" I trade bamboo clothing and bedding , and now , with this tariff , I ’ll likely have to close . "
Tariffs, tariffs, and more tariffs are coming from the Trump administration, and small businesses — which make up nearlyhalf of all private-sector employmentin the US — are taking the hit.
An economist toldCBS, “For many small businesses, this is a one-two punch. They are getting higher prices from suppliers, and their customers are more skittish just as they’re grappling with heavier tariffs.”
Here’s what 18 small business owners are saying about Trump’s tariffs over on ther/smallbusinesssubreddit:
1.“I sell bamboo clothing and bedding, and now, with this tariff, I’ll likely have to close.”
2.“This completely guts our business and leaves us with no alternatives or hopes for alternatives.”
3.“My main supplier just informed me of 17% price increases effective this past Monday. Yikes!”
4.“2 of our most reliable clients that are very wealthy and always want a ton of work have canceled due to the uncertainty of their futures. 2 others canceled and are retirees. All have said they are worried and buckling down.”
5.“I’m in the process of dissolving…the constant tariff back and forth is really not a stable way to run a country. I’m just done.”
6.“My supplier recently raised their prices on things like energy drinks, and I simply raised my retail prices in response… When I’m the consumer in this situation, these added fees rub me the wrong way.”
7.“We as a repair store are already seeing the price rise in many components for laptops and desktops… And being a small business, we don’t have the margins to survive something like this without serious downsizing.”
8.“I am a small business in a small town… We can not survive the tariffs.”
9.“I own a small plumbing company. My suppliers have already raised prices 20% on water heaters and equipment from China and Canada. We’ve passed those price increases on to the end customer.”
10.“Donald Trump ruined my business.”
11.“I have a small business making drums… All the tariff will do is raise the cost and thus the price of the product I sell.”
12.“We were paying around $1.20 per lb of imported steel that just jumped to $1.32.”
13.“Just last week, the U.S. tariff on our category jumped from 34% to 104%. One of our American customers said,‘There’s no way I can make a profit now.'”
14.“It feels like a lot of businesses are in ‘wait and see’ mode, hesitant to make big commitments but still needing to move product around.”
15.“These US tariffs will be disastrous for my small jewelry business, mainly relying on US exports; it’s like a punch in the gut.”
16.“The 145% tariff hits next month. For anyone sourcing from China, this isn’t a bump — it’s a wrecking ball.”
17.“I’m going to add ‘Trump Tariff Surcharge (37%)’ on mine. I fear this will turn people away, but I also need to be honest and transparent.”
18.And finally, “Anyone here stuck with inventory in China because of the new 125% tariffs?”
