The Jumble: September 8, 2025

I have been tariff’ed.

Last week, I posted to Instagram the story of my first experience with the end of the de minimus exemption and the Trump tariffs. For those who don’t follow me on that platform, let’s recap.

On Thursday, UPS left me a door slip stating that I owed $52 COD for a package delivery. I called UPS to ask what package the charge was related to, and was informed that they couldn’t give me any information about the sender or the shipment, except that it was coming from Crawley, Great Britain. The customer service rep then told me that the fee was a tariff related charge and that I could pay it through the app.

So I downloaded the UPS app and uploaded the number from the door slip. The actual charge turned out to be $42.10, which I paid believing that the fee was attached to $260 dress and shirt that I ordered from Boden (a UK retailer) the prior week.

It was not.

Instead, the next day, when UPS delivered my package, the contents turned out to be a $29 mascara that was sent to me as a PR package from a UK makeup brand. Ashley Spivey was charged $53 for the same mascara.

Now, the UK tariff rate is 10%, so why wasn’t the fee $2.90? I have no idea because there’s zero transparency attached to these fees. It appears that UPS is charging handling and brokerage fees for tariff’ed items with no explanation for why the total amount is the total amount. And a trade attorney messaged me through Instagram and said that even if the package came from the UK, the mascara might have been made in a different country with a higher rate, which would have changed the calculation. Other shoppers are reporting similarly stupid fees, like author Susan Orlean who was asked to pay over $2,000 for a delivery from SSENSE.

Regardless, I just paid 145% the cost of the mascara to have it delivered to my home, and because I wasn’t told what was being delivered, I couldn’t decline prior. As a result, I immediately had myself removed from all gifting lists and PR lists. Because, since I owe income tax on every freebie per IRS rules, I will end up paying UPS and the government $52 for a mascara that was “free.”

For more information on how tariffs work, NPR has an explainer. Also, I checked with Boden via their customer service line and all tariffs were rolled into per item price increases, so if you order from that retailer, the tariff was already added to the price.

Lastly, if you think buying from US-based retailers will save you from the vagaries of tariffs, pricing, and costs, think again. “Dynamic pricing” is now being rolled out at Wal-Mart, Target and other retailers. Essentially, the price tags are being removed from individual items so that the store can change the cost of the item on a whim. So if one store sells out of toilet paper, the prices at the other stores can go up. Retailers are also charging different prices to different shoppers as determined by the AI-controlled algorithm.

What a wonderful time to be alive. Let’s get to The Jumble.

+ Love Elemis skincare? It’s the Today’s Special Value at QVC.

+ You ladies are always asking for pill cases that are stylish and functional, give this one a look.

+ Speaking of things we need as we age, this “attachable eyewear case” keeps me from losing my blue-light glasses in my bag.

+ Tuckernuck collaborated with Barbour to bring you a chore coat that is pretty and functional.

+ I am loving this bedroom color palette — so calming.

+ Pajamas you can go get coffee in.

+ Wire-bristle grill brushes are dangerous. We replaced ours with this one.

+ Want to dress like Jenna Lyons? Here’s how.

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