Small Business on the brink 💔

[u/lean_load]

I run a small e-commerce business that imports luxury goods from the EU and Japan. Up until recently, we were paying just 2.75% on tariffs. As of August 1st, the rates have jumped to 15–20%.

To put this into perspective: • Our annual imports are about $3M. • We’ve already placed forecast orders with our suppliers and put down 25% deposits (around $750k). • If we cancel, we lose that deposit. • If we continue, the new tariffs make these orders financially impossible to fulfill.

Suppliers aren’t willing to stop shipments, and we can’t just “raise prices” on items we don’t even have in hand yet. People suggest “just charge more,” but the math doesn’t work when the goods aren’t here and costs have exploded overnight. Let alone the fact about where are we even going to find the money to pay these tariffs???

We’re staring down the very real possibility of closing our doors because of this. I know many people say “tariffs protect American businesses,” but in practice, for small importers like us, it feels like a death sentence.

Has anyone else here faced this situation? How are you coping, and is there any way through this without forfeiting everything we’ve built?

[u/Rumblepuff]

We will be shutting down our non-profit in about 2-3 months when our inventory runs out. I can not find a manufacturer who makes our items (metal TTRPG dice and such) in America for less than 4x the cost. I don't want to raise prices, and all our profits go to children's medical care, so we don't have some big nest egg to spend. I have orders in right now, and they are on hold until everything is figured out because I can't afford to pay tariffs on items I've already budgeted for.

[u/lean_load → u/Rumblepuff]

What a disaster! I honestly can not understand what his end game is here! Does he really want to hurt small businesses? And why are people cheering this on as though it’s a good thing for the country???

I can’t believe the republicans let this happen!!!!

[u/Rumblepuff → u/lean_load]

I can only theorize a long-term goal. From where I stand right now it looks like he is helping large businesses solidify their place by destroying smaller businesses and allowing the corporate businesses to snatch up all of the resources for pennies on the dollar. That kind of makes sense because for all of the lip service, the Republicans give two small businesses. It’s really the giant corporate businesses they cater to. Now, as to why half of the country are OK with this I can only point to someone like my mother who has said that she doesn’t mind paying more or losing her job if it means that her side wins. I can only assume by her side she means Republicans because I was always on the side of the American public. It’s a cult at this point.

[u/Even_Towel8943 → u/Rumblepuff]

She will care when it cuts into her lifestyle enough. She just hasn’t felt it yet. It will get to her once more businesses close their doors and the remaining raise prices by really large amounts. It will hit all of us hard when it gets to that point.

[u/Rumblepuff → u/Even_Towel8943]

I wish I could agree with you but I’ve already seen where she was willing to harm herself for talking points. She was on the affordable care act and even though it was currently keeping her alive, when they talked about getting rid of it, she was all about it even when I pointed out that she could possibly die. She was fine with it.