US orders and new Trump tariffs
As of March 7th, there is a temporary reprieve of new 25% (minimum) Trump tariffs on music folders* until April 2nd.
Advice: Buy now, if you have any intent to get folders this season.
Advice: Buy now, if you have any intent to get folders this season.
*Items that are made overseas (common optional items include removable 3-ring adaptors, when purchased as a separate line item), plus most non-folder items such as stands and lights, would still attract new tariffs.
Background:
On March 4th, 2025, Trump enacted a new tariffs including a 25% tariff on music folders (subsequently delayed days later, to April 2nd). By default**(see note 2), your shipper (Post/UPS/FedEx) would collect those tariffs additionally, before delivering. Plus any related brokerage fees for their collection.
On March 4th, 2025, Trump enacted a new tariffs including a 25% tariff on music folders (subsequently delayed days later, to April 2nd). By default**(see note 2), your shipper (Post/UPS/FedEx) would collect those tariffs additionally, before delivering. Plus any related brokerage fees for their collection.
These new tariffs, over-riding the USMCA free trade agreement and surcharging music folder orders for many tens of thousands of 'ordinary Americans' and thousands of US schools/universities we have served - for students, arts organizations, and musicians across USA - affect you. Leading my small 30+ year music folder manufacturing business with 16 staff, I am concerned and disappointed. To my knowledge, with three decades of attending music industry trade fairs around the world, we are now your last North American manufacturer of this kind of high quality music folder. Built and customized for you in Vancouver, Canada, our folders have been sent to the musical world in 40 countries including USA. Please consider writing a paragraph of objection to your Elected Officials about the negative effect on your music program due to new tariffs. Their tariff code is 4820.30. For us, still paying back loans to get through Choir+Covid years, there is no 'extra' price margin to mitigate this.
Doing the math to your benefit:
By default we will choose not to prepay tariffs on your orders because it gives you a lower 'landed cost'. If we did pre-pay tariffs for you, you'd see a minimum 33% price increase on everything (because they'd be charging 25% on a higher base price). Your former $1000 folder order, would become at least $1333.
By default we will choose not to prepay tariffs on your orders because it gives you a lower 'landed cost'. If we did pre-pay tariffs for you, you'd see a minimum 33% price increase on everything (because they'd be charging 25% on a higher base price). Your former $1000 folder order, would become at least $1333.
However, when you pay Trump's new tariffs, that $1000 order of folders is now going to end up around $1250 (plus some amount as a brokerage fee) which, as the new normal in USA, is 'better'.
We look forward to continue supplying you with our exceptional music folders, rapidly customizable with text and/or logo imprinting.
And now, while on this theme, two points for your consideration:
1. To SAVE 25% or more - look to our near-perfect Factory Seconds - while they last. People often have no idea why good 'Grade A' folders were discounted and I recommend them always, as a sensible money-saving option. Customers regularly write back with thanks for the suggestion.
**2. Finally, if you are placing a Purchase Order within a rigid institution that absolutely won't accept the money-saving unknown of a separate tariff bill from Post or Courier, we can work with you to manually prepare and issue a quote at higher cost for delivery duty-paid. As explained, that will end up costing you more than the other way. Or, your quote could specify that border-crossing shipping go on your institutional UPS/FedEx account (which may limit delivery address options) and end up costing the same as if you just pushed an order through the shopping cart...but bury that tariff in your departmental shipping bill.