Emergency Impromptu Update Regarding the Collection

Hi all ! 
For nearly 10 years, I have been collecting international VHS, DVD, VCD, Blu-Rays, brochures, and Laserdiscs to share information with all of you. Due to being a United States citizen, the process for importing these items was very easy and relatively cheap. 

However as of August 29th, 2025, that process is going to be a lot more expensive...

If you don’t know already, President Trump has decided to end the less than $800 de minimis exception on imported low value goods entering the United States. While this ended months earlier for China and Hong Kong, on a whim, he decided to expand it worldwide meaning all imported goods to the United States are subject to import taxes to be paid on my behalf. Many international mail services have suspended delivery to the United States amid the change. I don’t talk about politics as it's a very divisive subject, but since this will affect my ability to archive materials, I feel obligated to keep you all in the loop about this. My opinion about this is that it is 100% bullshit. This is a move by Trump to empower American suppliers and to isolate the United States from international trade.

What does this mean for the collection going forward ?
Until this shit gets figured out, effective immediately, my physical media collection is going to be slowed considerably as I am uncertain of how this is going to work. On top of that, many international post offices have stopped service to the United States until further notice so I cannot import even if I wanted to. We also don't know how these import taxes will be paid and what type it is. For the first six months, the type chosen will be randomized by the post office and one of those is to charge per item, which means it could be up to $200 per item if the post office chooses the flat rate… After that, the flat rate option should be phased out and will change to the ad valorem option.

Does this mean I will stop collecting international physical media altogether ?
Not at all. Since this doesn't affect items already in the United States, there are many international releases already imported into the United States that can be documented. :) This only affects ordering from other countries and importing to the United States.

​To conclude, I’ll be taking a break for a few months importing items to give the United States time to clarify what they’re doing with this bullshit.