Idaho businessman says he faces ruin after tarrifs went from $26K to $346K overnight: I may sound calm but Im not
A small business owner in Boise, Idaho, got the shock of his life when he realized President Trump’s tough trade measures meant tariffs on stock he’d ordered jumped from $26,000 to $346,000 overnight.Casey Ames imports developmental and sensory toys for children with special needs from China and says Trump’s full 104% tariffs, which go into effect today, mean he may have to shut down half of his 10-employee company, Harkla.“I may sound calm on the phone but I’m really not,” Ames told The Post.“I’m afraid my employees won’t make it through, real jobs are on the line and at risk.”The 34-year-old married father of a toddler and a newborn said he didn’t vote for President Trump but had been “cautiously optimistic” when he won the election, hoping “we’d be in for a business-friendly environment.”Instead Ames claims he is facing financial ruin.“Can’t pivot that quickly,” he wrote on X. “We’ve explored domestic [production] in the past, and are again right now, and every time it’s not feasible.
The unit prices have been higher than retail.”Ames told The Post he paid $26,000 in tariffs last year on the products he imports from China.With Trump’s tariffs where they currently stand he calculated he would have to pony up at least $346,000 in tariffs for the same amount of orders this year.“People in the US don’t understand the tariff situation,” Ames said.
“They think that just foreign countries are paying the tariffs.That’s not true.
Half of the tariffs are being paid for by US-based companies.”Ames says one of his best-selling products has gone from a $0 tariff to $16.67 per item.Harkla’s developmental and sensory toys include their top-selling product, the Sensory Swing, alongside items like weighted blankets and weighted stuffed animals.They design the products in Boise but they are manufactured in factories in three Chinese cities.However, as a result of the increased tariffs Ames doesn’t see a way out...