Once again, import fees for USA buyers of Japanese equipment post August 29, 2025

[GregY]

I don't know if you've used the US version of eBay, and searched for camera gear there, but it's not uncommon for more than half the results of any given search on specific equipment to be from Japanese sellers. And their sticker prices tend to be lower than what the US sellers are charging: they have to be, if they weren't, they'd be locking themselves out of that market.

For example, I just searched eBay for "Olympus Pen F" and sorted by price. Out of the first 20 results, 14 are Japanese, 6 are US sellers.

For Canada to be a bigger import market than US for Japanese cameras, due to the population difference, the Canadian interest in these products would have to be 8 or 9 times the US interest per capita... nothing about that adds up to me as realistic. Frankly, I find people from Canada and the US to be very similar in their interests.

L, lot's of what is for sale is mundane. I'm not saying Canada is a bigger market at all, but consider wealth distribution, places like Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore certainly have a lot of disposable wealth. BTW have you seen the "Black Leica" book by Douglas So from HK ? huge collections there...

 

[Pieter12]

The issue is the tariffs are charged to and paid by the buyer. In today's trade conditions, the seller has no idea what the tariff will be at the time of the item's entry into the U.S. So, unless the seller has offered to reimburse the buyer after the delivery and has been made and the tariff charged, there is little that can be done beyond lowering the price to compensate for a guess at what the buyer might have to pay on the receiving end. A mess.

 

[GregY]

The issue is the tariffs are charged to and paid by the buyer. In today's trade conditions, the seller has no idea what the tariff will be at the time of the item's entry into the U.S. So, unless the seller has offered to reimburse the buyer after the delivery and has been made and the tariff charged, there is little that can be done beyond lowering the price to compensate for a guess at what the buyer might have to pay on the receiving end. A mess.

Why would sellers in another country lower prices ? Especially since the president of the buyers country just finished insulting them??

 

[gbroadbridge]

Why would sellers in another country lower prices ?

Maybe they want the item off their books and sold
Stock turnover is what keeps small businesses alive.

 

[GregY]

Maybe they want the item off their books and sold
Stock turnover is what keeps small businesses alive.

GB, I have a hard time believing that the japanese used camera economy sinks or swims on the strength of sales to the usa.

 

[MattKing]

Stock turnover only keeps small businesses alive if there is sufficient profit attached to the turnover.
The percentages at issue are far from minor!

 

[gbroadbridge]

Stock turnover only keeps small businesses alive if there is sufficient profit attached to the turnover.
The percentages at issue are far from minor!

If you have a slow moving stock item you would rather sell at a loss as you can use that money to buy something that will move with a higher profit.

Not all items would fit that description, but I'll bet those that do would be discounted and presented as a bargain.

I've done that on Epay many times.

 

[GregY]

If you have a slow moving stock item you would rather sell at a loss as you can use that money to buy something that will move with a higher profit.

Not all items would fit that description, but I'll bet those that do would be discounted and presented as a bargain.

I've done that on Epay many times.

At the same time GB, are you paying rent, utilities, wages ?
I've seen bargain bins in Japanese stores which makes sense.... but why sell for a loss & then pay for packing materials and tie up a staff to package that item...?

 

[mshchem]

I have bought a lot of stuff from Japan

Japan sellers have beautiful items

A couple years ago I bought a Leica MP, like new from MAP camera. $3500.

I paid 6% Iowa sales tax, no duty owed, used 35mm film camera.

Dollar was much stronger than today.

I remember thinking that if I wanted such a camera I'd better act. I was right.

After the dust settles those days are long gone.

Free trade is gone. Very sad.

The little people always pay the price.

MHOFWIW

 

[gbroadbridge]

At the same time GB, are you paying rent, utilities, wages ?

Yes, absolutely.

I've seen bargain bins in Japanese stores which makes sense.... but why sell for a loss & then pay for packing materials and tie up a staff to package that item...?

Because creditors like to see cash flow if they cannot see profits.

Cash flows means a creditor such as a bank, will continue a line of credit rather than shuttering a business. A trading business is a far better than a dormant one.

At the moment people will dig into their own pockets for operating expenses as long as the creditors allow them to continue trading.

