As the owner of a packaging and container company in the US, I have found dealing with traffic a major challenge, especially when importing raw materials from China. We are now moving production back to the US. This is because moving back helps us rely less on imports, take advantage of local incentives, and reduce lead times. We are also looking to import from a partner other than China. By going beyond China, we have worked to make our supply chain more diverse. This helps reduce the risks posed by the tariffs. Southeast Asia and some countries in Latin America have become more viable options. Due to high production and traffic, product prices increase proportionally. We have worked closely with our suppliers and partners to get better deals and make our business run more smoothly by automating tasks and improving logistics. Better deals have helped us cope with rising material costs. When it comes to business planning, the company has improved its forecasting, making it easier for us to handle sudden changes in tariffs or the trade environment. I also believe it is essential to keep in touch with trade and legal experts. They help us CEOs stay up to date on legal and economic news that can affect long-term profit margins. When business dealings become uncertain, being proactive and adaptable helps us stay ahead of the competition. Also, it helps to keep costs under control. To maintain our margins amid external pressures, we are continually seeking ways to improve our processes.

Managing tariffs and uncertainties related to China has become more about preparation than prediction. At Ezra Made, we have found that agility is the only effective means for managing volatility. Rather than trying to predict every change, then adapting, we have incorporated agility into our supply chain. We produce for multiple regions but maintain engineering and quality control in one location. If tariffs fluctuate rapidly or routes for shipping change, we can effortlessly adjust. The hardest part isn't tariffs: it's cascade effects. Higher expenses mean hard choices about how to price, source, and schedule. We mitigate by communicating with customers about variables and working on fixes together. It's not about absorbing every shock. It's about sharing enough information to adjust together. The truth is, uncertainty is here to stay. The companies that will do well are the ones that stop thinking about it in terms of disruption and start thinking about it in terms of design. Flexibility, not forecasting, is going to be strategy.

I think the relationship between the United States and China is more symbiotic than adversarial. Whether people want to admit it or not, both economies are heavily dependent on each other — American innovation and branding on one side, Chinese manufacturing efficiency and scale on the other. In my view, the real challenge for business owners isn't the existence of tariffs or regulation itself, it's the unpredictability surrounding them. You can plan for higher costs; you can't plan for uncertainty. At Dirtbag Brands, we've built our model around control and adaptability. All of our product engineering, testing, and design are done in-house in the U.S., which gives us creative and technical control over our lineup. When it comes to manufacturing, though, we recognize that China still holds a global advantage in precision CNC production and raw material efficiency. That capability allows us to deliver high-end billet products at a price point that's accessible to riders — without compromising on quality. That said, we don't put all of our eggs in one basket. Over the last two years we've evaluated and opened relationships in India, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Each region brings something different to the table: India offers expanding CNC capacity with competitive rates, Vietnam has strong export infrastructure, and Taiwan remains a benchmark for consistency and machining accuracy. We're building redundancy into our supply chain so that no single policy decision, port delay, or tariff adjustment can disrupt our business or our dealers' margins. I think this is the next evolution of manufacturing strategy for small and mid-sized U.S. brands — not abandoning global sourcing, but managing it more intelligently. Instead of trying to escape globalization, we've embraced it with structure and foresight. We carry a full year's worth of inventory domestically and negotiate materials and freight far in advance, so when policy shifts happen, we're not reacting; we're already positioned. At the end of the day, the U.S. and China are two sides of the same industrial coin. One designs, one scales — and the balance between the two powers the global economy. My goal as a founder isn't to take sides, but to keep Dirtbag Brands self-reliant, sustainable, and competitive no matter which direction the political wind blows.

We have produced lenses and optical systems in China since 2004 with several suppliers. These optics are used in a wide range of products from semiconductor tools to medical devices and consumer products in the US. The tariffs have made pricing more difficult because we frequently need to revise our quotations. The tariffs have not changed our buying patterns though. A prism we recently purchased in volume was quoted in China of $10 each, South Korea for $38 each and the USA for $290 each. Even with 55% tariff it made more sense to buy in China. In one case for a price sensitive product, we have stopped production rather than move it to a new location, but in most cases, nothing has changed other than higher prices for our US customers.

