Examples of Tariff Price Hikes--Add Yours!

[Koolau]

I did some food shopping yesterday and the avocados were $2.49 for one large. It’s the first time I’ve seen it over $2

Locally, ours were $1.79 at Walmart.

 

[Koolau]

Gold hit a record today of $3236 an ounce. Indicator high inflation incoming?

Now gold and $100 bills have about the same value per troy oz. IOW a $100 bill and a gm of gold are about the same value (+ or -).

 

[Route246]

Go to the local Asian or Indian supermarket if you have on in your area. You will see some extreme price increases. Scary high for certain brands and commodities. I smell a rat.

 

[marko]

I'd like to understand the supply chain timeline better. It would seem to me that a tariff imposed today would take x, y or z days/weeks before my vendor would see the cost increase and pass it on to me. Product dependent of course.

I'm a bit skeptical of someone hitting me up tomorrow morning for a tariff announced tonight. A local TV news breathlessly showed a clothing store adding X% "tariffs surcharge"...I just don't see it. That pair of jeans had to have been bought, paid for and in the store's inventory weeks ago.

 

[Koolau]

I'd like to understand the supply chain timeline better. It would seem to me that a tariff imposed today would take x, y or z days/weeks before my vendor would see the cost increase and pass it on to me. Product dependent of course.

I'm a bit skeptical of someone hitting me up tomorrow morning for a tariff announced tonight. A local TV news breathlessly showed a clothing store adding X% "tariffs surcharge"...I just don't see it. That pair of jeans had to have been bought, paid for and in the store's inventory weeks ago.

Probably gonna be a lot of "Tariff Inflation" in the near future. I won't be falling for it.

 

[Trailwalker]

I've been looking at an Escape trailer, a fiberglass rv, made in Canada with a lot of U.S. and Chinese components. The company sent out a president's letter this week indicating that new customers who had not placed deposits would be subject to a ten percent increase in this year's prices. I think the link is interesting in that it shows how a Canadian company with mostly U.S. customers is trying to navigate the new landscape.

Tariffs

Escape | Leak-Proof. Critter-Proof. Now Tariff-Proof! We’ve always produced some of the best travel trailers on the market! We understand your concerns about tariffs and want you to know we’re here to support you. Canadian Customers: 1. Confirm your trailer today, and place your non-refundable...

escapetrailer.com

 

[punkinhead]

I gave my son my 3D printer last December knowing I was going to replace it when I got back from wintering in Florida. Well, I'm back and the printer went from $600 to $800 in the past week. I know it's due to tariffs because I checked the Canadian site and it's $759 CAD which is $547 USD.

 

[Music Lover]

Driven by metric measures... 18mm, just shy of 3/4"

I wonder if it's really metric or just another example of shrinkflation?

 

[Qs Laptop]

I'm a bit skeptical of someone hitting me up tomorrow morning for a tariff announced tonight. A local TV news breathlessly showed a clothing store adding X% "tariffs surcharge"...I just don't see it. That pair of jeans had to have been bought, paid for and in the store's inventory weeks ago.

Seems suspect, doesn't it? Reminds me of gas stations that raise the price of gas in their underground tanks when the price of a barrel of oil goes up.

Consider businesses that have containers of finished products made in China on their way over on container ships. First the tariff was 10%, OK, probably can absorb that cost. Then another 25% tariff is added on top, making the total tariff 35%. Now the business is starting to get nervous. Then it's another 20% added on, then another percent added on, until you get to a 145% tariff. Full panic mode. I bet there are businesses that are not receiving the goods from ships that arrive in US ports because they can't afford it.

 

[marko]

Just an observation: I'm old enough to remember when gasoline jumped from $0.23 to $0.80 in a very short time. Horrific, incredible predictions of $1.50 a gallon!

People went nuts. Dire predictions of a depression, radical actions, folks car pooling, selling their vacation homes, even changing jobs to reduce their commute. "Our way of life is over!" End of times!

Somehow, some way, through some sort of miracle (sarcasm), we're all still here doing just fine at $3.25 a gallon.

More recently, just cell phones and cable TV have added maybe $500 a month to the family budget with nary a wince.

IMO, I doubt the tariffs will be long term but even then, I suspect we'll find a way to pay for that coveted $2300 iPhone if necessary. Obla-da, life--and inflation--goes on.

 

[Flieger]

I've been looking at an Escape trailer, a fiberglass rv, made in Canada with a lot of U.S. and Chinese components. The company sent out a president's letter this week indicating that new customers who had not placed deposits would be subject to a ten percent increase in this year's prices. I think the link is interesting in that it shows how a Canadian company with mostly U.S. customers is trying to navigate the new landscape.

Tariffs

Escape | Leak-Proof. Critter-Proof. Now Tariff-Proof! We’ve always produced some of the best travel trailers on the market! We understand your concerns about tariffs and want you to know we’re here to support you. Canadian Customers: 1. Confirm your trailer today, and place your non-refundable...

escapetrailer.com

I would "reply" that I will order when the price returns.

Flieger

 

[Koolau]

Just an observation: I'm old enough to remember when gasoline jumped from $0.23 to $0.80 in a very short time. Horrific, incredible predictions of $1.50 a gallon!

People went nuts. Dire predictions of a depression, radical actions, folks car pooling, selling their vacation homes, even changing jobs to reduce their commute. "Our way of life is over!" End of times!

Somehow, some way, through some sort of miracle (sarcasm), we're all still here doing just fine at $3.25 a gallon.

More recently, just cell phones and cable TV have added maybe $500 a month to the family budget with nary a wince.

