Just saw on the Daiwa site today the price has jumped from 549.99 to 669.99. Absolutely crazy! Guess my thread about the power pitch is moot now. 😔

 

Can’t blame tariffs for this.

It's weird that it shows that price on Daiwa's site when all online retailers still have them listed for $550. 

I had a conversation with the owner of a popular online store and let's say they have a lot of JDM stuff.  This is just the beginning.  24% tariff price increase from Japan. 

1 hour ago, FishTank said:

I had a conversation with the owner of a popular online store and let's say they have a lot of JDM stuff.  This is just the beginning.  24% tariff price increase from Japan. 

I had a similar conversation.  shop owner cant get a particular swimbait he wants.  so my friend is currently in Thailand, coming from Tokyo with 5 of those baits in his luggage. hahah..(I'm to bring second batch in November).  

 

550-->670 is not quite the 24% (in my head math, which shouldn't be wielded in public cuz it sucks)..

 

from high school economics class, this is the exact thing tariffs do....it passes the costs to the consumers.  

15 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I had a similar conversation.  shop owner cant get a particular swimbait he wants.  so my friend is currently in Thailand, coming from Tokyo with 5 of those baits in his luggage. hahah..(I'm to bring second batch in November).  

 

550-->670 is not quite the 24% (in my head math, which shouldn't be wielded in public cuz it sucks)..

 

from high school economics class, this is the exact thing tariffs do....it passes the costs to the consumers.  

 

Have you noticed the costs (yen) of specific baits on JDM sites have gone up? I think they are trying to spread the impact of the tariff out across their markets.  Also, in my conversation he mentioned some give and take in the costs increase so it may not be exactly 24% but it was mentioned that this summer will be difficult on the bait industry. In what exact way, I'm not sure at this point and until we see it in the things we use most often (terminal and softplastic), it won't really hit home.

Japan inflation is steep - there was a January price increase, and now June. 

It's all about Japan inflation. 

16 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

Japan inflation is steep - there was a January price increase, and now June. 

It's all about Japan inflation. 

Thier inflation rate has been steady at around 3-4%. It has hit food and rent the hardest but this is due to a pay increase across Japan.  Exported goods are influenced by tariffs.

Last order I made was tariff free. Shipped FedEx. Bulldog is right, I’ve been monitoring prices on a couple reels that have jumped on average of $42 dollars since December of 24. 
 

Inflation is one thing and tariffs another. Both suck for those of us who want/need to order from Japan. 

32 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

Japan inflation is steep - there was a January price increase, and now June. 

It's all about Japan inflation. 

Has another price increase occurred? 
(June) 

5 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

Last order I made was tariff free. Shipped FedEx. Bulldog is right, I’ve been monitoring prices on a couple reels that have jumped on average of $42 dollars since December of 24. 
 

Inflation is one thing and tariffs another. Both suck for those of us who want/need to order from Japan. 

Has another price increase occurred? 
(June) 

 

The tariff is being charged to the manufacturer and they are raising prices to offset the costs. If you order from Japan, you could be charged import duties which is different from the tariff.  Also, the exchange rate is no longer in our favor. 

 

I also just went through a few orders from last year and the prices I paid are the same in yen for rods and reels. For instance at JLS, the Twin Power I bought on May 29, 2024 was 44,400 yen same as it is today. It came out to $281 at a rate of 0.00634 and today it is $306 at a rate of 0.00690, which is still pretty good.

Horse hockey.  Personal use items are exempt up to $800, and 10% duty from there to up to $2400, which the courier pays and invoices you separately.  Over $2400 is considered commercial,  and prepays tariff.  That's what USM imports pay for US retail sales.

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/e-commerce/faqs

4 hours ago, FishTank said:

I had a conversation with the owner of a popular online store and let's say they have a lot of JDM stuff.  This is just the beginning.  24% tariff price increase from Japan. 

Only problem is the 24% tariff doesn’t exist.

 

Also, your link to CBP FAQ’s says nothing about de minimis not applying to Japan. Only PRC and Hong Kong. If you got charged a duty on <$800 from Japan, then the importer screwed you over during the declared value process via one of several shady techniques.

 

Be very wary of retailers telling you prices are going up due to tariffs. This is a lie that gets perpetuated by companies very often to justify price increases.

 

There is no need to ‘talk to someone’ when it comes to tariffs. All current factual information is publicly available to you from HTS.gov

 

Chapter 95 lists all tariffs for fishing gear.

 

Chapter 99 discusses all excess tariffs due to ongoing discussions with other countries trade department and executive orders.
 

Everything else you said though about exchange rates and such is true though. 

These rods, most fishing rods sold in the US are coming in containers from China, not japan.

5 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Japan inflation is steep - there was a January price increase, and now June. 

It's all about Japan inflation. 

 

4 hours ago, FishTank said:

 

For instance at JLS, the Twin Power I bought on May 29, 2024 was 44,400 yen same as it is today. It came out to $281 at a rate of 0.00634 and today it is $306 at a rate of 0.00690, which is still pretty good.

Maybe a tiny bit that the US dollar is also currently being devalued, last I saw it was near 5% down.  Only thing I'm betting on is prolonged volatility.

