Will tariffs effect the cost of ASL?

[Vic Provost]

Should be quite a huge impact on me. I will stop ordering ASL gifts from the US until things stabilize and consider purchasing online scenario more, guess March Madness and Bunker will be my new dishes on the table.

It will not affect Dispatches from the Bunker, a purely pdf product, Vic.

 

[aiabx]

Anyone outside of the US thinking of buying a few more ASL modules either directly or via your local retailer before counter-tariffs hit?

For reasons out of the scope of this forum, there's a broad Canadian consumer boycott of American goods and services going on. I expect some Canadians are putting their purchases of American-made ASL gear on hold.

 

[Sparafucil3]

It will not affect Dispatches from the Bunker, a purely pdf product, Vic.

It may (probably will). As the price of everything else around us goes up, disposable income will go down. Given the age of the ASL player-base, a lot of us are probably on a fixed income to boot. Our retirement accounts have been hammered. What it all means to our long-term solvency is still probably not well understood. Dispatches is still one of the best bangs for the buck going, but I have to have a buck. If we slide into a recession (something that is more and more likely) and stagflation, all bets are off.

JMO, YMMV. -- jim

 

[hongkongwargamer]

It may (probably will). As the price of everything else around us goes up, disposable income will go down. Given the age of the ASL player-base, a lot of us are probably on a fixed income to boot. Our retirement accounts have been hammered. What it all means to our long-term solvency is still probably not well understood. Dispatches is still one of the best bangs for the buck going, but I have to have a buck. If we slide into a recession (something that is more and more likely) and stagflation, all bets are off.

JMO, YMMV. -- jim

The bright side of a falling market is that there’s a dead stop.

 

[Steve H]

For reasons out of the scope of this forum, there's a broad Canadian consumer boycott of American goods and services going on. I expect some Canadians are putting their purchases of American-made ASL gear on hold.

Personally I stopped buying from one US based TPP but it wasn't BFP! Both BFP and MMP could double the price of their ASL product and I would still buy it. But psst...don't tell Chas or MMP that!

 

[Chas]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

 

[pensatl1962]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

What a moronic statement.

 

[Sparafucil3]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

I have typed a message to respond no fewer than three times. I doubt it means much, but I am disappointed in you. -- jim

 

[DVexile]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

EDIT: I got confused as to which thread this response was posted in. It had seemed a very crass and rather heartless response, but rereading the posts prior in this thread to establish the correct context I realize it is just a fairly typical level of internet jerkiness. Still not a good look.

 

[JimWhite]

What a moronic statement.

Which part?

 

[clubby]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

No offense, because I love your products, but that's the dumbest thing I've read today and that's saying something.

 

[clubby]

Which part?

Most likely the comparison to the market at an arbitrary time in history and the suggestion that it will rebound within the next several months. Nobody knows where the bottom is. Some people say the market is sticky at 35. I think the bottom might be closer to 30-31. We'll see. After the great depression ended, it took the market 15 years to recover to it's pre crash value. JP Morgan is calling it 40% that this is the start of a global recesssion. We'll see, finger's crossed.

 

[xyz]

Most likely the comparison to the market at an arbitrary time in history and the suggestion that it will rebound within the next several months. Nobody knows where the bottom is. Some people say the market is sticky at 35. I think the bottom might be closer to 30-31. We'll see. After the great depression ended, it took the market 15 years to recover to it's pre crash value. JP Morgan is calling it 40% that this is the start of a global recesssion. We'll see, finger's crossed.

Ah yes, JP Moregone

 

[Mr Higgs]

Lets get this thread back on track with a real tearjerker.
I never got my Ponyri because of the tariff threat
To get it now direct from MPP at regular price would cost me around $ 350 CDN.
I'll have to put it on the long term wish list.

 

[clubby]

Lets get this thread back on track with a real tearjerker.
I never got my Ponyri because of the tariff threat
To get it now direct from MPP at regular price would cost me around $ 350 CDN.
I'll have to put it on the long term wish list.

