Things are weird. Really weird. Yes, we Sommersbys are housed and warm and we have safe drinking water and access to universal healthcare and we are not at the moment living in a war-torn nation and as far as I’m aware, I am still allowed to express my opinions on my media outlets without the permission of my husband, father, or other male relative and Canada is very much still a sovereign nation.
But the TARIFFS. The tariffs, you guys.
When the announcement came down last weekend, we, along with our maple-glazed friends and neighbours, pulled out our flashing red goal lights, taped up our hockey sticks, made a fresh batch of red-leafed graphics, and outfitted our Canada geese with battle armour.
BUY CANADIAN. SUPPORT CANADIAN BUSINESS. SHOP LOCAL. Huzzah, hosers!
Then Monday, we were told the tariffs would be paused for a month. OK, so, we’re still game on for O Canada, but . . . are we allowed to sell sans tariff to our American friends, or no?
Then the rule was amended that sure, we can sell our Very Awesome Glimmers™ to Americans—for now—IF the components of our products are not from China. Those items will still be subject to a 10% (to 30%) tariff upon import.
Wait. What?
Some of our product components are imported from the US (Wisconsin and Ohio) and some are, in fact, from China. Even our Canadian suppliers import product from China because no one in Canada makes the stuff we need to make our stuff. That’s the nature of the beast—not every item is made in every country, and we all know China manufactures a shit ton of merchandise for the entire world (like, 31% of global manufacturing output in 2022). As such, some of our base components are sourced from suppliers who in turn source from overseas, i.e., China.
The rule, according to our favourite shipping company, says, for a product to be considered Canadian:
“If more than 51% of the materials and labour was done in Canada, then the product can be considered to be made in Canada.”
Our local news stations and social media channels have been inundated with stories and posts about how to tell the difference between “MADE IN CANADA” and “A PRODUCT OF CANADA,” defined succinctly in this recent CBC.ca article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/made-in-canada-product-of-canada-1.7451556, which summarizes the Canadian Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act. (Canadians, there's even a website to check products while you are IN STORE.)
It’s still bloody confusing.
If we sell an American shopper a set of nine 2” x 3” magnets, the magnet press and 100% of those magnet parts (metal, plastic, mylar, and photo paper) were (reportedly) manufactured in Ohio. According to the rule, these products are not subject to the 10% tariff because their components are American made AND the final product was designed and completed in Canada.
Conversely, we have a 2” x 2” magnet machine (and magnet components) sourced from China. Because each of these 2” x 2” magnets are comprised of 75% Chinese components and 25% American, technically, those products would be subject to the 10% tariff on the total order value, even though they were designed, printed, and manufactured in Canada.
I don’t know if a product of 75% Chinese components, 100% manufactured in Canada, qualifies under the 51% rule noted by the Labelling Act. (Side note: I’ve ordered an American-made 2” x 2” magnet press + parts so that should this tariff BS persist, we can hopefully avoid this weird exception.)
Because this 30-day cooling-off period agreed between the US and Canadian governments does not apply to the US–China tariff situation, our Canadian products that do indeed contain China-sourced components are subject to the 10% tariff on top of the cost of each item.
I've added a new blog post/policy update about how the tariff (and suspension of the section 321 de minimis act) will affect you, American shopper. It sucks for us too. The US is a massive market with more than eight times as many people as Canada. This is going to sting for everyone.
While I would love to absorb the tariff, duties, etc., for our American customers rather than do exactly what pretty much every other business will be doing (i.e., passing the cost along to the consumer), Bard & Bloom is a business, the capital investment to get underway was not insignificant, and we’re still paying almost $9 a gallon for gas (as we have been for a few years now).
TL;DR: We are not pausing operations. We are PIVOTING. While we are happy to fulfill orders from the US, American shoppers will be responsible for the tariff, duty, taxes, etc., charged by the US government (Customs and Border Protection).
For now, we will be pouring our advertising efforts and resources into finding our Canadian fans. Maybe we’ll stretch into Mexico. Maybe Ecuador. Who else wants in? It’s a big world with lots of pretty faces that would look great on magnets. We know that people in countries other than the US like to drink tea and coffee and hot chocolate in mugs with funny sayings on them. Lots of people worldwide would love to have a set of bookmarks to remind them they are awesome and amazing just the way they are.
And yes, we know shipping is expensive. It’s a fact of life, tariffs or no. We're not gouging anyone on shipping. You just have to decide how much you want a product to determine if paying for it to get from our home-based workshop to your front porch is a deal-breaker.
But this pivot means we need your help, Canada. Why? Because, full transparency, we have had two orders in the last 18 days. Two. YES, two glorious orders, including one from a dear friend who is undoubtedly our #1 customer at this point. (Thank you, F.B.!)
Also during this eighteen-day period:
- I have had one vicious bout of flu and edited two client manuscripts, so it’s not as if I’ve been sitting on my arse thumb-twiddling;
- Yaunna has sent out hundreds of dollars’ worth of product to influencers and friends in the hope of building momentum;
- She has also grown our social media accounts by over 800% from when I was handling it alone;
- I have optimized our store’s SEO and backend and set our prices competitively;
- I have initiated a new promotional program called the Sunday Sundae, available to our beloved newsletter subscribers -- join now!;
- And MOST OF ALL, we continue to focus on quality in presentation, production, packaging, and promotion.
We’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing. But the only way a small business can survive and thrive is if it has customers. And two orders a month isn’t going to keep the lights on.
Small businesses are not entitled to your hard-earned money. But I can tell you that THIS small business very much enjoys making the products we have on offer because they are really freaking cool. Who doesn’t love reminders of their Best Times, especially right now when everything is actively burning? Custom photo magnets make amazing gifts—but so do custom coffee mugs, cheeky bookmarks, zippered book sleeves and pencil/makeup pouches and tote bags. So do magnet frames and custom notebooks and pet crate tags.
Just think about HOW GOOD IT FEELS to give someone a gift you really put some thought into while knowing that your maple-scented polymer bills are supporting a tiny but mighty entrepreneurial empire with big plans and even bigger chutzpah. It is a WIN-WIN-WIN*, and we are totally here for that.
Show us your glimmers, Canada. Use code MAKEMINEMAPLE to save 13%** on your purchases, and share the Bard & Bloom love from coast to coast to coast. We would be eternally grateful.
(*As noted in the Dunder Mifflin Employee Conflict Resolution binder (season 2, episode 21), The Office.)
(**Thirteen (13) for the number of provinces and territories in Canada. 🇨🇦)
