Quote Originally Posted by User View Post
Just as a follow-up for anyone else who stumbles on this thread, I decided to take the plunge and order directly from Lochcarron in Scotland. I wasn't given a choice in courier; they shipped via UPS. Several weeks after receiving my package from Lochcarron, I received a surprise bill from UPS for a 25% tariff plus a $25 brokerage charge. So no, tariffs don't "apply essentially to large commercial importers". Although, after looking into it further, I perhaps could have avoided the tariff charge if I kept the value of my order under $800, which might have qualified for a "de minimis" exemption. I wish I had known, as I could have saved myself hundreds of dollars. This an example of one of the unknowns I was concerned about, and I was absolutely right to be concerned because it came back and bit me.

If you're reading this in the future, be aware that it is my understanding that the US government is currently trying to do away with de minimis exemptions, so I don't know what your experience will be.
That is unfortunate. I have been sitting on a kilt order, but this news has spurred me on to get in an order before the kilt shops in the US make adjustments to their prices to correct for the annual price adjustments being set by mills, and for the margin hit that tariffs will make. I'm not sure what the de minimis exceptions are in the US, so I'll need to look into that. If I have to pay $30+ dollars shipping per item to skirt a 25% tariff and fees, I surely will.