 

 

scott

9 hours ago, FishTank said:

I had a conversation with the owner of a popular online store and let's say they have a lot of JDM stuff.  This is just the beginning.  24% tariff price increase from Japan. 

Interesting, especially considering the 24% tariff is NOT in effect right now. It’s been paused since last month.

18 hours ago, ReelDr said:

Can’t blame tariffs for this.

Exactly. Tariffs are paused. This is Daiwa USA hoping we blame tariffs for the price increases even though it’s not a factor.

4 hours ago, ReelDr said:

Only problem is the 24% tariff doesn’t exist.

 

Also, your link to CBP FAQ’s says nothing about de minimis not applying to Japan. Only PRC and Hong Kong. If you got charged a duty on <$800 from Japan, then the importer screwed you over during the declared value process via one of several shady techniques.

 

Be very wary of retailers telling you prices are going up due to tariffs. This is a lie that gets perpetuated by companies very often to justify price increases.

 

There is no need to ‘talk to someone’ when it comes to tariffs. All current factual information is publicly available to you from HTS.gov

 

Chapter 95 lists all tariffs for fishing gear.

 

Chapter 99 discusses all excess tariffs due to ongoing discussions with other countries trade department and executive orders.
 

Everything else you said though about exchange rates and such is true though. 

Yes. De minimis is in effect for all countries except China/Hong Kong. He was charged by DHL on an order under $800 because DHL is lumping shipments together. 

At JY145/ US$, all of Japan is still 30% off when compared to buying the equivalent USM import.

Call it a DIY import, and if you never buy more than $800 in a  single shipment,  you'll never pay an import duty.  

Glad I bought two over the winter.  At this price, I will buy a NRX instead.  

9 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Glad I bought two over the winter.  At this price, I will buy a NRX instead.  

Exactly. Steez = $670 for a rod made in China with a limited 5 year warranty vs NRX+ = $650 for a rod hand built in the USA with a lifetime warranty and xpeditor replacement plan. Plus the NRX+ is the more sensitive rod from everything I’ve seen. It really seems like a no brainer at the new price. 

On 6/6/2025 at 8:26 AM, MeatHead1313 said:

It's weird that it shows that price on Daiwa's site when all online retailers still have them listed for $550. 

Just got confirmation from a retailer that they are required to match msrp starting July 1st.

3 hours ago, woolleyfooley said:

Just got confirmation from a retailer that they are required to match msrp starting July 1st.

Yeah I saw the same comment possibly earlier today, and have noticed some retailers have changed the price already. Guess I spoke too early. Going to be hard for people to spend money on these when they're above NRX+ prices. 

On 6/6/2025 at 10:32 AM, Darth-Baiter said:

550-->670 is not quite the 24% (in my head math, which shouldn't be wielded in public cuz it sucks)..

24% tariff and Daiwa ate some of the cost.

On 6/6/2025 at 6:28 PM, woolleyfooley said:

Interesting, especially considering the 24% tariff is NOT in effect right now. It’s been paused since last month.

It's a 90 day pause since 4/1. There is a reason Daiwa chose 7/1 to require retailers to increase prices to match MSRP.

24 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

24% tariff and Daiwa ate some of the cost.

Yup. Not all costs will be immediately passed down. Supply and demand still exists and if people won't pay the price they won't pay the price. Unfortunately that could mean some products simply won't be made anymore as they won't be profitable if people don't want to pay the higher cost. 

 

In effect, that's kind of the point. Drive people to purchase US goods instead. Unfortunately for our sport, a LOT is made overseas that simply doesn't have a direct US alternative. We're a picky bunch that likes what we like, especially when it comes to baits. A "direct alternative" may not feel that way to us. 

 

For things like rods there are tons of awesome US rod makers. But things like Vision 110s that are THE standard for what they are, it's gonna suck. 

On 6/7/2025 at 5:25 PM, woolleyfooley said:

Exactly. Steez = $670 for a rod made in China with a limited 5 year warranty vs NRX+ = $650 for a rod hand built in the USA with a lifetime warranty and xpeditor replacement plan. Plus the NRX+ is the more sensitive rod from everything I’ve seen. It really seems like a no brainer at the new price. 

I own both and personally I'm not convinced the NRX is a more sensitive rod. The Steeze BC2 is really good and the craftsmanship on the Daiwa is better.

That's not to say the NRX isn't great also but they look like they should cost $150.  

30 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

Yup. Not all costs will be immediately passed down. Supply and demand still exists and if people won't pay the price they won't pay the price. Unfortunately that could mean some products simply won't be made anymore as they won't be profitable if people don't want to pay the higher cost. 

 

In effect, that's kind of the point. Drive people to purchase US goods instead. Unfortunately for our sport, a LOT is made overseas that simply doesn't have a direct US alternative. We're a picky bunch that likes what we like, especially when it comes to baits. A "direct alternative" may not feel that way to us. 

 

For things like rods there are tons of awesome US rod makers. But things like Vision 110s that are THE standard for what they are, it's gonna suck. 

well said!!!  this is exactly how I learned about tariffs in 8th grade.