Hello hello! Did you miss me? I’ve been on a little (big) newsletter hiatus, but what better way to return than with the ultimate buzzkill: tariffs. Yes, I took a break from unsolicited handbag opinions for 5 months while I got situated in my new job only to come back with unsolicited policy opinions. You’re (not) welcome.

So, remember earlier this year when I told you about my friend who scored a Celine Sangle for $850 from Japan, only to get slapped with a $154 tariff bill weeks later? Back then, that was just the law applying to imports over $800. Annoying, but avoidable if you stayed under the magic number.

Well… as of Friday, August 29th, that $800 loophole is gone.

]Here’s what that actually means in human terms:

• For over 90 years, the U.S. had what’s called the de minimis rule: imports under $800 could slide through duty-free. In 2024, ~1.4 billion packages took advantage of it.

• As of Trump’s July 30 executive order, everything (yes, everything) from abroad is now taxable.

• If you’re getting something shipped via USPS or another national postal service, you’re in a 6-month “grace period.” Instead of a full percentage tariff, you’ll pay a flat duty between $80–$200 depending on the country of origin. After six months? Value-based tariffs hit here too.

• If you’re using FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., congratulations: you’re already paying value-based tariffs, no grace period.

• Charges depend on where the item was made, not shipped from. (So no, sending your Loewe from Tokyo instead of Madrid doesn’t help if it was made in Spain). How, you ask? Because the seller has to declare the country of origin on the import forms and if Customs gets curious (which we all know they do), they’ll happily slice open your box to peek at that Made in Spain tag.

The tiny loophole? Gifts under $100 can sneak through duty-free. But don’t get cute, customs knows the difference between your aunt sending socks and you mailing yourself a “birthday Balenciaussy.”

So now, we have covered the money angle but we have not even touched upon the delivery times of it all. Many mail service operators in Europe, Asia, and even Australia have temporarily suspended shipments to the U.S. while they figure out how to collect these duties. This means your 5-7 business days delivery window is now more like snail mail than ever before.

So yes, what used to be an $850 Celine Sangle that slipped under the radar is now very much detectable. Imagine buying a $300 Coach bag from Japan and tacking on 50% in tariffs. I know the whole point of this is to shop domestically, America first, blah blah blah but really, all it’s doing is making our wallets cry and turning what should be a joyful eBay hunt into an anxiety-filled customs guessing game. 

Like I said before, even our shopping carts are political. 

So with that, welcome back to dizzy, and welcome to tariff season. 👜✨Here are some domestic finds from small businesses that deserve your coin more than TheRealReal (though sometimes TRR does have the best finds).

Let's start with old faithful.

Foreign Objects never disappoints. Since we last spoke they supplied me with a cream orange python Fendi Baguette with pink detailing which made my Y2K heart swoon. For today, this was my favorite find:

The return of the “new” Celine luggage tote has put A LOT of old Celine on the market, like this trapeze. Not only does it hit red color theory, but this bag is made of such good quality it can almost double as a shield (because it is obscenely heavy). But hey, that just gives you a full time arm workout, right?

Past Studies is a shop I still have not been to IRL despite my frequent visits to Chitown but they have this studded Gucci Bamboo that made me audibly gasp. I think this hits on the nostalgia trend in multiple ways. It is chunky and bold but classy and timeless. Seems extremely durable too. 

I also want to spotlight Season 2 Consignment (https://season2consign.com/). Not only did they have a mini LV Papillon that I have shown you all many many times before for a steal ($250), they also utilize a very reputable authenticator, which gave me a lot of comfort! If I am going to be forced to shop in America first, then I want to have peace of mind that I am not getting dupes!

Here are the winners:

A larger LV Papillon that one day I will buy and decorate with charms and labubu’s.

This cheeky D&G that is a bit reminiscent of the resurgence of the Chloe Paddington. You won’t see it all over the Bushwick girllies though, so I think this is a better spend! 

Summer may basically be over but it is never too early to be planning for next year's beach vacay with this canvas Ferragamo (another brand that is having a resurgence). It looks unused and of course it is being shipped out of West Palm Beach!

Last up - never met a Looping I didn’t love. I found this bag on TRR a few years ago for $3-400. Since then I have found a few more in that range that have been purchased by friends. So much so that all but one of us in this friend group use this as our main work bag because the 13inch Macbook pro just fits. 

Anyways, the last one in that group folded TODAY, when I gave her a newsletter preview and she scooped it right up! Here is another in an equally amazing price range/quality. 

🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲There were cheaper ones on eBay but they ship from Japan 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

Buy any of Dizzy’s Designer Dreams? Let me know! Tag me on Instagram, send me an email at [email protected], traditional snail mail works too! 🐌💌