Hi SCMP team! As a D2C Logistics Leader in Hong Kong, I'd like to share how Direct-to-Consumer brands are navigating tariffs and economic uncertainty on China-to-US exports. The Challenge: When clients' margins got squeezed by rising costs, their business viability—and our role as their partner—was threatened. We needed to solve the core problem: unpredictable and high landed costs. The B2B2C Fulfillment Solution: Shifting from pure Business-to-Consumer (B2C) to B2B2C is a strategic lever for tariff mitigation: Wholesale vs. Retail Valuation: In standard DTC, duties are calculated on the full retail price per parcel. With B2B2C, we consolidate customer orders into bulk shipments and clear customs as Business-to-Business transactions. Customs duties are calculated on the lower wholesale (FOB) price, delivering up to 50% savings on duty. Example: An item with a $100 retail price and $50 wholesale price facing 30% tariff: B2C duty: $30 B2B2C bulk duty: $15 per unit The Process: Goods picked and packed at origin (China/Hong Kong) with white label Consolidated into bulk air freight shipment Bulk shipment clears U.S. Customs at wholesale value Parcels sent to U.S. cross-dock for final domestic label and last-mile delivery Impact on Margins and Planning: Cost Certainty: Brands can predict landed costs accurately using known wholesale duty rates, crucial for stable pricing and margin maintenance. Customer Experience: Enables duties and taxes collection at checkout (DDP - Delivered Duty Paid), eliminating surprise charges that cause cart abandonment and returns. Bottom Line: Dealing with today's "new normal" isn't about absorbing costs or passing them on—it's about strategic fulfillment transformation. B2B2C is proving the most resilient strategy for brands to sustain and scale U.S. growth despite increasing tariffs on China-origin goods. I hope this was helpful, Sincerely, Nick Bartlett

Our supplement manufacturing requires essential components which we obtain through Chinese imports. Our company has implemented supplier diversification as its primary change by adding partners based in Southeast Asia and the United States to prevent supply chain disruptions from trade policy changes or tariff increases. The process of supplier verification and third-party ingredient testing required six months to achieve consistent ingredient quality. Our profit margins remain narrow but we have developed detailed planning strategies. Our company creates different scenarios to predict how changes in tariffs and delivery times and currency value will affect our business operations. Our company uses realistic scenario planning to maintain product availability while avoiding excessive capital investment. The key to success for us has become better forecasting combined with maintaining active communication with our reliable business partners.

We make precise induction appliances at Induction Hardware, and dealing with tariffs and changes in the economy related to China has become a part of our business DNA. Instead of reacting to changes in tariffs, we've made our supply chain more flexible by getting key parts from China, Vietnam, and Mexico while keeping design and quality control in the U.S. We also changed our way of thinking from lowest cost per unit to total value, taking into account logistics, lead time, and tariff exposure in every margin decision. This has helped us stay profitable even when costs go up and down. My advice to other founders is to expect uncertainty to be a permanent state. The companies that win aren't the ones that stay stable; they're the ones that can adapt.

Hey, With the fluctuating tariffs on materials being imported from China, our team at Anstrex had to re-strategize every fold of our business planning. We chose not to respond but instead, in our supply and pricing models, we looked very purposefully at flexibility. I recall that when tariff increases came, I was able to "slam on the brakes" of a large vendor contract and then respond immediately by deploying other countries for sourcing. It wasn't easy, it involved retooling timelines, and discussing with smaller yet sturdier partnerships. The big lesson was to prepare for volatility, not stability. We modeled various tariffs, stayed transparent with suppliers and kept our margins intact despite growth. In times of economic chaos, flexibility is the best thing that a company can have. Best regards, Name: Hiren Shah Company: Anstrex Role: Founder URL: https://www.anstrex.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiren--shah/

Tariffs on hospital beds from China have made us rethink our supply chain. We started using suppliers with regional warehouses to shorten our delivery times and to give us more control over costs. We also renegotiated payment terms with manufacturers to protect profit margins even with a 15 percent tariff increase. Our clients can vouch for our reliable delivery and steady pricing, which helps with our retention. We looked at how beds are packaged and shipped and made small design changes to save on freight. We discovered that using modular parts lowered our shipping volume by 12 percent, which saved us thousands of dollars per shipment. We also spread our orders across multiple factories in China so a problem in one place does not stop production. These steps helped us keep margins stable and plan for the future without us needing to pass all of that difference to our clients.

In St. Louis real estate, I'm seeing tariff impacts show up in unexpected places--recently, garage door openers and HVAC components jumped 18% seemingly overnight because of their Chinese manufacturing origins. I've started running dual budgets on every acquisition: one best-case and one that assumes another round of tariff increases, which means I'm walking away from deals I would've taken six months ago unless the numbers work even in the worst-case scenario. It's forced me to be more disciplined about which houses I buy, but honestly, that's probably making me a sharper investor overall.

In real estate, tariffs and global uncertainty hit us indirectly through higher renovation and repair costs--especially on fixtures and appliances coming from China. I've tackled that by doubling down on local partnerships and pre-buying key materials when prices dip. Earlier this year, for instance, I worked with a regional supplier to secure six months' worth of HVAC units at a fixed rate, which helped smooth out our renovation pipeline and kept our margins predictable despite the volatility.

