From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

Hi,

First time poster here and, as I read over the archives, I realized that
most or all of the individuals here represented this group very well.

I am an avid, amateur experimenter within my various hobbies, with one
of them being audio. I try to approach most efforts from a DIY/ homemade perspective, which really helps offset the potentially high costs that
can occur with any hobby.

Keeping the above in mind, I was wondering if anyone here, and residing
in the US, might have a couple of the AOM-5024 electret capsules they
can spare?

I can't justify both the high shipping cost as well as the "tariff fee"
when trying to order just a couple of these capsules for experimentation purposes.

I'd be glad to provide some fee to offset costs if needed. As most here
have businesses, either for themselves or working for others, I'll leave
it up to you to reply here and then I'll get back to you via my true
email.

Thank you in advance and have a pleasant day.

Eric
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

In article <10tlml2$37qdd$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote:

Keeping the above in mind, I was wondering if anyone here, and residing
in the US, might have a couple of the AOM-5024 electret capsules they
can spare?

I've never heard of them. What country are you in? If you are anywhere
in UK or the EU, you should be able to order them from Radio Spares since
I see them in the catalogue in the US.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

On 5/8/26 6:09 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

In article <10tlml2$37qdd$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote:

Keeping the above in mind, I was wondering if anyone here, and residing
in the US, might have a couple of the AOM-5024 electret capsules they
can spare?

I've never heard of them. What country are you in? If you are anywhere
in UK or the EU, you should be able to order them from Radio Spares since
I see them in the catalogue in the US.
--scott

Thanks for your reply. I am in the USA. Here is a link to the capsules:

https://puiaudio.com/search?query=5024

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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

In article <10tlnfq$38b2b$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote: >On 5/8/26 6:09 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

In article <10tlml2$37qdd$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote:

Keeping the above in mind, I was wondering if anyone here, and residing
in the US, might have a couple of the AOM-5024 electret capsules they
can spare?

I've never heard of them. What country are you in? If you are anywhere
in UK or the EU, you should be able to order them from Radio Spares since
I see them in the catalogue in the US.
--scott

Thanks for your reply. I am in the USA. Here is a link to the capsules:

https://puiaudio.com/search?query=5024

Digikey stocks them, so does mouser. And as I mentioned so does RS/Allied. Looks like Newark carries the line too. So it should not be hard to get.

Digikey has a free trade zone warehouse so they charge the tariff that is applicable on the day the item leaves the warehouse, not on the day that
they purchased it. When you order off the website they break whatever
today's tariffs are out. And they usually ship same-day.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

On 5/8/26 10:55 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Digikey has a free trade zone warehouse so they charge the tariff that is applicable on the day the item leaves the warehouse, not on the day that
they purchased it. When you order off the website they break whatever today's tariffs are out. And they usually ship same-day.
--scott

I'm not sure what this means, but I am in the US and just ordered a pair
of the electrets and was charged $1.51 tariff fee!

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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

In article <10tuoqc$1qgps$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote: >On 5/8/26 10:55 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Digikey has a free trade zone warehouse so they charge the tariff that is
applicable on the day the item leaves the warehouse, not on the day that
they purchased it. When you order off the website they break whatever
today's tariffs are out. And they usually ship same-day.

I'm not sure what this means, but I am in the US and just ordered a pair
of the electrets and was charged $1.51 tariff fee!

Yes. They split out the tariff fee so you know how much you're paying. As opposed to other vendors which just roll that cost into their final price.
You pay it either way, whether it is hidden or not.

This is important when the tariffs are changing from day to day. And with Digikey, as I pointed out, they are storing the parts in a free trade zone
so you are paying the tariff on the day of purchase, not the tariff on the
day it was physically imported.

Digikey has an army of people on-staff now who do nothing but manage tariffs and constantly try to figure out what classification will give a product the lowest possible tariff.

Much better than buying direct from China where you first of all pay the
tariff on whatever classification the vendor decides to declare it as (which may not be the lowest) and then pay a customs brokerage fee to the courier (which is often higher than the total value for shipments under a couple hundred dollars).

Welcome to the New Age of Doing Business! No more untariffed categories!
No more de minimus exemptions! This is presumably making America great
again, somehow.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

On 5/12/26 12:42 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

In article <10tuoqc$1qgps$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote:

On 5/8/26 10:55 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Digikey has a free trade zone warehouse so they charge the tariff that is >>> applicable on the day the item leaves the warehouse, not on the day that >>> they purchased it. When you order off the website they break whatever
today's tariffs are out. And they usually ship same-day.

