An increasing number of companies are signaling that they will pass higher costs onto American consumers by raising prices on items such as strollers, mattresses, power tools, and cast-iron cookware, as tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump take hold.
Executives from several firms say they have little choice but to increase prices due to rising expenses for importing goods and raw materials into the United States. Other companies have paused orders from China, anticipating product shortages in the near future.
The Trump administration has disrupted global trade by imposing punitive tariffs on foreign countries in an effort to revive manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and challenge what it describes as unfair trade practices. However, economic studies show that higher tariffs typically burden domestic consumers and businesses.
Although some tariffs have been reduced or temporarily suspended as negotiations with foreign nations continue, the consequences of these policies are already impacting household budgets and causing frustration among Americans noticing price increases.
Several major companies have recently warned of impending price hikes.
Stanley Black & Decker announced last Wednesday that it raised prices on its tools and outdoor products last month and plans further increases later this year. German sportswear brand Adidas also stated this week that higher tariffs would inevitably lead to higher prices for U.S. customers.
Procter & Gamble executives, makers of products like Bounty paper towels and Tide detergent, said last week that price increases on some items are likely to offset the tariff impact. Toy maker Hasbro recently acknowledged it will need to raise prices, while aiming to minimize the burden on consumers.
Some of the most immediate price increases followed the elimination of a legal loophole that allowed imports from China valued at $800 or less to enter the U.S. without tariffs. Popular Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu began adjusting prices for American customers last week ahead of the tariff exemption expiration.
Michelle Hall, a 48-year-old secretary from Snohomish, Washington, started shopping on Temu late last year and has spent approximately $2,300 on furniture, car mats, sweaters, Christmas gifts, and other low-cost items from the platform. “It’s addictive and fun when the packages arrive,” Hall said.
However, over the weekend she noticed additional "import fees" added to her total. A cart with six Temu items that would normally cost $83.80 was now $92.08 more expensive due to import charges, she explained. By Wednesday, she observed that many products incurring import fees were removed from the platform, leaving only items shipped from local warehouses.
Hall said she is considering leaving Temu because she does not want to pay higher prices and feels the product selection has become more limited.
She still hopes that the tariffs might yield some long-term benefits. Hall voted for Trump in November, believing initially that his trade policies could reduce the deficit, create manufacturing jobs, and decrease reliance on foreign imports.
But Hall expressed doubt that those benefits will materialize. “In the meantime, I feel that citizens are suffering,” she said.
She never expected her personal expenses to rise and initially hoped Trump’s policies would quickly lower prices.
“I wanted to believe,” she said. “Now, I don’t have that faith anymore.”
Some companies have announced price increases set to begin in the coming weeks due to tariff hikes. Joanna Rosenberg, sales and marketing director at Zwilling JA Henckels, a German company specializing in cutlery and kitchen products, said the firm will raise prices on some items in early June. Premium Zwilling knives and Staub cast-iron cookware, a brand known for its French-made skillets, will see single-digit percentage increases, Rosenberg noted.
Prices for some knives under the company’s value brand, Henckels, will rise more sharply. Several of these knives are made in China, where tariffs of at least 145 percent have been imposed. Although the president has hinted at reducing this tariff, the White House has stated it will only lower rates if China agrees to reduce its own tariffs.
“We do not want to increase prices,” Rosenberg said. “We simply cannot absorb many of these cost increases.”
Certain industries are especially impacted because most of their products are manufactured in China. About 90 percent of durable baby and children’s products sold in the U.S. are made overseas, predominantly in China, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
Several stroller and car seat makers have said they will raise prices to offset higher tariff costs. UPPAbaby announced last month that it would adjust prices on most products. Evenflo raised prices by 10 to 40 percent on most items last Thursday. Cybex also increased prices on some products last week, calling the move “unavoidable.”
Steven Dunn, CEO of Munchkin, which sells high chairs, strollers, and diaper pails, said the company will likely raise prices by at least 20 percent on many products soon. Dunn added that the firm might discontinue 30 to 40 percent of its products when current inventory runs out in about 10 weeks.
“There are many products we simply will not reorder at current prices,” Dunn said. “You can’t pass a 145 percent tariff onto consumers and expect them to buy the same product.”
Munchkin paused its orders from China last month and is trying to move as much production as possible outside the country. While the president has urged companies to manufacture more in the U.S., producing more baby products domestically is complex. “The tools, expertise, and automation just don’t exist here,” Dunn explained.
Companies manufacturing products in the United States are not immune to the effects of rising import costs.
Vy Nguyen, CEO of Avocado Green Mattress, said all their eco-friendly mattresses are made in the Los Angeles area. However, many of the “basic natural components” used in their mattresses, such as wool and latex, come from countries like India, Thailand, and Guatemala. Prices for these materials have risen following the administration’s broad 10 percent tariff on nearly all trade partners.
Avocado plans to increase mattress prices by about 6 percent and other products by an average of 7.5 percent starting Tuesday, company officials said.
Some brands have been more transparent about their upcoming price increases due to concerns over how well they can pass on cost hikes to consumers, said Simeon Siegel, a retail analyst at BMO Capital Markets. Companies want to avoid making customers feel they are being unfairly burdened, he added.
Réalisation Par, a seller of silk dresses, informed customers last month via email that prices for U.S. orders would rise starting May 2, explaining that their silk pieces have always been carefully crafted in China, the silk’s country of origin. Meanwhile, customers could take advantage of a 20 percent discount on orders placed before the end of April.
Fatima Ocampo, a 24-year-old data analyst from Sacramento, California, said she was considering several Réalisation Par dresses when she received the email. She planned to wait to buy closer to her honeymoon trip to southern France this fall but decided to purchase three dresses for about $400 that same day to lock in the lower prices.
“I think it’s a clear example of how these tariffs will become a burden on consumers,” Ocampo said.
