is it already too late? Good luck!

pdg · April 22

Not to mention the devaluation of the US dollar.

MichaelHorowitz · April 22

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/121020#Comment_121020

Fortunately I recently received a very large shipment of Altamiras so it will be a while till I have to raise prices.

paulmcevoy75 · April 22

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/121019#Comment_121019

I have a feeling that the possible devaluation of the dollar and total destruction of the economy might not be the awesome guitar buying market you're thinking, but hey I got enough wood for 60 guitars, so maybe I'm gonna be rich!

I do need to buy tuners, so I guess I'll have to get american made....oh my dear god wait a second!

paulmcevoy75 · April 22

I did buy some Chinesium bits from Ali Express recently. They appeared to get caught in customs here, and I've never had that happen before, they were delayed for maybe a week and I was sure they were going to get tarriffed. But then they started moving again and arrived no problem. They were like $10 each.

Half my shop is cheap chinese metal stuff, the quality is generally awesome. I am glad I have most of what I need to do what I want now but if the price of bits doubles or I break something expensive that's going to suck.

cbwim · April 24

I just recently received a flute that was shipped from London via DHL. As this flute was worth 20,000 GBP and was made from glass (Claude Laurent, 1817) DHL refused to insure it. I found an insurer who will insure art objects such as Paintings by the Masters and so the insurance only cost me $200 - much cheaper than what DHL would charge.

This flute arrived just before the Tariffs arrived and I am extremely thankful that it snuck in. I am researching these amazing instruments with an eye towards recreating these. This will be my last hurrah in my 45 year career making Irish Flutes.

DHL does its own kind of export and import processing working with the various international governments. Except when a new treaty such as NAFTA comes in, the Harmonized Tariff Schedules are fairly easy to work with and understand as these usually stay the same - except for the exemptions when everything goes to zero. For instance, I paid a 2.9% tariff on this flute. I was actually expecting 4.9% but one classification overruled the other.

This stability got tossed out the window and thus it is hard to predict what the tariff will be from day to day or even hour to hour as amateurs who do not care what the aftereffects are blunder through their first 100 days not to mention their total lack of qualifications.

Unfortunately, we have to talk about this despite peoples' political proclivities.

One immediate affect that is being felt in the music community are instructors planning to teach at various music camps and festivals suddenly faced with travel warnings. I've sponsored two coming from Spain and know of two more who will be at a different festival. The tickets for flights were bough a long time ago and may or may not be refundable. They might hazard coming only to find themselves detained by Customs for a few weeks when they planned to teach, or at worse sent off to El Salvador or some other Gulag. Unfortunately this is something that is affecting or could potentially affect many of the instructors we have come to love at DjangoFest for instance such as Ludovic Beier (I play accordina). I am actually recommending to the ones I am involved with to avoid the United States. The moneys already spent are irrelevant.

As far as shipping, DHL made a decision to not ship anything over that $800 as it would incurr much more paperwork and monitoring. They are losing big on the international business. There are the postal services. Separate insurances up to certain values can be purchased via u-pic.com or in my case, the agency that got my plan through Lloyds of London. There are some nice Selmac-sytyle guitars for auction at one site that I was looking at the other day. I might jump on one of these and simply store it at a friend's brothers until I can head over there and retrieve it myself, or until the Storm passes.

Contact me ([email protected]) if you are in need of that international insurance broker.

I shipped my flutes all over the world. Currently I have 7 more flutes to ship and all the recipients are here in the USA. I chose a good time to retire in terms of these logistics. I am wondering how this is affecting the luthiers in other countries especially my favorite one Shelley Park who is just 3 hours plus the border crossing away.