I'm not sure what this means, but I am in the US and just ordered a pair
of the electrets and was charged $1.51 tariff fee!

Yes. They split out the tariff fee so you know how much you're paying. As opposed to other vendors which just roll that cost into their final price. You pay it either way, whether it is hidden or not.

This is important when the tariffs are changing from day to day. And with Digikey, as I pointed out, they are storing the parts in a free trade zone
so you are paying the tariff on the day of purchase, not the tariff on the day it was physically imported.

Digikey has an army of people on-staff now who do nothing but manage tariffs and constantly try to figure out what classification will give a product the lowest possible tariff.

Much better than buying direct from China where you first of all pay the tariff on whatever classification the vendor decides to declare it as (which may not be the lowest) and then pay a customs brokerage fee to the courier (which is often higher than the total value for shipments under a couple hundred dollars).

Welcome to the New Age of Doing Business! No more untariffed categories!
No more de minimus exemptions! This is presumably making America great again, somehow.
--scott

I understand now, Scott, and thanks for explaining further, but these
electret elements come from a USA firm that I linked to before. I don't
know why they are adding on a tariff if the item comes from within the
USA.

As a hobbyist, I order sporadically at best. The last time I ordered
from DigiKey was probably three years ago. At the time, they offered
free shipping if you sent in a mail order form along with a check or
postal m.o., so I was shocked to see that they eliminated the offline
option and invoked a tariff fee.

After I discovered the aforementioned, I went on the search for other
vendors resembling even remotely what DigiKey once had, but I was unable
to find any plus they all seem to have adopted tariff fees.

With small order shipping and tariff fees approaching one-third the cost
of items ordered (in this case and most future cases for me at least),
it will most likely discourage me from much more DIY activity.

I just don't think it's right to add on tariffs for vending of items
within the USA.

I did file a complaint with DigiKey about the elimination of mail in
orders some weeks back. No response other than them wanting me to sign
up for surveys, go figure.

If this is the new business world, I'm glad I'm approaching the age
where I won't have to dabble in it much longer.

Sorry for the rambling, but felt prudent to air my concerns publicly.

Have a nice day, Scott, and others here.

Eric
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

On 13/05/2026 7:13 am, Eric H wrote:

On 5/12/26 12:42 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

In article <10tuoqc$1qgps$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H
<eric@emailnot.net> wrote:

On 5/8/26 10:55 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Digikey has a free trade zone warehouse so they charge the tariff
that is
applicable on the day the item leaves the warehouse, not on the day
that
they purchased it.-a When you order off the website they break whatever >>>> today's tariffs are out.-a And they usually ship same-day.

I'm not sure what this means, but I am in the US and just ordered a pair >>> of the electrets and was charged $1.51 tariff fee!

Yes.-a They split out the tariff fee so you know how much you're
paying.-a As
opposed to other vendors which just roll that cost into their final
price.
You pay it either way, whether it is hidden or not.

This is important when the tariffs are changing from day to day.-a And
with
Digikey, as I pointed out, they are storing the parts in a free trade
zone
so you are paying the tariff on the day of purchase, not the tariff on
the
day it was physically imported.

Digikey has an army of people on-staff now who do nothing but manage
tariffs
and constantly try to figure out what classification will give a
product the
lowest possible tariff.

Much better than buying direct from China where you first of all pay the
tariff on whatever classification the vendor decides to declare it as
(which
may not be the lowest) and then pay a customs brokerage fee to the
courier
(which is often higher than the total value for shipments under a couple
hundred dollars).

Welcome to the New Age of Doing Business!-a No more untariffed categories! >> No more de minimus exemptions!-a This is presumably making America great
again, somehow.
--scott

I understand now, Scott, and thanks for explaining further, but these electret elements come from a USA firm that I linked to before.-a I don't know why they are adding on a tariff if the item comes from within the USA.

As a hobbyist, I order sporadically at best.-a The last time I ordered
from DigiKey was probably three years ago.-a At the time, they offered
free shipping if you sent in a mail order form along with a check or
postal m.o., so I was shocked to see that they eliminated the offline
option and invoked a tariff fee.

After I discovered the aforementioned, I went on the search for other vendors resembling even remotely what DigiKey once had, but I was unable
to find any plus they all seem to have adopted tariff fees.

With small order shipping and tariff fees approaching one-third the cost
of items ordered (in this case and most future cases for me at least),
it will most likely discourage me from much more DIY activity.

I just don't think it's right to add on tariffs for vending of items
within the USA.

I did file a complaint with DigiKey about the elimination of mail in
orders some weeks back.-a No response other than them wanting me to sign
up for surveys, go figure.

