How the trade wars are rippling through retail in the US

Consumers across the globe are on the edge of their seats as trade wars between the United States and the world’s largest economies continue to unfold.

Much of President Donald Trump’s second term has been action-packed when it comes to tariffs, with him threatening and, in some cases, imposing increasing rates on imported goods from countries like Mexico, Canada and China. The latest round included a 125% tariff on Chinese exports, which Trump announced Wednesday. China earlier in the day announced 84% tariffs on U.S. goods.

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. goods exports to China in 2024 were $143.5 billion and U.S. goods imports from China in 2024 totaled $438.9 billion — an imbalance Trump is seeking to correct with these tariffs.

Trump also announced on Wednesday a 90-day reprieve from tariffs on most trading partners, instead opting for a universal 10% rate for those countries, stabilizing a wild stock market week.

In a social media post Wednesday afternoon, the president said that the pause was enacted because “more than 75 countries” had reached out to the U.S. in the hopes of entering trade talks, according to The Associated Press. China, thus far, is one country that has been unwilling to come to the negotiating table, and calls the tariffs a threat to their “sovereignty.”

Despite the delay, retailers have already begun experiencing whiplash from the tariff announcements, as many U.S. retail giants and small businesses alike manufacture in China and other Asian countries.

Here are some of the ways American retail companies are being impacted:

Amazon has reportedly canceled some inventory orders for multiple products made in China and other Asian countries, according to Bloomberg

• .
• Some clothing and accessory retailers are putting a pause on hiring and placing orders, according to reporting by

• . One of those companies, New York-based Day Owl, makes backpacks in Vietnam and has paused orders. So has Seattle-based women’s running brand Oiselle.
• A tariff of 46% on Vietnam would raise the cost of running shoes made in the country, according to a cost and pricing analysis by Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America
  • , whose members include Nike, Walmart, Skechers and Deckers. The report indicates that a $155 running shoe made in Vietnam would cost $220 in U.S. stores in order to offset the now-paused tariffs.
  • Apple is reportedly planning to source more iPhones from India, as most of its iPhone products are currently manufactured in China, according to reporting from
  The Wall Street Journal. This comes after calls from Trump and the White House for Apple to move manufacturing to the U.S. The company, and economists, have asserted that such a move wouldn’t be possible due to a lack of workers, according to reporting from The Guardian. Prominent tech analysts and economists predict that the cost of iPhones could rise by hundreds of dollars, or even triple
  • , if they are made stateside.