 

[abruzzi]

I recently got a (Japanese) lens from an ebay seller in Japan, and while there was some initial confusion about whether or not the import duties/tariffs were included, it ended up being a pretty painless process. eBay had a message on the listing page stating: “This item includes applicable import fees—you won’t pay anything extra after checkout”, which conflicted with the “Duties not included” banner that the seller had added to all the photos in the listing. I figured that even if I ended up having to pay tariffs on top of the cost of the lens, it would still work out to be a good deal, and it was; I ended up paying slightly less than if I had bought it from KEH.

This is king of annoying to me--a lot of what I've looked at on eBay recently has that eBay notice that the sale price includes everything, which is presumably an option the seller can select because not every listing shows it, but also has an image or text saying tariffs aren't included and the buyer is responsible. To me its a bit deceptive, since the seller should be able to turn off the eBay notice, but they don't.

I bought a Rittreck Bellows recently that was made in and shipped from China, and that had the eBay notice that I wouldn't pay a tariff, and sure enough I didn't. They basically used that painfully slow (3-4 week delivery time) OrangeConnex shipper. everything gets bundled into shipping container, and OrangeConnex acts as the importer so they pay the tariff (which they presumably collect from the seller). The items are then posted to USPS on this side of the ocean.

 

[foc]

At the moment people will dig into their own pockets for operating expenses as long as the creditors allow them to continue trading.

From a business point of view, that would sound like the business is insolvent.

The idea that any small business would lower prices just to sell to one market sounds, to me, very poor business sense.

See this very simple example (forget taxes etc).

• Selling price is €50 and cost price is €30 = profit of €20
• Reduce selling price to €40 and cost price is still €30 = profit of €10

So in theory, I would need to sell twice the amount at the lower price to achieve the same profit as the higher price. In other words, twice the work for the same profit.

Like the old saying: turnover is vanity, profit is sanity. (yes I know cashflow is king, but only if you are making a viable profit)

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Then again, some sellers are stopping shipments to the US altogether:

"As of August 29th, the US government has removed the $800 de minimis exemption on goods entering the USA. This means that every order, no matter the value, may now face import taxes and fees.

Because these charges are unpredictable and can be quite high, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause US shipping for now while we figure out the best path forward.

We know how many of you count on our papers and products, and it breaks our hearts to step back from sending them your way. Thank you for your patience and for being such an important part of our story—we can’t wait for the day we’re able to ship to you again.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I recently got a (Japanese) lens from an ebay seller in Japan, and while there was some initial confusion about whether or not the import duties/tariffs were included, it ended up being a pretty painless process. eBay had a message on the listing page stating: “This item includes applicable import fees—you won’t pay anything extra after checkout”, which conflicted with the “Duties not included” banner that the seller had added to all the photos in the listing. I figured that even if I ended up having to pay tariffs on top of the cost of the lens, it would still work out to be a good deal, and it was; I ended up paying slightly less than if I had bought it from KEH.

The seller messaged me immediately after I sent my payment to let me know that I would be responsible for paying the customs duties and very politely gave me the option to cancel the sale if I didn’t want to deal with it. Once the package was with the carrier (DHL Express), I got a message from DHL with the bill for the additional charges: The cost of the lens was ~ $160 and the import fees were $22.50, plus $17 for “processing” on DHL’s part and $1.34 “regulatory charges”. Payment was easy to do online and overall it was as smooth as I could hope for.

I’m wondering if some overseas sellers may be lowering their “buy it now” prices to stay competitive given the extra duties US buyers are having to pay. Having tried it since the new customs duties were imposed, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from a seller in Japan again and I’m grateful to have the option, especially for used gear that might be scarce on this side of the pond.

Welcome to Photrio!

 

[RezaLoghme]

I used ChatGPT to check the total cost of importing a Leicaflex SL from Austria to the U.S.:

What is reliably correct (as of Nov 2025)​

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — under an executive order effective 29 August 2025 — suspended the longstanding “de minimis” exemption (under 19 U.S.C. § 1321(a)(2)(C)) for most imported goods. That means even packages under US $800 must now be declared, and may be subject to customs duties, fees or applicable charges.
• For film still-cameras (e.g. 35 mm analog) imported to the U.S., the relevant tariff classification is generally HTSUS 9006.59 (or a closely related sub-heading under chapter 90 of the harmonized tariff schedule) — “Cameras for roll film …”
• Under that classification (valued “over $10 each”) — which covers typical used cameras far above $10 — the “General” rate of duty is listed as free (0 %).
• That suggests that even after removal of the de minimis exemption, used film cameras properly classified under 9006.59 should — in principle — remain duty-free, provided there is no special surcharge (e.g. under special trade programmes or country-of-origin restrictions).

