Tariffs & the printer industry

[slimslob]

They care when their workers go idle and start to rise up.

We will just see another Tiananmen Square.

[Copier Addict]

They care when their workers go idle and start to rise up. They need us wayyyyyy more than we need them.

Keep believing trumpy's vomitage. I'm not defending China, but they have seen many empires rise an fall and they are still here. They don't "need" any country

[SalesServiceGuy]

... China is actively diversifing it's trading patterns away from America.

The more the USA attempts to decouple it's economy from China, the easier it gets for China to invade Taiwan.

With China depending less everyday on American exports, Trump has given away a major trading card that enforces peace in the Pacific.

To be sure, China is economically hurting because of the dramatic fall in trade with the USA but China is not a democracy and it's citizens do not get to vote.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Warren Buffett knocks tariffs and protectionism: ‘Trade should not be a weapon’


Warren Buffett on Saturday criticized President Donald Trump’s hardline trade policy, without naming him directly, saying it’s a big mistake to slap punitive tariffs on the rest of the world.

“Trade should not be a weapon,” Buffett said at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting. “The United States won. I mean, we have become an incredibly important country, starting from nothing 250 years ago. There’s not been anything like it.”

“It’s a big mistake, in my view, when you have seven and a half billion people that don’t like you very well, and you got 300 million that are crowing in some way about how well they’ve done - I don’t think it’s right, and I don’t think it’s wise,” he added.

Buffett’s comments, his most direct yet on tariffs, came after the White House’s rollout of the highest levies on imports in generations shocked the world last month, triggering extreme volatility on Wall Street. The president also announced a sudden 90-day pause on much of the increase, except for China, as the White House sought to make deals with countries.

“I do think that the more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won’t be at the our expense, the more prosperous we’ll become, and the safer we’ll feel, and your children will feel someday,” Buffett said.

Investors had been waiting to hear from the 94-year-old “Oracle of Omaha” for his guidance to navigate the uncertain macroenvironment as well as his assessment on the state of the economy. The trillion-dollar Berkshire’s vast array of insurance, transportation, energy, retail and other businesses, from Geico to Burlington Northern to Dairy Queen, leave Buffett uniquely qualified to comment on the current health of the American economy. The first-quarter GDP was just reported to have contracted for the first time since 2022.

Berkshire said in its first-quarter earnings report that tariffs and other geopolitical events created “considerable uncertainty” for the conglomerate. The firm said it’s not able to predict any potential impact from tariffs at this time.

Buffett has been in a defensive mode, selling stocks for 10 straight quarters. Berkshire dumped more than $134 billion worth of stock in 2024, mainly due to reductions in Berkshire’s two largest equity holdings — Apple and Bank of America. As a result of the selling spree, Berkshire’s enormous pile of cash grew to yet another record, at $347 billion at the end of March.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Trump’s China tariffs are raising costs for wedding dresses and threatening the small shops that sell them

• Bridal boutiques and wedding dress designers are getting squeezed by steep tariffs on China, which is a major manufacturing hub for bridal and special occasion dresses and accessories.
• Some wedding dress brands, such as Mon Cheri and Justin Alexander, have added tariff surcharges, and others like David’s Bridal have rushed to move production out of China.
• The National Bridal Retailers Association, which represents thousands of boutiques across the country, started a letter-writing campaign to lawmakers to speak out against the tariff and ask for an exemption.

Days after President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on imports from China, Denise Buzy-Pucheu sat on the couch in her bridal boutique and fired up the shop’s iPhone.

In a video later posted on Instagram, the founder of The Persnickety Bride in Newtown, Conn. spoke directly to brides and prospective customers and outlined how the 145% tariff on Chinese imports would roil the bridal business, in particular.

Almost all bridal gowns are made in China or other parts of Asia — and so are many of the fabrics, buttons, zippers and other materials they use. Skilled seamstresses are hard to find and often come from older generations in the U.S. And manufacturing in other countries, where labor generally costs less, has put the prices of high-quality bridal gowns within reach for many American families.

“This type of work is not just not something you can pick up and bring to the United States,” she said in the video. “We just don’t have those technicians here to do that.”

Tariffs on Chinese imports have hit a wide range of consumer goods, including T-shirts, patio furniture, baby strollers and toys. Yet the bridal gown and special occasion apparel business illustrates the damage duties can cause to small businesses ingrained in the global supply chain.

