Does anyone have any insight if the current trade war between the US and China (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45899310) will have any effect on the kendama prices and products we get from US brands (e.g. Sweets and KUSA)? I think it's common knowledge that most of the kendamas we know and love are made by factories in China/Taiwan/Hong Kong. So I can't imagine there will be no repercussions felt in the kendama economy.
Huh very thought provoking, I think I remember someone mentioning things from Britain have went up (or down) in price from the Brexit, I really hope this doesnt affect the dama industry but if it does then I have another excuse to buy the handturned stuff or ozoras
Here's a list of the items covered. It doesn't say kendama specifically but does mention various toys and wood products.
I think it will affect us slightly, but no crazy spike in prices. I don't know for sure, but that's just my thought.
If tariffs are expanded anymore, we will definitely see a price hike not just on damas but all toys from China by as much as 25%. This is going to have a HUGE impact on the US and global economies. Read the list of items taxed in the post by @goenKendama above. It includes all kinds of raw materials, chemicals, wood, rubber, electronics, food/spices, etc. As much as Kendama is a big part of my life (and probably yours too) toys will be the least of our concerns when we see the large scale impact that this ill-informed economic war will levy.
let's put it this way.. Dollar Tree is about to start selling things for more than $1 because of the tariffs. Trump has fu*ked us and it's gonna get mad deep mad soon.
It's only gonna get worse. Trump is trying to break China by raising tarriffs for imports to the states, but I think that would only work if the US was China's only customer. China has very robust trade relations with multiple countries, and if anything, they can ride out this trade war simply by exporting more to other countries. The US, on the other hand, relies heavily on China for a lot of things; raw materials, heavy machinery, and even electronics that US companies rely on largely come from China. When it comes to the Kendama industry specifically, many US companies who import kendamas from China are going to be adversely affected, being forced to raise prices for their product to compensate for the higher cost of importation. Seeing as Trump really can't win the Trade War, but insists on fighting it by continuously raising tarriffs, my take is that the kendama industry will be affected more and more negatively as time goes on. P.S. I'm not an expert in this by any means; I just happen to have a degree in economics so I'm applying what knowledge I have. Take my words with a grain of salt.
I might be the one rocking the boat here but I am going to take a counter point on this one. First off, only around 14 to 15% of American imports come from China. In the grand scheme of things, it is America that can survive the storm while China is historically hurt by instabilty and trade concerns. Even though it might send us into another depression, America still has the flexibility the weather the storm. Although I don't agree with Trump on most, wait....pretty much all things, this is perhaps the one aspect of his presidency that may have a lasting positive influence on America (notice how I didn't just say the United States.) China is literally the modern great evil. America gets a lot of shit for being a police state and the global police at the same time, most of the criticism being rightfully projected, but China is seriously a fucked up country. They are also the world's number 2 overall polluter and the number 1 emitter of carbon dioxide...anyone who is environmentally conscious should already be boycotting their products as is. The value of trade between China and the US is encroaching $700B annually, most of which revolves around imports on America's end....and how is this good for us? We have a trade deficit with the east which is not sustainable and this is not only impacting our economy but is having negative impacts on the environment as well. In order to shift this paradigm, Western consumers need to stop purchasing goods made in China...bottom line. But they aren't willing to do so because quite frankly, people don't give a fuck where their products come from. As long as people are more interested in cheap goods than doing the right thing, then we are all SOL as is. Every four years our citizens vote for a president and pretend it makes a difference, but in reality most of us vote everyday and don't even realize we are casting a ballot using our own money.
This is TRUE.. experienced it when I was a glass collector.. Lots of people are only interested in cheap Chinese made glass as opposed to American made stuff that is way more expensive but has a closer attention to details.. Kendama companies and players are going to need to start supporting companies that offer hand turned in the states kendamas. And maybe stop collecting and just play 1or2 Damas till their thrashed completely to leave an inventory for everyone to share in..? But that’s prob too hopeful and wishful thinking
Ditto on all of this lol. China, or their Chinese Communist Party-run government to be specific, can suck a big fat one. They make the lives of their dissenting citizens as well as those of neighboring countries a living hell.
+1 for vote with your dollars, people really underestimate the importance of this. I think there may be some other nations in the running for greatest evil (N Korea?), but by economic impact and importance, I'd concede China is a goliath.
Lol look back it says when I WAS a glass collector.. all about that wood now bud! I’m trying to get rid of a lot of my glass. Beer glass bubbler. Dave goldstein frit disc. Aaron Sokol mini assassin. Mobius ion matrix.. some KGB glass accessories & more..