The tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Chinese imports are starting to impact consumers, particularly in the realm of online shopping. According to reports from CNBC and other media outlets, rising import costs have driven price increases on nearly 1,000 products on Amazon since April 9, with an average price hike of 29%.
While Amazon has stated that these figures may not fully represent the overall situation, an increasing number of US importers relying on Chinese goods are finding it difficult to stay afloat due to the tariff policies. Experts have pointed out that smaller sellers face significantly higher risks compared to major retailers. One Amazon seller lamented, "Tariffs can't stay this high for long—too many people won't survive."
SmartScout, a US-based e-commerce analytics company, has been tracking pricing trends on over 100,000 Amazon products since April 9. Their findings reveal that the price hikes span various categories, including clothing, jewelry, toys, household goods, office supplies, electronics, and accessories. SmartScout's founder and CEO commented, "This is the first time I've seen such widespread price increases—other than tariffs, there's no other explanation for this surge." He added that over 800 of the affected products have reached their highest prices on record.
Many international brands that rely on Chinese manufacturing are being forced to make significant adjustments. Zulay Kitchen, a Florida-based home goods brand, has been selling on Amazon for a decade but is now struggling to adapt. The founder revealed that the majority of his products are made in China and estimated it would take at least six months to establish stable suppliers from other countries.
Retail and e-commerce analyst Sky Canaves from US market research firm Emarketer pointed out that without a significant reduction in tariffs, many of these small businesses could go under as they lack the flexibility to absorb additional costs.
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