Durian Fiend - Google AI says the cost of shipping a tiny home from China to Honolulu is 10-15K for freight alone. So, given these numbers are we to believe that Will's home cost only about $5-10K initially? And why wasn't he required to pay all fees upfront before it shipped, like the folks in the video above?
So back on page 3, I noted "a comparable model as the one shown starts at ~$4k in China (see pic #2)" which has a near identical picture as the one used for the Civil Beat article.
The unit costs ~$4k in China, add in a mid-range shipping estimate of $12k and you get $16k assessed value when it hits the Hilo docks. Given the 2024 tariff rate of ~20% you get $3.2k in tariffs and fees so $16k + $3.2k = ~$20k that Will would have paid up front back in the fall of 2024. When the unit finally arrived in ~June or later 2025, there are now an addition $10k in tariffs and fees as the Country of Origin tariffs for China and/or the Steel tariffs had increased. From my experience, Will would likely have had to put aside ~$6k for prep, trucking, craning, and setup at his site, so when you have a budget of ~$26k, a surprise and unpredictable $10k fee is clearly enough to torpedo the project.
Not sure why this is so hard for some to understand, but the math is mathing and, much like the tariffs, it all adds up.
So back on page 3, I noted "a comparable model as the one shown starts at ~$4k in China (see pic #2)" which has a near identical picture as the one used for the Civil Beat article.
The unit costs ~$4k in China, add in a mid-range shipping estimate of $12k and you get $16k assessed value when it hits the Hilo docks. Given the 2024 tariff rate of ~20% you get $3.2k in tariffs and fees so $16k + $3.2k = ~$20k that Will would have paid up front back in the fall of 2024. When the unit finally arrived in ~June or later 2025, there are now an addition $10k in tariffs and fees as the Country of Origin tariffs for China and/or the Steel tariffs had increased. From my experience, Will would likely have had to put aside ~$6k for prep, trucking, craning, and setup at his site, so when you have a budget of ~$26k, a surprise and unpredictable $10k fee is clearly enough to torpedo the project.
Not sure why this is so hard for some to understand, but the math is mathing and, much like the tariffs, it all adds up.