Most of its sales come from independent shops across the country that carry bridal gowns, tuxedos, prom dresses and more. They cater to customers with firm deadlines, tight budgets and high expectations, often making custom orders placed weeks or months before an item is made or shipped.

On top of those dynamics, the industry is particularly vulnerable to the tariffs. An estimated 90% of wedding dresses are made in China, according to the National Bridal Retailers Association — though a growing number of brands have moved manufacturing to other parts of Asia, such as Myanmar and Vietnam. The industry group represents approximately 6,000 wedding and special occasion shops across the U.S.

he particular pain the industry will feel has led it — like others highly exposed to tariffs — to push for carveouts from the duties.In the past two weeks, NBRA has launched a letter-writing campaign to U.S. senators and representatives to urge lawmakers and the White House to allow an exemption. The industry already pays a tariff that started during the first Trump administration, along with a separate duty.

A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump would consider an exemption.

Some big names in bridal gowns started an online petition, including Stephen Lang, the founder and CEO of Trenton, N.J.-based brand Mon Cheri.

Lang said he’s lost sleep over the tariffs. He worries they will put the 120-employee company he started in 1991 — and many of the shops that carry his dresses — out of business.

Many of those stores were already struggling to cover expenses like rent and employee wages, he said. And the boutiques’ business models have felt squeezed as some customers use them as “try-on shops,” only to buy a similar, cheaper alternative online.

If shops and dress brands close their doors for good, he said not just businesses — but also the ritual of finding garments for special occasions and family milestones — will be lost.

“Our industry is going to get wiped out if it doesn’t change,” he said.

If tariffs continue at the same level, mom-and-pop shops like those owned by Sandra Gonzalez will have to make tough choices. Gonzalez, the vice president of NBRA, said dresses she carries in her Sacramento, Calif. shop have cost her between 5% and 25% more because of tariffs.

She’s held off on raising prices, but she said she’s not sure how much longer she can wait.

“It’s on a week-by-week basis,” Gonzalez said. Sticker shock for brides


For many brides, wedding dresses already cause sticker shock.

A bride in the U.S. spent an average of $2,100 on a wedding dress, according to the 2025 Real Weddings Study by The Knot, a global company that sells wedding-related services and has a directory of wedding vendors.

And that’s not the only expense on the list. Altogether, the average spending per wedding totaled $31,428, according to The Wedding Report, a market research company for the industry. Some estimates run even higher: The Knot puts the average cost at $33,000, while David’s Bridal estimates it is an average of $37,500.

The financial crunch brides already face has made it more urgent for bridal shops and designers to find ways to manage higher costs from tariffs without losing their shoppers to cheap online alternatives.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Canon announced that due to 10% tariffs on imports from Japan they are going to have to incease prices.

Canon does produce product in China but the great majority of that is sold within China.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Trump orders a 100% tariff on foreign movies

President Donald Trump on Sunday extended his trade war to the cinema.

Trump, in an evening post on his social media platform Truth Social, said he has instructed the Commerce Department and US Trade Representative to place a 100% tariff on films that are produced outside the United States and imported into America.

It’s not at all clear how such a tariff would be imposed. Films are intellectual property, not goods, so they represent a kind of service that is not currently subject to tariffs. However, the USTR notes that some services can be subject to certain non-tariff trade barriers, such as regulations and tax incentives. Those could disadvantage American filmmaking.

Many foreign cities have offered large tax breaks to film and televisions studios to shoot movies and shows outside of Hollywood. That has led to a large number of productions to shift operations to places like Toronto and Dublin. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a massive tax credit to bring back production to Hollywood.

“Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump wrote. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”

Although Hollywood is far from devastated, movie tickets are down in the United States as the number of major pictures hitting theaters has tumbled since the pandemic — and consumers have shifted their viewing habits to streaming platforms to watch at home.

US box office gross topped out at just under $12 billion in 2018 before nosediving to just over $2 billion in 2020, when many theaters were shut down because of Covid. Although theaters have rebounded, the number of releases is about half of what it was in 2019, and the total domestic box office gross hasn’t eclipsed $9 billion since.

Streaming networks are largely owned by the big Hollywood studios but — aside from Netflix — have taken years to turn a profit. Disney+ just turned its first profit, as did Max, which shares ownership with CNN. Many other streamers have yet to make money.

But placing tariffs or other trade barriers on foreign-made products may not make business any easier for Hollywood studios. Many American movies and shows are shot on location outside the United States. In addition to tax breaks, many foreign staff demand cheaper pay, making some movies more economically viable to produce.