If this is the new business world, I'm glad I'm approaching the age
where I won't have to dabble in it much longer.

Sorry for the rambling, but felt prudent to air my concerns publicly.

Have a nice day, Scott, and others here.

Eric

Right or wrong of tariffs and if or how charged in principle
notwithstanding, but are we talking about a cost less than a cup of
coffee in this instance ?

Yes, that will be a victim of tariffs too ;- /
--
geoff
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

On 12/05/2026 20:13, Eric H wrote:

On 5/12/26 12:42 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Welcome to the New Age of Doing Business! No more untariffed categories!
No more de minimus exemptions! This is presumably making America great
again, somehow.
--scott

I understand now, Scott, and thanks for explaining further, but these electret elements come from a USA firm that I linked to before. I don't
know why they are adding on a tariff if the item comes from within the USA.

Where were they actually manufactured?

The maker's website says "Corporate offices, product development,
engineering, sales and customer service are located in Dayton, Ohio." It
is silent on where the items are actually manufactured.

The tariff is added at the point of import, and I suspect that not all
batches are made in the same factory or country.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

In article <10tvu5f$26f60$1@dont-email.me>, Eric H <eric@emailnot.net> wrote: >I understand now, Scott, and thanks for explaining further, but these >electret elements come from a USA firm that I linked to before. I don't >know why they are adding on a tariff if the item comes from within the

USA.

It doesn't come from within the USA. PUI Audio buys them from China and
has them shipped to Digikey. Once they are at Digikey, they are not in the USA, they are in a free-trade zone that is not part of any country.

Once they leave digikey's warehouse, they enter the US and you pay a tariff
on it.

If instead you buy from Allied, then PUI ships to Allied, Allied pays the tariff and adds it to the cost of the product, but it's the same tariff.

PUI is not the manufacturer.... they design it, have it fabricated, and
force QA on it.

As a hobbyist, I order sporadically at best. The last time I ordered
from DigiKey was probably three years ago. At the time, they offered
free shipping if you sent in a mail order form along with a check or
postal m.o., so I was shocked to see that they eliminated the offline
option and invoked a tariff fee.

Everybody is paying the tariffs. Digikey is just breaking them out so that
you can manage them better. There is no way to avoid them legally other
than to do your assembly in some other country.

With small order shipping and tariff fees approaching one-third the cost
of items ordered (in this case and most future cases for me at least),
it will most likely discourage me from much more DIY activity.

You should vote with your money, then. If you think this is bad you
should see what it's like in the automotive industry.

I used to buy tuning crystals from a company where the production floor
had a line going down the middle and one side was Mexico and one was Texas. They'd make stuff on whatever side was cheaper... and they have completely
shut down since the overheads of keeping track of the expenses is too high.

I just don't think it's right to add on tariffs for vending of items
within the USA.

Any time anything enters the US, it goes through customs and all of the
usual customs exemptions are gone, and now we have lots of newly-added
tariffs on commodity goods. You can thank the president for this. He
says it is good for America.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

Geoff <geoff@nospamgeoffwood.org> wrote:

Right or wrong of tariffs and if or how charged in principle >notwithstanding, but are we talking about a cost less than a cup of
coffee in this instance ?

They add up, though.

I buy Chinese switches from Digikey for around $4 each, and then pay $3.50 tariff on them.

The alternative is to buy a similar switch from Vietnam, with a much lower tariff but with a $9 pricetag.

It adds up a lot when you buy a thousand switches at a pop. And it is very disconcerting to buy them and then discover the tariff rate dropped a week after you bought them.

It gets more interesting with EU stuff.... I buy amorphous iron strip from Germany and I pay a substantial tariff on it, but it's pretty much a single source item and nobody else makes a replacement.

The sad thing is that if I bought transformers from Germany, made with that same iron core material, I would pay a much lower tariff rate. This sort
of thing encourages Americans to move production offshore. I'm not doing
that because I have some proprietary stuff going on with the transformers
that I don't want a contract factory to see.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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From Newsgroup: rec.audio.pro

On 14/05/2026 6:15 am, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Geoff <geoff@nospamgeoffwood.org> wrote:

Right or wrong of tariffs and if or how charged in principle
notwithstanding, but are we talking about a cost less than a cup of
coffee in this instance ?

They add up, though.

Yeah, but "in this instance' ;- )

FWIW, surely with the time and energy already spent on this project,
wouldn't a wireless bodypack mic and lav (maybe both tx and rx with
external batteries if long recording time a factor), have been a better
idea ?

geoff
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