Model Railroading > Rapido is hiring... in Buffalo!

Hi Everyone,

Here's a quick Rapido update.

We're opening up a US warehouse in Buffalo, New York. All going well, we will be set up there in early April.

So we're looking to hire an office and warehouse manager to work from the new location. Here are the job requirements in a nutshell:

• run the office, including making sure all bills are paid
• receive shipments from China and Canada
• pick and pack shipments for US, Canadian and international destinations
• manage all our logistics
• inspect shipments when they arrive from China and liaise with our project managerment team to ensure good quality
• handle customer inquiries at the US office
• manage a warehouse assistant and arrange for temporary warehouse employees when needed
• work out of our downtown Buffalo (High Street) building

When things are slow in between shipments, we'll also want you to do some sales and "check in" calls to hobby shops.

Please send me a PM if you are interested. The new office is on High Street not far from downtown Buffalo. 

In other news, the order deadline for the SD7s/SD9s/SD10s is this Thursday. Please make sure to reserve yours by then as we want to get production started ASAP.

https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/sd7-9-10.html

Thanks and regards,

Jason

I lived in Syracuse for about 14 years and that city competed with Buffalo for annual snow fall totals

Reminds me of when the SP and the ATSF railroads were trying to merge back in the mid-1980s. . A group of SP clerks in Oakland, CA expected their jobs on the SP would be abolished and new clerical positions would be made in Topeka, Kansas. The price of houses within commuting distance of Oakland had grown tremendously. Someone got their hands on one of those real estate booklets (the kind with a photo, description & prices similar to what you see on the internet today) for Topeka. The interest in transferring to Topeka exploded when everyone saw home prices there were only about 1/3 of local prices. Then someone noticed that one of the Topeka homes had been photographed in the winter and the snow looked about 3 feet deep. Suddenly no one wanted to leave California.  

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> I lived in Syracuse for about 14 years and that
> city competed with Buffalo for annual snow fall
> totals

Love buffalo girls!

This job is just a few items from my application soaring in at lightning speed!

- Remote from anywhere instead of Buffalo
- 3 hours a week instead of 40 something
- at least $100K USD more than whatever is being offered.

 

A way to sell products in the US without paying Tariffs (and passing them along to U.S. customers?) More power to you. I suppose you created a new job in the U.S. 

Victor Baird



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/25 20:54 by wabash2800.

If you know, you know ...

Truckin', up to Buffalo
I been thinkin', you got to mellow slow
Takes time, you pick a place to go
And just keep truckin' on

 

Except they upped the China tarriff too.

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A way to sell products in the US without paying
> Tariffs (and passing them along to U.S.
> customers?) More power to you. I suppose you
> created a new job in the U.S. 
>
> Victor Baird

Hmmm, maybe not if ordering from the Buffalo Warehouse?

Victor Baird

nydepot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Except they upped the China tarriff too.
>
>



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/25 11:47 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hmmm, maybe not if ordering from the Buffalo
> Warehouse?

No. Rapido pays the tariff to bring product into the US. It's paid by Rapido to the US Government when product moves through customs. Tariffs are paid prior to retail sale to the end customer (you and me). That's why prices are certain to go up - Rapido (and every other manufacturer) literally has to pay more to bring product in that's ready to sell at retail. 

-Rick

Rick Selby
Redmond, WA
Pacific Northwest RPM



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/25 08:56 by RAS.

So, what's the reason for the warehouse in Buffalo? They won;t be shipping directly from China to Buffalo?

Victor Baird


RAS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wabash2800 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hmmm, maybe not if ordering from the Buffalo
> > Warehouse?
>
> No. Rapido pays the tariff to bring product into
> the US. It's paid by Rapido to the US Government
> when product moves through customs. Tariffs are
> paid prior to retail sale to the end customer (you
> and me). That's why prices are certain to go up -
> Rapido (and every other manufacturer) literally
> has to pay more to bring product in that's ready
> to sell at retail. 
>
> -Rick



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/25 10:30 by wabash2800.

> So, what's the reason for the warehouse in
> Buffalo? They won;t be shipping directly from
> China to Buffalo?