Trump has lambasted non-tariff trade barriers that other countries place on the United States, but he has so far limited America’s retaliation to traditional tariffs on goods. Trump has imposed a universal 10% tariff on most goods coming into the United States and put in place — then delayed — even more substantial “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of other nations. He has also placed 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos, auto parts and some goods from Canada and Mexico. And he put a massive 145% tariff on imports from China.

But none of those tariffs are on services. The tariffs on film production — if they come to pass — could be the first.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Walmart warns it will raise prices because of tariffs

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, warned that is not immune from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It plans to raise prices on some items as Trump’s global trade war sends the company’s costs higher.

“We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible but given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon will tell analysts Thursday on an earnings call. Walmart sent out several prepared remarks from executives before the call.

Walmart said the price hikes will begin later this month.

“I’m concerned that consumer is going to start seeing higher prices. You’ll begin to see that, likely towards the tail end of this month, and then certainly much more in June,” Walmart finance chief John David Rainey said in an interview with CNBC Thursday.

Many companies have been raising prices to mitigate cost increases from the 10% universal tariffs on every product entering the United States and higher levies on Chinese goods. Washington and Beijing reached an agreement to lower those tariffs this week, but the United States still charges a 30% levy on most goods coming from China.

Tariffs have already made mattresses, toys, strollers and other products more expensive.

The Federal Reserve said last week that tariffs have led to a 0.3% increase in prices this year. Some companies are increasing the prices of all of their products. Others are hiking targeted items in their catalogs. Many are just eliminating the products that will cause sticker shock rather than try to sell at prices either customers won’t buy or competitors will undercut, companies and analysts say.

Price hikes could put Walmart in an uncomfortable position with Trump. Companies typically communicate why they need to raise prices, but Trump has made doing so a political risk.

The White House took aggressive aim at Amazon last month after the company considered displaying the added cost of tariffs on some items. Trump placed a call to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos about the site’s plans, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called Amazon’s plans a “hostile and political act,” while holding up a picture of Bezos in front of news cameras. Trump also threatened Mattel last week after the toymaker said it planned to raise prices because of tariffs, saying in the Oval Office that he might levy a 100% tariff on the company’s toys and suggested the company should remove its CEO.

Walmart’s business in the United States remains strong, despite tariffs and recession fears.

Sales at stores open for at least a year grew 4.5% last quarter, driven by its grocery business. Walmart said it gained with higher-income households last quarter.

Walmart’s (WMT) stock jumped 2% during pre-market trading.

Walmart’s investments have helped it gain more upper-income shoppers in recent years. Historically, Walmart’s primary customers have been lower and middle-income Americans.

Although Walmart is a legacy brick-and-mortar retailer, it has been one of the strongest retailers in America for several years. It successfully navigated the shift to online shopping and built a competitive online business to rival Amazon’s.

Analysts say the company can use its scale and wide supplier base to keep prices down for customers, even as tariffs raise its costs. This could help Walmart gain market share against competitors in the coming months.

Walmart is “well positioned to manage tariffs” given its deep relationships with suppliers, low prices and other strengths, Bank of America analyst Robert Ohmes said in a note to clients this week. The company sells fewer products from China – around 15% of its overall items – than most retailers, so tariffs hurt it less than other businesses.

Around 60% of Walmart’s products are groceries, the vast majority of which are sourced domestically.

Tariffs have presented an enormous challenge for the retail industry.

Most toys, baby gear, sneakers and many other everyday products are made in China, and companies have been rushing to shift production. Companies are raising prices on consumers, cutting products and taking other steps to minimize the impact of tariffs.

Last month, the CEOs of Walmart, Target and Home Depot met with Trump to discuss the impact of tariffs.

Walmart CEO McMillon, who has developed a cordial relationship with Trump through meetings at Mar-a-Lago and several mutual friends, bluntly told Trump that the trade war with China had already started to disrupt the supply chain, officials said, and would only intensify by summer.

Walmart said Thursday that trade uncertainty makes it difficult to plan for the future.

“The lack of clarity that exists in today’s dynamic operating environment makes the very near-term exceedingly difficult to forecast.”

[SalesServiceGuy]

Sharp USA announces that they are raising prices on copier hardware June 01 2025.

Sharp USA will absorb any tariff price increases on parts and consumables keeping prices the same.

