The luxury car tax applied to any car over a certain price regardless of whether it was locally manufactured or imported.

The euro has been appreciating against the dollar, maybe that will help offset some of the tariff.

Just a quick update!

it seems like the punitive tariff IS supposed to be for machines leaving the US after nov.10!

RetroNorge just told me that he had sorted the problem with the Swedish customs and the shipping company and didnt charge the extra tariff, because it was only machines bought in the US after nov.10 (or whenever the tariff was set in motion).
So the Danish customs was wrong in charging me and he and the shipping company are ready to "fight"

So it looks like i will get an avengers IQ in my stocking next week after all

Great!

That makes sense as it seems so unfair if something was bought before 10th November, it is taxed.

So, this suggests invoice date might be the key?

Doesn't help for anything purchased after 10th November, but it might help you.

Good luck

The UK batch of R&M was meant to arrive over here this week - instead they're sitting in the States whilst we wait for a resolution to this one. Frustrating that machines that were paid for in full before this started are affected.

yes, but it is the invoice date for the distributor, not the customer so if they have a stock they should at least be able to sell them for normal price.

You shouldn't have to pay tax IF it was shipped prior to Nov 10th, even if it arrives now.

'Article 3
1. Products listed in the Annexes for which an import licence with an exemption from or a reduction of duty has been issued prior to the date of entry into force of this regulation shall not be subject to additional duty.
2. Products listed in the Annexes for which the importers can prove that they have been exported from the United States to the Union prior to the date on which an additional duty is applied with respect to that product shall not be subject to the additional duty.'

Well today the hammer dropped for the German prices from my distributor from which i ordered my GNR LE in October:
I recieved an email today with the following changes to their prices.

Old prices:

Standard Edition 7.457,14€ incl. 16% VAT (6428,57€ netto)
Limited Edition 9.991,60€ incl. 16% VAT (8.613,45€ netto)
Collectors Edition 13.500,84€ incl. 16% VAT (11.638,66€ netto)

revised prices after 25% EU theft and reinstated VAT to 19% per 1-1-2021( it was temporarilly lowered to 16%):

Standard Edition 9.490€ incl. 19 VAT (7.974,79€ netto)
Limited Edition 12.790€ incl. 19% VAT (10.747,90€ netto)
Collectors Edition 16.990€ incl. 19% VAT (14.277,31€ netto)

So here is something to think about for me this weekend.

Looking at those prices it took me 3 seconds to say to myself yep I’m still out!

I’m just hopeful this 25% tariff is abolished when we leave the EU, hopefully not to long after that you guys see the same thing happen too.

The usa tariff has been in effect since June 2018 so I'd imagine the EU will keep their tariff going for just as long. Bad situation all around. Perhaps the new president will cancel the tariffs but there is still a ways to go for the EU to make their point. Sucks that pinball machines are included of all things. Good grief.

Doesn't look like that's the plan, might be time to call your MP:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-trade-eu-britain/uk-gearing-up-to-maintain-tariffs-on-u-s-goods-in-aircraft-subsidy-case-uk-official-idUKKBN2802PY

I would get more sense and honesty from talking to a brick wall

That is just not doable.
European pinball will come to a standstill.

Collectors Edition 16.990€

that is
$20567.28 US
$26568.13 CAN
$27779.53 AUS

hmmm........

Standstill? it might die with these prices. i am now paying more for an LE than a CE is worth.

Forget a coin door.
Needs to come standard with the bill acceptor.

Going to need more than 1 a game.

If this were to be kept through 2021, how do Stern cope with like 30% loss of sales in that new, huge factory?

Couldn't come at a worse time.

F**K that

Looking at the list, I still wonder why they all not make a Home edition without payment options. That would be left out according to the list.

95042000 billiards of all kinds and accessories
95043010 games with screen, operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens or by other means of payment
95043020 games without screen, operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens or by other means of payment (excl.
bowling alley equipment)
95043090 parts of games, operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens or by other means of payment (excl. of
bowling alley equipment)
95044000 playing cards
95045000 video game consoles and machines (excl. operated by any means of payment)
95049010 electric car racing sets, having the character of competitive games
95049080 tables for casino games, automatic bowling alley equipment, and other funfair, table or parlour games, incl.
pintables (excl. operated by any means of payment, billiards, video game consoles and machines, playing
cards and electric car racing sets having the character of competitive games)
95069110 exercising apparatus with adjustable resistance mechanisms
95069190 articles and equipment for general physical exercise, gymnastics or athletics (excl. exercising apparatus with
adjustable resistance mechanisms)

100% this. This is what I expect the pin manufacturers will do - remove the coin doors.

But you need them to access menu switches and lock down bar latches on most manufactures pins. Just don't need the mech installed. Not sure id like a pinball without a coin door as that's part of what it is (an arcade machine) cant take away its coin door!!!! (even if its fake)

Isn’t this doable if they only remove the coin mech? With two rubber plugs on the coin door

I am just a tiny tiny speck of dust on the map, but my usual ramp sales to France/Germany that use to comprise of several orders a week have gone down to exactly one order since the tariff was put in place.

Here is the problem the UE has been bullies to the US on trade. I'm in the haunt industry and if you want to ship something to the UE the customer pays up to a 30% tax. Clearly that tax is meant to protect jobs in the UE and discourage buying from the US. This works both ways. You don't see the UE offering the USA free trade either way do you?

The USA offered the UE free trade both ways and EU which does everything it can to protect UE jobs said no way!

