Trump's tariffs push U.S. toy industry to the brink
The owner of a toy manufacturing company in the USA, who previously paid $26,000 (£20,000) in tariffs, must now pay $346,000 (£270,000) due to Donald Trump's decisions regarding importing goods from China. "I’m afraid my employees won’t make it through, real jobs are on the line and at risk," admitted Casey Ames in an interview with the "New York Post."
Donald Trump's tariffs are provoking reactions worldwide, but the first "horror bills" for the economic turmoil of the new U.S. administration are being footed by Americans themselves. The local media recounts the story of an entrepreneur from the city of Boise, Idaho. The sensory toy manufacturer finds the entire business becoming unprofitable.
USA. Entrepreneurs in a bind after Trump's tariffs
Overnight, as tariffs escalated between the USA and China, Casey Ames now has to pay not $26,000 (£20,000), but $346,000 (£270,000) in tariffs for the year. As he admits in the "NYP," the new tariffs may soon force him to shut down half of his operations.
"Can’t pivot that quickly," he wrote on platform X, noting that production in the USA will become unprofitable. The tariff increase means that one of his best-selling products, the Sensory Swing, will now incur a tariff of around $17 (£13) per piece.
In a post on platform X, Ames emphasised that he has already decided not to ship the toys currently being produced. He pointed out that this will also affect transportation and advertising partners. "For the US economy, I'm tiny potatoes, but at least a small example of what companies affected by tariffs have to deal with and are doing," the businessman stressed. In another post, he mentioned that with the halt in supplies from China, within 90 to 120 days, there will be a shortage of toys essential for his business.
The tariff increase affects not only Ames. Other entrepreneurs, like his acquaintance in the board game industry, also foresee the risk of bankruptcy. "Trump’s tariffs will decimate small toy/game businesses," wrote Hasan Hasmani. He acknowledges that for his business, after the tariff increases, around $400,000 (£313,000) will be due for tariffs alone over the year. "Most [companies in the industry - ed.] won't survive the year," predicts the New York entrepreneur.
Ames is hoping for an exemption for small businesses or the possibility to defer payments, but his optimism diminishes daily. "The one silver lining is that I always thought if my business failed it would be my fault. If we fail now it certainly won't be my fault," he added.
Ames's story also resonated on the conservative television channel Fox News. "We think that China is gonna have to pay for it. A special needs toy importer-- when the tariff went into effect, his tariff bill went from $26,000 at midnight to $346,000. And that's money that's got to have to come out of his pocket... They think foreign countries have to pay the tariff, that's not true. Tariffs are being paid by Americans," viewers heard, regarding the total 104% tariffs imposed on goods from China.
