I am hearing some are having to pay now from kits purchased directly from sculptors outside the USA. Apparantly someone got charged $30 on an Aerith head from Kristie. I am nervous now about my 2 Gracie Mae awake kits I have purchased directly from LLE. I always get them from her as she signs the bodies and offers free shipping when you get over a certain amount. I am now a little concerned about whether or not I will have extra fees on 2 kits and what that will be. Sigh….
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I was reading the same this morning. Someone mentioned getting a notification from either UPS or FedEx (can’t remember) that they needed to pay an extra $30 for whatever it was that they ordered.
Wonder what’s going to happen with Macphersons. Has Brenda said anything?
I’ve read in other places that art was always exempt from this, but no one is sure if it is or not this time. I also don’t know if it extends to art supplies.
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I got my invoice for Aerith from macpherson’s yesterday. Total cost is 69.99. Preorder cost was 31.99, I owe 49.99. Looks to be normal.
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From what i’m hearing, though, some of the companies delivering this stuff to us can collect a fee when they bring it to our house.
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Oh I hope not 
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Tariffs on previously duty-free small packages in the U.S. began to apply on August 29, 2025. Some countries have even stopped shipments to the US
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I won’t buy outside the U.S. then.
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Yep. I was just coming here to say that de minimis exemptions have ended. Are we great yet?
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/28/nx-s1-5519361/de-minimis-rule-tariffs-consumers-imports-trump
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Whether you buy outside of the US or not, not all products are produced here. Someone here has to pay the tarriffs and it will passed along to you. The only countries that produce vinyl kits are China, Germany and I think Spain. There will be tarriffs.
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Tarriffs are not a new thing overall and somewhere along the way someone has to pay things in life. My frustration is that when placing a pre-order outside of the USA and paying for it in full there was not a tarriff due and now once the order comes in there might well be. So it makes it hard to budget one’s costs. It does affect whether or not I would order future kits directly from a place being shipped outside the USA. If I know going into something that I am paying a higher cost and have chosen to afford that then so be it. But the surprise fees along the way are hard to come up after the fact. I am crossing my fingers I won’t have any but not holding my breath either. I just wish I had ordered Gracie Mae awake from a US dealer now.
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The tariffs have been on again, off again, varying percentages, and very unpredictable. I don’t blame the companies for not charging up front, because they had no clearer idea than we did what the tariffs would be.
I’m just salty about having an extra tax added to things. I thought we paid enough taxes already.
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Thats why many countries have suspended shipments to the US. There is no system in place to collect most tarriffs.
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I was so confused about tariffs and when they would be applied that I stopped ordering months ago. I have a friend that orders fabric and fiber from outside the United States and she was charged an additional 63.00 for tariffs and the associated collection fees recently. Her package was shipped UPS. I might not buy anything I do not absolutely have to buy until the mess we are in is straightened out. I also like to know what I am going to pay without surprises.
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Yep I got charged another 29 dollars for my Aerith heads from Chris.
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Hi Angie,
I am really surprised to hear that someone was charged a tariff on the Aerith Heads shipped from Kristie. It doesn’t make sense, since doll parts are supposed to be tariff-free. Even though the $800 threshold was removed, items that qualify as tariff-free still shouldn’t have any duty!
I want you to know I’ve done everything possible on my end to avoid any fees being charged by mistake. I have filled out the correct paperwork for USMCA, and our paperless system sends all info to customs before anything ever leaves our warehouse. I’ve even added extra paperwork and used every relevant tariff code, just to make it super clear that no duty should be charged.
To double-check everything that is going to the USA, I’m thinking about switching on the option for duties and taxes to be billed to us instead of the buyer for the next few week as a test. I feel confident we shouldn’t be charged, and if it happens, it’s human error & I would dispute it.
Let’s keep an eye on things and I’ll update you if there are any changes!
hUgs B XO
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Good thing I have a big stash of kits because I won’t support this even if I have to stop buying everything but food.
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Brenda…thank you for explaining this!! I thought I had heard kits were to be tariff free…but then wondered if I was wrong.
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It is a fact that the doll parts should be tariff free. I suspect it will be a bit chaotic in the beginning so we will do our best to make the process as smooth as possible.
hugs B
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Thank you for the update, Brenda. 
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Thanks for explaining a bit more to us. I had been told that you were doing something so your customers were not getting the extra fees. I knew the $800 limit had been lifted but I too thought doll parts would not get taxed. With Caitlyn above saying she got charged a tax getting her heads from Kristie that makes 2 people now I have read have had this to happen with those heads coming from her. I wonder what was different about her shipments? I know it is frustrating for everyone all the way around.
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