Holy cow

 

[clubby]

Ah yes, JP Moregone

I'm sorry I've seen it as high as 60% from some sources not as well trusted as JP Morgan. Making up cute names for things that I don't like really doesn't interest me.

 

[PresterJohn]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

Just saving this statement as a reference point and will be looking back in 12 months to determine how exchange rates and manufacturing costs have affected my buying power. The simple fact is that the outlook right now is very poor and this poster will be proved to be completely in error, but we will see.

 

[aiabx]

My apologies but you all are a bunch of "chicken littles"
Market down only pennies from 12 months ago. They will go back up just like they always do.
I took money out right after the election in Nov when they skyrocketed, now buying low. Portfolio will be fatter in several months.
Ya'll play ASL and are supposed to be smart. Stop being not smart.

I don’t think you understand what is happening here. This isn’t a stock market correction. This is the entire economic order of the past 50 years being overturned as the US decides it is no longer bound by any treaties it has signed. This will not be over in six weeks, six months or six years.

 

[Chas]

I was going to type a long message but will just state facts. I made the mistake of typing a message the way I talk to my Army buddies and gym bros. This group is not that group and you have to know your audience. I was also not specific enough on the value comments. Here goes:

-I am politically unemotional about money, it is just math

-Common Share prices yesterday were similar (ie within pennies) compared to what they were in April 2024.

-Unless you have an extremely risky profile your $ value is more than it was in April 2024.

-The drop in 2022 was less rapid but 150% worse than the drop now

-Your $ value should be significantly more now than in December 2022

-The market will probably go even lower. Don’t panic. Do what the extremely wealthy do. Don’t look at any of this as positive or negative, look at it as an opportunity to expand when share prices are lower. They will go back up. It is a long game. There is a reason the rich do it over and over again.

Tariffs and ASL

US Production to US Customer: Likely minimal impact. There are two main indicators, paper and ink. A high percentage of paper used in ASL type products is produced domestically. Ink is a little more difficult to figure out; however, some of the largest ink manufacturers are US based.

US Production to Overseas Customers: Not sure how there would be any impact. Some countries already have VAT, etc, which acts like a defacto tarrif paid by the individual purchaser. Otherwise those countries have tarrifs on US goods but ASL products are not tariffed that I know of beyond the VAT. I think this will be true of overseas production to US customers????

 

[Sparafucil3]

I was going to type a long message but will just state facts. I made the mistake of typing a message the way I talk to my Army buddies and gym bros. This group is not that group and you have to know your audience. I was also not specific enough on the value comments. Here goes:

-I am politically unemotional about money, it is just math

-Common Share prices yesterday were similar (ie within pennies) compared to what they were in April 2024.

-Unless you have an extremely risky profile your $ value is more than it was in April 2024.

-The drop in 2022 was less rapid but 150% worse than the drop now

-Your $ value should be significantly more now than in December 2022

-The market will probably go even lower. Don’t panic. Do what the extremely wealthy do. Don’t look at any of this as positive or negative, look at it as an opportunity to expand when share prices are lower. They will go back up. It is a long game. There is a reason the rich do it over and over again.

All of this is 100% true. None of this addresses time and individual places in life. If I was planning on retiring in 2035, this would just be a blip. I am planning on retiring in 2025, this may mean I have to work a couple more years. If I retired in 2020, this is devastating to my long term financial well being. If I am on a fixed income (Social Security, pension, some other form of retirement that isn't indexed for inflation), tariffs and rising prices are concerning. Recession on the horizon is concerning.

Ultimately, it's more than just math, it's people. No everyone is where you are in life so not everyone's circumstance is the same as yours. Sure, people in your position should be optimistic for all the reasons you cite. For you, it is a long game. But not everyone is where you are and as such, they have concerns you don't have to face yet. For them, the game has mostly been played and they just need the remaining innings to be smooth and comfortable. That's the piece you are missing IMO. -- jim