KE4AVB wrote:Here is an example of the results of the White House decisions.
From Stens:
Due to the recent news and delayed governmental decisions surrounding tariffs, we have chosen to postpone the printed 2019 Stens Catalog by two months.
Stens prices will be updated on October 1, 2018 and will incorporate the recently announced tariff charges and other vendor pricing adjustments.
Boy I really like this last minute notice; Monday is the 1st.
Yep a great deal of Stens and Oregon (and Laser, Primeline, etc) parts are sourced from china manufacturers.. I tracked down many of those suppliers, thinking about getting into the parts distributing game myself... Was oh, so close to pulling the trigger on that (had supplies lined up from Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong,, India, and China) and was in the process of developing branding (packaging, trademarks, UPC codes,, the works) and then a family health issue put the plans on hold for a few months, by the time I got back to them, things were already in the process of changing (import licensing, customs, EPA certifications, and now, of course, tariffs)
But just based on having had those lined up and almost ready to put in my orders (400,000 USD worth in all) it was understandable how so many AM suppliers were lured into deals with the china manufacturers (so MUCH cheaper than , say, canadian supplier) - coulda been buying Stihl replacement carburetors for just $2.75 each , sell em at dealer pricing of $10 , Retail $28 , OEM Stihl pricing was around $49.... but the more things changed in this business over the last 2 years, and finally the tariffs coming into play this year, I really feel like I dodged a bullet by that delay in my plans...
How poor are they who have not patience. What wound did ever heal, but by degrees? - Iago (Othello Act II, Scene 3)