While shipping something to my mother the other day I was conversing with the owner of the parcel place I use and he told me about a problem he was having. It seems a customer of his shipped a package to Mexico the other day. Since the package was already sealed when the customer arrived, he asked about the contents so he could fill out the declaration paperwork for customs. The customer stated what was in the package, it was recorded on the paperwork and the package processed to be shipped. Upon arrival at the border, Mexican customs opened the package and the contents did not match the declaration, so...........it was held for a few days. The customer's wife had already called several times by this point cursing and threating the owner, pretty funny actually since this whole thing is her husbands fault. He's halfway laughing as he tells me the next part. It seems the package actually contained nothing that would cause any breaches in security or pose a risk to Mexico's national security but, he said if any of the items in the package are marked "Made in China" there is an additional 550% tariff on that item. One of the items in the package is a phone card in the amount of $400 USD. He said UPS told him that if the card has the dreaded "Made in China" phrase printed anywhere on it, it will cost an additional $2200.00 to import it to Mexico.

 

WOW! Expensive phone calls!!!

I hate to say it but most of the equipment I sell now comes from China. It makes me sick but it pays my salary. Not much I can do....

 

What do you do for a living? Might be time for a change

 

Maybe if we would have imposed a similar tariff on China imports several years ago we would not be in the mess we are in right now.

 

There already are in place. They just arent as high as they should be.

Money > Ethics to most business. Sad but true.