 

[MattKing]

The cost to import depends on the country of origin, not the country you are sourcing from.
So if you purchase from Austria a Leica camera built in Germany and a Leica lens built in Canada, different tariff rates may apply.
And in addition, there are a bunch of charges that at least in the short term have been added but are not reflected on the basic tariff classification - sometimes referred to as "reciprocal tariffs".
It seems to be a mess.

 

[RezaLoghme]

I did the check for a Leicaflex SL made in Germany, and if properly declared, the duty seems to be zero.

 

[MattKing]

Unfortunately, things are so in flux that you probably can't rely on the tariff tables to provide the total answer - like I say, it is a mess.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Across the range of all imported products, that might be the case.

What is the concrete situation for pre-owned 35mm cameras, for example?

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

The cost to import depends on the country of origin, not the country you are sourcing from.
So if you purchase from Austria a Leica camera built in Germany and a Leica lens built in Canada, different tariff rates may apply.
And in addition, there are a bunch of charges that at least in the short term have been added but are not reflected on the basic tariff classification - sometimes referred to as "reciprocal tariffs".
It seems to be a mess.

The dealer will charge the appropriate tariff amount to the end user. It's not much different than a US company like B&H Photo having to add 50 different sales taxes on their products shipped to the 50 states. Each state imposes their own amount different than all the others.

 

[MattKing]

Across the range of all imported products, that might be the case.

What is the concrete situation for pre-owned 35mm cameras, for example?

Obviously I am most familiar with the effects on the price of goods produced in Canada and then exported into the USA.
And outside of some Leica lenses, plus some Canadian Kodak manufactured cameras back when Canadian Kodak made cameras, there aren't many photographic products that that applies to.
The same rules apply to used and new goods - import duties and taxes are based on market values.
And discussion about how frequently those rates have been changed - usually with little or no warning - is so political as to make that subject inappropriate for Photrio.

 

[gbroadbridge]

The dealer will charge the appropriate tariff amount to the end user. It's not much different than a US company like B&H Photo having to add 50 different sales taxes on their products shipped to the 50 states. Each state imposes their own amount different than all the others.

Actually, most overseas dealers are refusing to sell to US buyers except on ebay, etc

Too much work…

 

[RezaLoghme]

Obviously I am most familiar with the effects on the price of goods produced in Canada and then exported into the USA.
And outside of some Leica lenses, plus some Canadian Kodak manufactured cameras back when Canadian Kodak made cameras, there aren't many photographic products that that applies to.
The same rules apply to used and new goods - import duties and taxes are based on market values.
And discussion about how frequently those rates have been changed - usually with little or no warning - is so political as to make that subject inappropriate for Photrio.

Look, I get the point about “flux” and politically motivated trade uncertainty — but let’s get real.

A German-made 35 mm film SLR from the late ’60s or ’70s? This is not an EV, semiconductor, or anything that has politicians watching for “reciprocal tariffs.”

Here’s what matters:

• HTSUS 9006.59.91.00 covers used roll-film cameras valued over $10. Duty? 0 %. That hasn’t changed.
• De minimis gone? Yes. You must declare it. That’s it. You’re not suddenly paying a hidden tariff.
• Country of origin counts, not where you buy it. German-made camera bought in Austria = still duty-free.
• Random CBP quirks? Maybe a $5–$15 handling fee. That’s it.
• “Flux” in practice? Non-existent for this category. Saying it’s in flux is just a way to sound cautious.

So yes — if you import a used German 35 mm SLR, declare it under 9006.59.91.00, you’re essentially safe. The only “risk” is the usual bureaucratic shrug, not some sudden tariff apocalypse.

 

[cowanw]

Duty and Tariffs are two different things.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Duty and Tariffs are two different things.

Yes, technically duties and tariffs aren’t quite the same:

• Tariff: The classification system and rate applied to an imported good (HTS code, etc.).
• Duty: The actual money you pay when that tariff is applied at the border.

In practice for a Leicaflex SL 1969 German 35 mm camera? It’s a trivial distinction. You find the HTS code, check the corresponding duty rate, and pay what’s owed (or zero). No endless speculation required.