How tariffs are hitting importers and changing plans

Tariffs have become a signature part of President Donald Trump’s second term as he’s used them as both a negotiation tactic and a strategy to revive American manufacturing, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

The on-again, off-again tariffs approach is shaking the business world as importers’ operations have been thrown into chaos. Businesses who made orders last fall, before the election, are getting hit with tens of thousands of dollars of unexpected costs as they now receive their items. 

Other businesses pulled forward orders last year to stockpile goods, while some have paused their shipments to see if there will be a reprieve. Some companies are raising their prices, passing the costs to the consumer. 

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California, the main gateway for imports from China, are being flooded with container volumes last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. The port complex handled the equivalent of 955,480 import containers in January, a 25% increase from the same month last year. 

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