IMO, I doubt the tariffs will be long term but even then, I suspect we'll find a way to pay for that coveted $2300 iPhone if necessary. Obla-da, life--and inflation--goes on.

Yes, I recall when "the end of the world" would be when gas reached $1/gallon.

Of course, today's $3.50/gallon is virtually the same as the old $0.30/gallon I payed in 1972. I drove an Opel and if I was at least reasonable on the gas pedal, I'd get 30 mpg. I drove around all week on 10 gallons of gas for $3.00. EVERYTHING was cheaper (except long-distance)

 

[Chuckanut]

Last week I admit I was tempted to replace my ageing iphone SE with a new iPhone 16 before the tariffs drove up the price. But, I held back figuring if the tariffs were going to really hyper inflate, I might need the money for something more important. (The SE still works fine and runs the current OS.) Today, there are no longer tariffs on phones for at least another 90 days. And Apple is supposedly flying in millions of phones ahead of any tariffs. I don't blame them. Besides, $1000+ for a phone/pocket-computer!

Politicians are starting to smooth things out in regards to tariff reforms. Reality can be very assertive. I'll wait.

 

[Fermion]

First tariff hike I have noticed is one of the LiFePO4 12V 100ah batteries I bought last year for $226 is now $288. A month ago it was $217.

 

[Flieger]

First tariff hike I have noticed is one of the LiFePO4 12V 100ah batteries I bought last year for $226 is now $288. A month ago it was $217.

Is there something that states this is a tariff related price hike?

Flieger

 

[Trailwalker]

I would "reply" that I will order when the price returns.

Flieger

That's always the customer's option when confronted with a higher price. Molded fiberglass trailers are in high demand, often with long waiting lists. I suspect the price won't return unless the tariff is removed, but time will tell.

 

[Fermion]

Is there something that states this is a tariff related price hike?

Flieger

No, but the price has been consistently dropping for years, never going up, sometimes staying the same for a few months though. This is a very sharp increase, almost has to be tariff related. It is a product almost directly shipping from China, low inventory in USA.

 

[DJRR]

Seems suspect, doesn't it? Reminds me of gas stations that raise the price of gas in their underground tanks when the price of a barrel of oil goes up.

That is the way business works. If you own a gas station, how do you expect to pay for the next truck if you sell your current inventory below the incoming price? You either raise price immediately or lose margin when it arrives because you have to finance it. Prices will always go up almost immediately. On the way down they will attempt to capture margin by keeping the price up, but some stations like Costco will drop immediately since it is a breakeven/loss leader.

Pretty much all retailers are in the same boat with tariffs. It is just a tax, with no value added, so you either pass it on immediately or lose margin.

 

[HFWR]

Just an observation: I'm old enough to remember when gasoline jumped from $0.23 to $0.80 in a very short time. Horrific, incredible predictions of $1.50 a gallon!

People went nuts. Dire predictions of a depression, radical actions, folks car pooling, selling their vacation homes, even changing jobs to reduce their commute. "Our way of life is over!" End of times!

Somehow, some way, through some sort of miracle (sarcasm), we're all still here doing just fine at $3.25 a gallon.

More recently, just cell phones and cable TV have added maybe $500 a month to the family budget with nary a wince.

IMO, I doubt the tariffs will be long term but even then, I suspect we'll find a way to pay for that coveted $2300 iPhone if necessary. Obla-da, life--and inflation--goes on.

Of course, much of that credit fueled spending beyond their means, with consumer debt at $18T.

 

[HarveyS]

I gave my son my 3D printer last December knowing I was going to replace it when I got back from wintering in Florida. Well, I'm back and the printer went from $600 to $800 in the past week. I know it's due to tariffs because I checked the Canadian site and it's $759 CAD which is $547 USD.

Seems like opportunistic profiteering by the retailer. The printer you buy today was likely imported many weeks ago.

 

[Ian S]

My example appears to be an indirect effect but real and significant nonetheless. Back in December when we were planning our trip to Greece, we took advantage of the ability to make reservations for hotels and activities but not have to pay until closer to the date of travel which in our case is next week! In December, the euro was about 1.04 USD but today it is 1.14 USD so everything on our trip (apart from airfare which we paid upfront and was in USD anyway) is now roughly 10% higher than four months ago!

 

[Winemaker]

I fixed a leak on my sister's water heater using a 1/2'CU x 3/4"NPT F fitting from HD. $14.28 +tax! I sold them for a quarter 50 years ago when I worked in a hardware store!

 

[audreyh1]

My example appears to be an indirect effect but real and significant nonetheless. Back in December when we were planning our trip to Greece, we took advantage of the ability to make reservations for hotels and activities but not have to pay until closer to the date of travel which in our case is next week! In December, the euro was about 1.04 USD but today it is 1.14 USD so everything on our trip (apart from airfare which we paid upfront and was in USD anyway) is now roughly 10% higher than four months ago!

Stuff like this happens all the time. Last year summer we got a big break because the dollar strengthened quite a bit while we were there.

 

[Ian S]

Stuff like this happens all the time. Last year summer we got a big break because the dollar strengthened quite a bit while we were there.

Glad it worked out for you but the recent decline in the dollar over the last three months is about twice the increase you saw over three months last summer and the consensus seems to be that the tariff/trade war is to blame.

 

[audreyh1]

Glad it worked out for you but the recent decline in the dollar over the last three months is about twice the increase you saw over three months last summer and the consensus seems to be that the tariff/trade war is to blame.

I just go back and look at 5 years. It’s highly variable for many reasons.