Small US Importers Are Scrambling to Cover Tariffs: Supply Lines

The American consumer has largely been unaffected so far by the trade war, as President Donald Trump and his backers like to note. But shoppers are usually the last ones to feel the effects since it can take a year for tariff increases to show up in stores as price hikes.

Ever since Trump resumed the trade war he started in his first term, US importers have tried their best to get ahead of his rising tariffs by bringing in goods earlier than usual, and deferring investment and hiring until the uncertainty wanes.

After Washington and Beijing agreed to extend a temporary de-escalation ...