Tariff Test: Yongxu 286

[Dan Carmell]

My last order from AliExpress cleared US Customs April 30 (whew!), however this didn’t include the Yongxu 286 that was part of this order. So 365Days Stationery let me know yesterday that the 286 had arrived. I asked them to ship it and it will be my test of the tariff costs. 
 

They sent me some photos of the pen and mine has a Wing Sung nib. The ads for this pen show three nib choices, one of which could be 14K. The possible 14K nib is the middle one, with a keyhole vent hole. They did produce 100 demo models with 14K keyhole nibs. It would be neat to have a keyhole nib, even in plated steel. The third choice is a heartbeat nib, not sure what maker. Interesting!

 

SKD related an great story about how the maker of this pen outwitted Admok and brought out this technically superior pen just as Admok brought out their version. It’s a button-filler and generally follows the lines of the classic 28 from Gold Star, but unlike Admok version, which is larger but otherwise very similar to the original 28, the 286 features a rollerball clip and an engraved cap band for a more upmarket touch. 
 

One last, marginally related item: check out the last photo here. It appears that the first Admok 28 in black is larger than the colored versions next to it. SKD pointed out that the sac on the 28 is woefully short. Did Admok choose to make shorter pens to fix that, rather than longer ink sacs? What do you think?

 

[drakolord]

Weird don't see the 286 on 365 page. Guess they all sold out.

[Dan Carmell]

2 hours ago, drakolord said:

Weird don't see the 286 on 365 page. Guess they all sold out.

I can still access the ad via my purchase/tracking page, try this link although it will throw up a screen informing you it’s not available, you can click through that:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNKEb7z

 

The Majohn P137 Snake pen disappeared at the same time. So many possible reasons, but perhaps most likely vendors don’t want to invest in new stock at this time? It’s an unsettled market and this is just the beginning. 
 

The 286 was $39.99 and I’ll report back when I learn what the tariff charge will be. 365Days said no additional shipping charge on their end, but that may change as well. 

[SpencerianDream]

Wishing you the best! 
 

(and thanks for taking one for the team so we find out what we’re dealing with here?) 

 

 

[TSherbs]

Appreciate these updates.

[drakolord]

 

On 5/2/2025 at 5:26 PM, Dan Carmell said:

I can still access the ad via my purchase/tracking page, try this link although it will throw up a screen informing you it’s not available, you can click through that:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNKEb7z

 

The Majohn P137 Snake pen disappeared at the same time. So many possible reasons, but perhaps most likely vendors don’t want to invest in new stock at this time? It’s an unsettled market and this is just the beginning. 
 

The 286 was $39.99 and I’ll report back when I learn what the tariff charge will be. 365Days said no additional shipping charge on their end, but that may change as well. 

Weird. I live in NJ and only options for shipping for me are FedEx or DHL FedEx being 31 bucks.

[Dan Carmell]

27 minutes ago, drakolord said:

 

Weird. I live in NJ and only options for shipping for me are FedEx or DHL FedEx being 31 bucks.

I assume I ordered before they changed their shipping methods so they ‘grandfathered’ me into the old shipping system? TBH, I haven’t heard back from 365Days about the how/when for the pen’s shipping. They are also shipping me a part for my JL 930 for free, maybe with the pen. 

[drakolord]

11 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

I assume I ordered before they changed their shipping methods so they ‘grandfathered’ me into the old shipping system? TBH, I haven’t heard back from 365Days about the how/when for the pen’s shipping. They are also shipping me a part for my JL 930 for free, maybe with the pen. 

Wow that is cool and lucky unless you do reviews on pens.

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

1. All the best to your order. I bet US Custom doesn't expect someone courageous or bold like you. 

2. Globalisation is not over, and can't be over. It steps onto another level. 

3. Admok, Yongxu, dog bites dog, typical Chinese peasants, according to Vance. 

4. Admok 28 short sac was just another example of its incompetence of design/loose control of supply chain, in the business. That sac was outsourced. Don't over estimate peasant grand vision. Even annual pipeline plan is a struggle to them, as peasant makers at this scale are not operated in a manner of modern commerce. The furthest vision reachable to them is 28 days, which is bill cycle of Taobao. 

5. Coming short pocket pen? Yes. But not coming from either two captioned makers. 

 

[drakolord]

On 5/3/2025 at 6:50 PM, Dan Carmell said:

I assume I ordered before they changed their shipping methods so they ‘grandfathered’ me into the old shipping system? TBH, I haven’t heard back from 365Days about the how/when for the pen’s shipping. They are also shipping me a part for my JL 930 for free, maybe with the pen. 

