{"id":34551,"date":"2018-10-20T08:13:58","date_gmt":"2018-10-20T12:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=34551"},"modified":"2018-10-20T10:24:21","modified_gmt":"2018-10-20T14:24:21","slug":"will-the-cost-of-radios-increase-for-us-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/will-the-cost-of-radios-increase-for-us-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the cost of radios increase for US consumers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the past few months, I’ve received a number of questions from our readers in the United States regarding the potential for radio prices to increase.<\/p>\n

Why could prices increase?\u00a0 Keeping in mind, I’m no expert in this field (seriously–!<\/em>) I understand there are at least three factors that could influence prices:<\/p>\n

China<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As of today, almost all portable shortwave radios on the market are made in China. In fact, I can’t think of a single portable broadcast receiver that isn’t<\/em> made in China although I’m sure there are some made in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n

Tariffs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This year, the US administration has placed tariffs on a long list of consumer electronics produced in China and elsewhere–the list could grow.\u00a0 Radio receivers could fall into some of the affected product categories. Click here to read the full current list (PDF)<\/a>. Some ham radio retailers have notified their customers to expect price increases (BridgeCom Systems comes to mind).<\/p>\n

Postage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The US plans to withdraw<\/a> from an international postal treaty that has allowed Chinese companies to ship small packages to the United States at discounted rates. If this withdraw were to happen, it’s my understanding it would primarily affect direct postal shipments that are now prevalent from sellers on eBay, Amazon.com, Alibaba and similar.\u00a0 This might mean either the end of “free shipping” from China-based retailers who’ve relied on inexpensive ePacket shipments, or product prices might increase to compensate for the added expense. This shouldn’t directly affect the price of parcel carriers like UPS, DHL or FedEx.<\/p>\n

So what’s the takeaway?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In general, sure…I would expect radio prices to increase.<\/p>\n

I don’t think it’s a time to panic as there are a lot of market forces at play here<\/em><\/strong>. I would personally anticipate price increases anywhere from 10 to\u00a0 25 percent.<\/p>\n

If you’ve been considering one of the pricier full-featured portables, you might nudge yourself in the direction of ordering one in the near future rather than later. (Note: Your friendly radio enabler suggests you use this as an excuse<\/em> to grab another set! Go get it!). \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Again, I’m not panicking. So far, I haven’t noticed any significant changes in pricing at the major online retailers. When price increases hit the streets, I doubt they’ll be steep enough to discourage us from buying the occasional radio.<\/p>\n

One more thing…<\/h3>\n

I’ll admit that I’ve been reluctant to bring up this topic on the SWLing Post<\/em> as it’s politically-charged. So keep in mind…<\/p>\n

This is a website where we celebrate our love of all things radio<\/strong>, not a space for name-calling, trolling, or heated back-and-forth littered with vulgar language. Our moderators do their best to pluck those comments when they manage to make it through our comment filters. If you’re looking for an outlet to do those things, the web is chock-full of sites that will indulge you.<\/p>\n

Over the years, many of you have written and thanked me for providing a safe haven from the drama that’s so prevalent on otherwise wonderful websites. You’re most welcome.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind: the SWLing Post<\/em> is my refuge, too, and I’m keeping it that way!<\/p>\n

Thank you all for understanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past few months, I’ve received a number of questions from our readers in the United States regarding the potential for radio prices to increase. Why could prices increase?\u00a0 Keeping in mind, I’m no expert in this field (seriously–!) I understand there are at least three factors that could influence prices: China As of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[146,7372,7373,7374],"class_list":["post-34551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-china","tag-radio-prices","tag-tariffs","tag-usa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-8Zh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34252,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/cb-radio-manufacturer-cedar-electronics-cobra-struggles-with-new-tariffs\/","url_meta":{"origin":34551,"position":0},"title":"CB radio manufacturer Cedar Electronics (Cobra) struggles with new tariffs","author":"Thomas","date":"September 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: The Washington Post via Jeff McMahan) CHICAGO \u2014 Cedar Electronics has been selling CB radios to American truckers since the 1960s, helping connect the workers who keep the U.S. economy rolling. But these days Cedar\u2019s business isn\u2019t exactly trucking along. The Chicago-headquartered company is racing around Asia looking for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CB"","block_context":{"text":"CB","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/cb\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Cobra-CB-Radio.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Cobra-CB-Radio.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Cobra-CB-Radio.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Cobra-CB-Radio.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61942,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/usps-suspends-parcel-shipments-from-china-and-hong-kong-amid-new-tariffs\/","url_meta":{"origin":34551,"position":1},"title":"USPS Temporarily Suspends Parcel Shipments from China and Hong Kong Amid New Tariffs","author":"Thomas","date":"February 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"UPDATE: The USPS has reversed this decision and parcel delivery has been resumed. Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Eric, who notes that if you live in the US and have incoming packages from China or Hong Kong, you may experience delays. Here's the story from the BBC: US Postal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/TecsunPL-880Box.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/TecsunPL-880Box.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/TecsunPL-880Box.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/TecsunPL-880Box.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/TecsunPL-880Box.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/TecsunPL-880Box.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62572,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/carlos-illustrated-radio-listening-report-and-recording-of-cgtn-april-8-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":34551,"position":2},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of CGTN (April 8, 2025)","author":"Thomas","date":"April 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0illustrated radio listening report of a recent CGTN broadcast. Carlos notes: \"Chinese people do not provoke trouble, nor do we fear it.\" CGTN Radio, China, 11770 kHz. Part of CGTN Radio's news bulletin (in English) about the Chinese government response\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Latuff-CGTN-China-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Latuff-CGTN-China-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Latuff-CGTN-China-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Latuff-CGTN-China-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Latuff-CGTN-China-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41635,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/tecsun-pl-990-and-h-501-what-we-know-so-far-about-the-upcoming-production-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":34551,"position":3},"title":"Tecsun PL-990 and H-501: What we know so far about the upcoming production run","author":"Thomas","date":"January 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many of you have been asking me about the pricing and availability of the Tecsun PL-990 and H-501 receivers. Both radios were released late last year (2019) in China, but the final export version--and first full production run--has not yet hit the market. I reached out to Anon-Co to see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Tecsun-PL-990-1-e1579091318988.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Tecsun-PL-990-1-e1579091318988.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Tecsun-PL-990-1-e1579091318988.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Tecsun-PL-990-1-e1579091318988.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63904,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/passion-radio-suspends-us-shipments-following-tariff-increase\/","url_meta":{"origin":34551,"position":4},"title":"Passion Radio Suspends US Shipments Following Tariff Increase","author":"Thomas","date":"September 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to David (F1JXQ) who notes that his radio retailer, Passion Radio in France, has temporarily suspended shipments to the United States. This decision follows: A new 15% US tariff on goods imported from the European Union. Service suspensions by La Poste (as of August 25, 2025) and new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/passion-radio-logo.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/passion-radio-logo.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/passion-radio-logo.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17279,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/china-radio-internationals-overwhelming-am-bandwidth-via-havana\/","url_meta":{"origin":34551,"position":5},"title":"China Radio International’s overwhelming AM bandwidth via Havana","author":"Thomas","date":"February 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I listened\u00a0to Radio Australia on 9,580 kHz with my WWII era Scott Marine Radio SLR-M (above). 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