You'd certainly have to ask Jason for the definitive reason, but yes, I presume they would ship direct from China to Buffalo. A 10% tariff on products from China is a lot less than a 25% tariff on all imported goods from Canada. In the current model, shipments from Toronto to Buffalo would be subject to the 25% blanket Canadian tariff. Translated, right now, anyone buying direct from Rapido in Toronto (dealer or retail) has to pay the 25% tariff to US Customs for product coming in to the United States.

Product shipped from China to Buffalo would be subject to a 10% tariff to "land" in the US, but then sales to US buyers aren't subject to the tariff like they would be if shipped direct from Canada.

Props to Jason and the Rapido team for taking these steps (which of course are costing them money) to help enable sales to US customers with minimal pricing impact. 

But that said, remember that it is us consumers in the United States who ultimately pay the tariff fees regardless. Not China. Not Canada. That extra 10% or 25% has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere will - ultimately - be via higher prices to end consumers. 

-Rick

Rick Selby
Redmond, WA
Pacific Northwest RPM



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/25 11:44 by RAS.

I understand. But if he only has to pay 10% in tariffs and charges us 25%, I might have a problem with that.

Victor Baird



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/25 11:23 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I understand. But if he only has to pay 10% in
> tariffs and charges us 25%, I might have a problem
> with that.
>
> Victor Baird


But he didn't say he was going to do that, so why bring it up?

This is a great summary, and thanks for the kind words.

I really want to keep this thread up, so everyone please make sure to keep politics and the positives or negatives of tariffs out of the discussion.

By bringing the goods directly from China to Buffalo, we are able to reduce the tariff charge to our US consumers. We did a lot of calculations based on our costs and our three different selling prices (retail, wholesale, and to distributors), and we have found that we can reduce the tariff charged to our customers by 52%. So if the tariff on Chinese-made goods is 20%, we will only have to charge a 9.6% tariff. 

We managed to get the Metra F40s, PFE reefers and F30 flatcars over the border when there was no tariff on Canada and the tariff on China was only 10%, so when we ship those to customers in April you will only see a 4.8% tariff charge.

The Comet cars, Cabbages, H21 hoppers and G22 gondolas are arriving now in Canada. We will hold them in Markham until the tariffs on Canada go away, and then we will ship them to Buffalo. The tariff you have to pay will depend on whatever the tariff is on goods from China at the moment they cross the border. It is currently 20%, which means a 9.6% tariff added to your bill. But there is no telling what the tariff will be when we ship them. 

I hope that is clear. Please let me know if you have any questions. We'll be formally announcing all this in our newsletter tomorrow.

Best regards,

Jason


RAS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > So, what's the reason for the warehouse in
> > Buffalo? They won;t be shipping directly from
> > China to Buffalo?
>
> You'd certainly have to ask Jason for the
> definitive reason, but yes, I presume they would
> ship direct from China to Buffalo. A 10% tariff
> on products from China is a lot less than a 25%
> tariff on all imported goods from Canada. In the
> current model, shipments from Toronto to Buffalo
> would be subject to the 25% blanket Canadian
> tariff. Translated, right now, anyone buying
> direct from Rapido in Toronto (dealer or retail)
> has to pay the 25% tariff to US Customs for
> product coming in to the United States.
>
> Product shipped from China to Buffalo would be
> subject to a 10% tariff to "land" in the US, but
> then sales to US buyers aren't subject to the
> tariff like they would be if shipped direct from
> Canada.
>
> Props to Jason and the Rapido team for taking
> these steps (which of course are costing them
> money) to help enable sales to US customers with
> minimal pricing impact. 
>
> But that said, remember that it is us consumers in
> the United States who ultimately pay the tariff
> fees regardless. Not China. Not Canada. That extra
> 10% or 25% has to come from somewhere, and that
> somewhere will - ultimately - be via higher prices
> to end consumers. 
>
> -Rick

Thanks for clarifying that, Jason. Of course, you have the extra cost of renting? warehouse space and an additional employee or contract person but might save on shipping with U.S. customers. I worked for a retailer in Indiana that rented an additional warehouse in the West to save on shipping and get items to the customers faster.

Victor Baird



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/25 20:32 by wabash2800.