Welp got the majohn p137 year of the snake. It was 134 dollars plus 41 shipping and 13 sales tax. So about 200 bucks from 365

[TSherbs]

48 minutes ago, drakolord said:

Welp got the majohn p137 year of the snake. It was 134 dollars plus 41 shipping and 13 sales tax. So about 200 bucks from 365

 

Is that "sales tax" the tariff?

[drakolord]

6 hours ago, TSherbs said:

 

Is that "sales tax" the tariff?

Don't think so. It is just NJ sales tax. 

[TSherbs]

roger roger

[Dan Carmell]

Well, early this week my Yongxu 286 cleared customs in LA and arrived here today. No tariff, no additional charges of any kind. The only difference was that the package arrived 2-3 days quicker than usual. It’s possible that’s an indicator of lower volume in international packages. AliExpress did provide an odd tracking number that didn’t track, although the package arrived with a standard USPS tracking code. 
 

If my P140 and JL 930 arrive tariff free as well, what should I conclude? Or is this just a free-for-all where the rules change randomly, sometimes they apply and you get charged but maybe not… It’s crazy-making. 
 

The good news is that the 286 is a very pretty pen, the acrylic is new to me and very nice. I had some sun before the fog rolled in and got some decent photos. After I swap out the nib, I’ll post about it. Here’s an appetizer!

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

That's weird. The custom is letting china parcel through "illegally".

14 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

standard USPS tracking code. 

 What is the sender country? 

[Theroc]

14 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

If my P140 and JL 930 arrive tariff free as well, what should I conclude?

 

My P140 and 930 Pope, just cleared customs and are on their way.
Keep in mind that the two pens you mention are listed with "Import Charges Included" right under the listed price. Which leads me to understand that the logistics company is paying whatever tariffs, if any. The logistics company, UniUni, delivered past multiple orders, sometimes from different sellers, bundled in one single bag, with a US point of origin.

This is how I imagine this works, and probably always has:
You place an order for, let's say, $60. The seller ships, to UniUni, with them, not you, being the importer. The declared value, incurred tariffs, and logistics cost still well within the amount you paid. UniUni then delivers your items locally. The outcome is equivalent to buying an item that's already been imported, from Amazon, for example.

Word of caution: "Import Charges Included" is NOT universal to all items listed on AE. Be careful.

[SpencerianDream]

I think this is a plausible explanation. I wonder now how many individual packages were ever sent and liable for the $100 (or whatever) minimum single package assessment. I bought something from a Chinese merchant in 2009 and it shipped with a bunch of stamps and heavy taping… definitely shipped directly from the seller, so I imagine such a package now would be liable, but maybe since most AliExpress things seem to come in thin plastic envelopes, the bulk import perhaps takes care of the tariff to some extent by allowing a bulk tariff to be paid. I also wonder if games can be played based on local Chinese retail price vs markup on AliExpress. Example, if the pen retails for $20 but there’s $14 of fees, how to explain? A 145% tariff rate would seem to indicate the price should be $49, after an additional $29 in fees. So far it seems like the additional fees levied on AliExpress don’t add up to the full value of what the tariff “ought” to be. 

[Theroc]

 

The current tariff on Chinese imports is 30%. I "audited" my AE wishlist, yesterday. Items I added last year are now either not available to ship to the US, or up to 60% more expensive with "import charges included", or outright ship from the US.

[Dan Carmell]

2 hours ago, Theroc said:

 

My P140 and 930 Pope, just cleared customs and are on their way.
Keep in mind that the two pens you mention are listed with "Import Charges Included" right under the listed price. Which leads me to understand that the logistics company is paying whatever tariffs, if any. The logistics company, UniUni, delivered past multiple orders, sometimes from different sellers, bundled in one single bag, with a US point of origin.

This is how I imagine this works, and probably always has:
You place an order for, let's say, $60. The seller ships, to UniUni, with them, not you, being the importer. The declared value, incurred tariffs, and logistics cost still well within the amount you paid. UniUni then delivers your items locally. The outcome is equivalent to buying an item that's already been imported, from Amazon, for example.

Word of caution: "Import Charges Included" is NOT universal to all items listed on AE. Be careful.

I don’t have a better theories, but when you suggest the logistics company is paying the tariffs, surely in that case AliExpress is compensating them for that? No logistics company would pay out more than they receive. 
 

And if AliExpress is eating the tariff, are they passing some or all of that expense to the merchants? Even AliExpress can’t subsidize a 30% income for very long. 

[Dan Carmell]

11 minutes ago, Theroc said:

 

The current tariff on Chinese imports is 30%. I "audited" my AE wishlist, yesterday. Items I added last year are now either not available to ship to the US, or up to 60% more expensive with "import charges included", or outright ship from the US.

Oh, that very interesting! With the P140 and JL 930 flattop, we don’t know what their ultimate price would be after the intro price. It may be the intro price is the ultimate price now, due to the service charges and these and future new moderns will stay at the initial price.