In view of recent developments, we need to brace ourselves for the impending price uncertainty. The only certain thing that would happen in the near future is a price hike. Simple economics would tell us prices would increase more than whatever tariff amount that had been announced. The recent example would be the increase in the local GST here; prices went up by more than 1%.
Should we look away from the American offerings? That would be the ideal but guitar players & musicians at large are loyalists to say the least. Yours truly here is an obvious example - I'm still an Ibanez fan after all these years despite the exposure to other brand of instruments. Many of us would look at the American QC as benchmarks but let's acknowledge the fact that many non-American instruments out there are matching the American standard & the Japanese end of things simply hold their own in this regard.
Was out looking for shoes yesterday & decided to check the Anta brand out. Anta, Erke & Lining are the big names in sporting merchandise in China. I have always looked up to American & European brands with regards to sporting equipment but a simple try out in the store won me over. These Anta shoes are downright comfortable & more importantly, effective in delivering the objective. They have their own take on the technology involved in manufacturing these goods & do not attempt to replicate the American / European competitors. Recently, I've advocated for the lesser known brands like Artec (pickups) & Olympia (strings) which serve the objective while keeping costs in check & buying these Anta shoes is an extension of this belief. We should all move on & rediscover what works for us, not just embrace the trend blindly.
3 comments:
American Menace? Singapore already taxes (GST) American guitars 9% imported into Singapore and American tariffs only apply to goods Singapore sells the US not American goods sent to Singapore. And in my 72 years I have never seen a single product for sale here that said Made In Singapore. Your big problem with the prices of American guitars sold in Singapore is the exchange disparity between the Singapore dollar and the American dollar and our tariffs aren't gonna affect that. And I'm sure that the US would gladly drop that announced 10% tariff on Singapore if you guys dropped your 9% tax on American goods. Sound fair?
Noted your embrace of American pride. Yes, we are already dealing with the local tax menace, adding on to it doesn't diminish the external menace. Tit for tat arrangements are not for anyone to decide but the parties duly involved. Can't see how any forum discussions / opinions would influence this arrangement unless ...
Has nothing to do with "American pride" just stating economic facts. So us here in the US should just accept Singapore taxing our goods (which are already overpriced due largely to your currency's exchange rate) and allow your goods in duty free? Doesn't sound fair to me.
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