[SalesServiceGuy]

China tariff ‘stacking’ pushes true cost of import taxes well above 30% on many consumer products

• The Trump administration trade deal with China which paused the steepest tariffs on Chinese goods is not offering much relief to importers that face “stacking” of multiple import taxes sending the true cost well above 30%.
• From apparel to footwear, swimsuits to backpacks, tariff bills range from 40%-70%.
• Walmart said this week that prices will be going up within a month, and a trade expert tells CNBC tariff stacking will be “a big problem for basic items” like backpacks that largely come from China.

The Trump administration’s trade truce with China that paused the steepest tariffs on Chinese goods isn’t offering much of a reprieve to many importers. Stacking of multiple tariff layers already implemented during the trade war has pushed up costs to import retail goods much higher than the 30% associated with the tentative agreement.

“While companies are relieved to see a temporary pause from the incredibly high tariffs on goods from China, retailers are still facing very high tariffs that will have an impact on prices and supply,” said Josh Teitelbaum, senior counsel of Akin.

“Multiple layers of tariffs are a big problem for basic items like kids backpacks that come largely from China,” said Dan Anthony, president at Trade Partnership Worldwide. “You’re talking about rates of over 70%,” he said.

That includes the layering of existing 17.6% tariffs and Section 301 tariffs (related to unfair trade practices) of 25%, with the 30% in tariffs on Chinese goods not included in the pause — 20% fentanyl-related tariffs and 10% reciprocal tariffs.

Walmart CFO John David Rainey said in a CNBC interview after its earnings this week that prices of goods including food, toys, and electronics may increase due to tariffs. “We’re trying to navigate this the best that we can,” he said in the CNBC interview. “But this is a little bit unprecedented in terms of the speed and magnitude in which the price increases are coming,” he added.

Panjiva data shows from January 2025 to May 12, Walmart’s top three countries where shipments originate from are China (34.1%), followed by India (26.3%), and Hong Kong (10.6%).

For many importers, the true tariff tax on Chinese goods now ranges from 40% to 70%.

Teitelbaum offered footwear as an example, with a children’s or women’s sneaker that has a leather upper facing a 40% tariff if imported from China today, factoring in the “most favored nation” standard tariff under WTO rules of 10%, plus the 30% in fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs.

That stacking of tariffs pushes the true cost for many other retail goods much higher than 30%, including:

• Cotton sweaters from China face a 46.5% tariff (16.5% most favored nation plus the fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs).
• Women’s bathing suits from China face a tariff of 54.9% (24.9% most favored nation plus the fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs).
• Baby’s dresses from China face a tariff of 41.5% (11.5% most favored nation plus the fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs).

Matt Priest, president & CEO of the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, told CNBC that a 40% tariff on the most popular category of imported women’s and children’s leather footwear is simply unsustainable for American families and footwear companies.

“These are everyday shoes — not luxury items — and applying compounded tariffs on them only drives up costs at the cash register,” said Priest. “With nearly $650 million worth of these shoes imported from China last year, it’s clear this policy disproportionately impacts working-class consumers. It’s time for a serious, bipartisan conversation about tariff reform that puts American families first.”

This stacking of tariffs has led some small businesses to cut product lines as a way to mitigate the financial strain. Anjali Bhargava, founder of spice company Anjali’s Cup, says her company will be discontinuing products as the special vacuum seal tins she uses sell out.

Even before the 30% tariffs hit, she was paying 25% in tariffs. “These tins were already more expensive than I could afford, but even if I could absorb the 30% tariff, as a small business owner handling so much on my own, I can’t afford the added stress of uncertainty about how the story might change during the months it would take to produce and ship the tins,” Bhargava said. “The past few months have been so destabilizing,” she added.

Bhargava said it is critical to maximize the potential of the working capital she has available and minimize unnecessary risks, given how expensive debt has become. Bhargava’s line of credit increased in interest rate to 23%, plus 2% to pull the money.

“My credit card interest rates are all in the high 20s so interest is a huge issue and ordering tins five to six months before I can sell them has been a big bottleneck,” Bhargava said. “I used what I could to buy the ingredients and packaging that are essential for those products and now I have to focus on building a stronger foundation for the company with those.”

Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, a family-owned company that makes educational toys and is suing the Trump administration over the tariffs — a hearing scheduled for May 27 — is only facing the 30% tariffs, but he said the jump from zero to 30% is steep. Even if the pause does put his company in a position of importing some items again, it comes at a high price.

“A 30% duty rate, when we used to pay zero, is a massive change in costs and will force a large price increase to cover it,” said Woldenberg. “I believe this tax is highly inflationary. We don’t like the idea of participating in driving up inflation, so we are hardly rejoicing over the news.”