Pinball to other US products get targeted to pressure the US to drop tariffs on EU products. There is a very simple solution FREE TRADE between US and UE but UE would NEVER go for it. So UE shouldn't cry about tariffs the US imposes on them. If pinball buyers to Harley motorcycles in the UE want to rid themselves of these tariffs pressure the UE to do a free trade agreement with the US. Very simple solution.

The EU retaliation tariff are (I think) due to US tariff on wine, cheese etc. the rationale was that EU was subsidizing Airbus that hurt Boing. It was affirmed that EU was subsidizing Airbus so it’s not as if US just started throwing tariffs for no reason.

I will agree that these things should be negotiated away but there has to be some sort of rules or else some company like Airbus would have an unfair advantage.

However it’s true that many US companies get tax breaks for example so I’m not sure how it’s all decided who is playing fair and who isn’t.

A lot of companies get help from government such as banks when they need bailout or drug companies get money for vaccine research. It’s not all clear to me what is acceptable and what is unreasonable (maybe Airbus subsidies are unreasonable).

I’m just saying it’s not all US fault, I mean there was a cause of why the US put its tariff on imported wine etc.

I dont think there has been any blame on the us specific.
If this is all part of production and competition for production between us and eu, it´s seriously odd, that it´s affecting pinball, since there is no, or almost no production in the eu.

It’s debatable about what type of tax is ‘fair’ or what’s best.

Example the US may pay much less sales (no Vat tax) but we pay a lot more for healthcare and college tuition. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on college tuition, it would have been nice to have paid a fraction of that instead paying VAT.

I think one point is not everyone has children going to university so they don’t have any of those expenses but with VAT they might be paying for other peoples kids tuition.

I think ....... this is precisely why it’s targeted at US industry that is why pinball. It’s something that can only be got from US. It’s not like there are many other companies outside of US.

It’s like if they target Bourbon that’s something only comes from US. Not something that can be sourced from anywhere else.

I’m not that familiar with the Boeing v airbus issues, though I’d guess both receive favorable support from their governments in some way. Hard to argue shareholders of these companies have not done well, notwithstanding the pandemic. The whole thing is a bad joke.

0A5F2947-3B68-41D8-9551-CE4A042DA5F5 (resized).jpeg

For all some background. I think where 2 are fighting, 2 are to blame.
So the court judges import tax on EU goods by US granted, and vice versa.
The loser in this is the global customer.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2020/10/13/american-goods-just-got-4-billion-more-expensive-in-europe-eu-to-heavily-tax-us-imports/?sh=498c285b9858

Remove coin mech and use the money to paint the "service door"

I for one would like a gnr le with a cinnamon door plz.

I would like a door intergrated with the art of the machine.

I hope this will kick-off a rethink of old parts that are really not that usefull anymore for modern home only pinball.
Keep the Pro for location play, get at least the LE with integrated art on the door.

This is really throwing a spanner into Stern.
They can't seem to get the North America models out of the fulfillment center.
All the EU stuff is holding up shipping.
At least for Heavy Metal...

Please delete this. I don’t want them getting ideas.

Too late, they went after McConnell by targeting bourbon two years ago.

https://whiskycast.com/europes-whisky-tariffs-reach-the-terrible-twos-for-u-s-distillers/

More tariffs this year:

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2020/11/trade-groups-urge-end-to-excessive-tariffs/

sounds a lot like pinball, EU is the single biggest export market for both pinball and Bourbon.

this will absolutely be bad news for all pinballers. All the pinball manufacturers still have all the same costs but now I predict at least 15-20% of the market just disappeared. I for one am out buying new games until this is resolved.

Any news on the strategy of removing coin mech beeing viable?

this is !

since few monthes, i was ready to go for a NIB, and than this tax

as said, i'm out too, sorry, but cant agree with myself (...) to pay an extra 25% on a perfect same product than 3 weeks ago
and as the 2nd hand market will also follow the same trajectory (its already an evidence on main marketplaces), that mean i'll be looking for an old/cheap pin, or simply nothing

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-08/u-k-to-drop-tariffs-on-u-s-goods-in-airbus-boeing-dispute

Good news for UK pinheads!

Nice! @J85M's PM must have seen the light after all, and @sako-trg's smuggling operation is back in business, baby!

Now here's hoping this gets cleared up for the rest of the EU in short order, there must be a better way to exert trade pressure than pissing off a bunch of pinheads and booze snobs.

Is the tariff just on new pins or does it impact bringing in second hand machines as well? And are replacement parts also impacted?

Yes and yes. Anything pinball related, new, used or old.

Same article says

Same article says:
He added that “it’s possible” that both sides will reach an agreement by Jan. 20 governing aid to Boeing and Airbus. He reiterated an offer to remove EU retaliatory tariffs on $4 billion of American goods if the U.S. does the same for its duties on $7.5 billion of European products.

So let's hope the rest of Europe follows soon..

Still wondering if this is effecting the supply chain in general.
My NiB went to the fulfillment center early last week and there no pics of Heavy Metal popping up in collections anywhere.
With a heavy EU buy into this title I am concerned that all shipping on the whole title is being delayed.
Stern is probably not too concerned over a small run over the high volume titles.

Might want to ask Robin to add Sterns Heavy Metal to the pinside database. I don't see it there so nobody would be able to add the game to their collection.

No news on this?

You would think the producing companies, would do their best checking if you could curcumvent using no coin mech etc.......