• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

2

'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down

3

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

1

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

2

'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down

3

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

Trump’s Tariffs Are a War on Christmas Gifts. Here’s How to Keep Them From Blowing Up Your Budget

By
Kevin Kelleher
Kevin Kelleher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kevin Kelleher
Kevin Kelleher
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 18, 2018, 7:47 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The new tariffs that President Trump put on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods Monday will hit home in a place that may not sit well with American consumers: their holiday gift-giving budgets.

The new 10% tariffs will take effect on Sept. 24 and rise to 25% by the end of 2018. They add to $50 billion worth of Chinese goods facing tariffs imposed earlier this year. On Tuesday, China responded by announcing plans to slap duties on $60 billion in U.S. exports. The White House has said it’s prepared to impose tariffs on another $267 billion in Chinese imports upon China’s retaliation.

The long list of Chinese goods facing tariffs—about half of all Chinese imports will now be subject to import taxes—includes many common holiday gifts such as toys, perfumes, TV sets, consumer electronics, pet treats and collars, kitchen gear, and winter wear like mittens and knit hats.

The tariffs also put retailers in a tough position. They will either need to eat the costs of the 10% tariffs and suffer lower margins or pass them on to consumers. Since retailers who post lower margins are routinely punished by investors with falling stock prices, the latter option is more likely.

“Every time this trade war escalates, the risk to U.S. consumers grows. With these latest tariffs, many hardworking Americans will soon wonder why their shopping bills are higher and their budgets feel stretched,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO, National Retail Federation. “We cannot afford further escalation, especially with the holiday shopping season right around the corner.”

One way U.S. holiday shoppers can receive some early is by thinking like the retailers and shopping early. A Walmart official told the Wall Street Journal that “most large retailers already have landed most of their holiday goods by the first of October.” Tariffs are more likely to affect goods shipped in November or later, so try to get everything on your list before, even before the traditional, late-November sales events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Savvy shoppers who want to avoid the 10% premiums that tariffs will place on their holiday gifts this year might consider some of the items that the Trump administration chose to exempt from tariffs, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, bike helmets, children playpens and Apple AirPods. Apple lobbied Trump to make many of its popular items remain tariff-free, and it seems to have worked—for now.

Beyond that, holiday shoppers may want to focus on shopping with large retailers who can warehouse products. Smaller retailers who haven’t stocked up early, may be be forced to pay a premium when they run out of inventory and are subjected to tariff pricing later. And the later they wait, the worse it could get for shoppers and sellers alike. The 25% rise in tariffs on Chinese goods will kick in at year’s end—by next spring, retailers both big and small will be passing those higher costs on to consumers.

About the Author
By Kevin Kelleher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang denies the chip boom will go bust soon and actually utters the infamous phrase ‘this time is different’
Big TechSemiconductors
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang denies the chip boom will go bust soon and actually utters the infamous phrase ‘this time is different’
By Jason MaJuly 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Sam Altman speaking to reporters.
AIOpenAI
AI safety experts say OpenAI’s rogue models may mean the company has already blown past its own internal red lines
By Beatrice NolanJuly 25, 2026
3 hours ago
DeepSeek said to tell backers of funding pause after viral posts
AIfunding round
DeepSeek said to tell backers of funding pause after viral posts
By Haze Fan, Pei Li and BloombergJuly 25, 2026
5 hours ago
Trump gives rambling, insult-filled remarks at correspondents’ dinner and even turns against his own speechwriters. ‘Am I supposed to be a comedian?’
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump gives rambling, insult-filled remarks at correspondents’ dinner and even turns against his own speechwriters. ‘Am I supposed to be a comedian?’
By Jocelyn Noveck and The Associated PressJuly 25, 2026
5 hours ago
U.S. military suddenly goes silent on Iran airstrikes while Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia exchange attacks in battle over Red Sea shipping
EnergyIran
U.S. military suddenly goes silent on Iran airstrikes while Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia exchange attacks in battle over Red Sea shipping
By Samy Magdy, Giovanna Dell'Orto and The Associated PressJuly 25, 2026
5 hours ago
SpaceX’s Starship V3 deploys most advanced Starlink satellites then pulls off best re-entry yet with splashdown so soft it floated in the Indian Ocean
Innovationspace
SpaceX’s Starship V3 deploys most advanced Starlink satellites then pulls off best re-entry yet with splashdown so soft it floated in the Indian Ocean
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressJuly 25, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
9 hours ago
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
Economy
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
By Eleanor PringleJuly 24, 2026
2 days ago
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
Big Tech
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
By Sydney LakeJuly 23, 2026
3 days ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
11 hours ago
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
Economy
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 23, 2026
2 days ago
Jensen Huang just used his first ever X post to warn the AI industry not to make the mistake that software narrowly avoided in the 1980s
AI
Jensen Huang just used his first ever X post to warn the AI industry not to make the mistake that software narrowly avoided in the 1980s
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 24, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.