We import both OEM products and consumer goods from China, so we've had to change our whole pricing and supply strategy in the last two years. Tariffs and changes in currency have made things more unstable, but the hardest part is actually predicting what will happen—keeping margins steady when shipping costs, raw materials, and demand all change quickly. We have tried to diversify without giving up on China. We still have important supplier relationships there because they are still the best at being flexible and quick. However, we also work with secondary production partners in Eastern Europe to balance things out. We also work out longer-term price agreements and put money into better quality control to keep returns and rework from happening, which can quietly eat away at profits. Uncertainty is the new normal, but sharing data and being open with suppliers have helped keep costs and plans stable. We don't want to get rid of risk; instead, we manage it by working together more closely and being more careful with our money.

Operating a business dependent on imports requires getting acquainted with constant change. When tariffs on Chinese components suddenly spiked a few years ago, we had to do an about-face in our organization. Rather than raise our prices overnight, we took a step back and diversified our supply chain, moving some production to China and some more to Vietnam, while keeping several American partners in the mix. It wasn't ideal, but it enabled us to be more flexible and keep good relationships with our long-term suppliers in China. We also began using better forecasting tools to be able to monitor shipping costs, material cost and currency swings in real-time. "The fire has allowed us to defend our margins without degrading quality. I've come to learn that surviving uncertainty isn't simply about cutting costs, it's also about cultivating resilience. We are now one level We are now one level removed from critical components and can haggle over contracts that have some give with the market. It's always a balancing act, but by keeping our partners in the loop and playing the long game, we've successfully turned what could have been an obstacle into an actual competitive advantage.

Many businesses are cutting back on reliance on China by looking at other production centers, such as Vietnam, India or Mexico. Importers are also in close talks with Chinese suppliers to re-discuss price, payment terms or order quantity etc. in order to protect profit margins. Solid relationships are the ticket to getting better terms in tough times. Chinese suppliers are negotiating with importers to adjust pricing, payment terms or quantity of purchase in their face. Strong relationships can also result in more lenient terms in uncertain times. Some companies are using "tariff engineering," or making minor changes to products and reclassifying them under new product codes on the tariff schedule, to lessen duties. Some are also employing bonded warehouses or free trade zones to defer or mitigate costs of tariffs. Companies are using strategies like marginal product changes and reclassifying products under different tariff codes to pay lower duties. Some are also employing bonded warehouses or free trade zones to defer or reduce the cost of paying tariffs. Given the uncertainty in economy, companies are looking at flexible business plans which assumes several scenarios for instance fluctuation tariffs fluctuation in currency exchange rate, changes in appetite. Modern forecasting software and supply chain management (SCM) technologies are enabling companies to better anticipate demand, manage inventory more effectively and cut costs which will allow for smoother business operations even in the face of outside pressures.

Tariff uncertainty has forced us to rethink our approach to sourcing and pricing. We used to want to go to one source in China, but we've diversified our networks to spread our risk. It's constricted our margins in some areas, but we're much more resilient. The biggest mindset shift has been to design for flexibility rather than perfection. We move fast, which has become our edge

Many of our clients are navigating tariffs and other factors feeding into price increases by implementing indirect cost reduction. Most business focus on their product (furniture, food, etc) as well as their labor and try to drive down COGSs but take other "fixed costs" for granted. Fixed costs like utilities, waste, uniforms/linens, shipping, insurance, property tax and more. In fact, 90% of businesses are overpaying on these expenses by 30-40% on average. So, while there is little to do directly about Tariffs without affecting product as these product margins decrease even further, managers can focus on other parts of the business to shift the business margin to indirect expenses, thus saving bottom line margin. Business owners and management can do some of this on their own before they run out of manpower and experience or then can hire industry-insider experts who know each of these indirect expense categories very well and can drive down pricing for these services down to the vendors' cost levels. Let me know if you want a generic white paper or something specific to any particular industry. Thanks so much... ...Larry llevine@costanalysts.com

No business seems to be handling this well. Layoffs have become the first response to keeping prices low, but customers are still seeing, or will soon be seeing higher prices. The real issue is that nearly everyone is price-sensitive now, after inflation caused many price increases up to 50-60% already, and now tariffs are becoming the straw that breaks the camels back. This means sales will inevitably fall, and once consumer habits change, we'll be dealing with great depression era minded consumers. My luxury product clients are fortunately the exception -- when prices increase, sales go up. But, if anything slips, like quality of packaging or product the brand suffers. During times like this, even luxury isn't a guarantee. For example, one client who imports high-end mechanical watches from Shenzhen that sell at a premium ($3,500 to $15k) raising prices has increased sales slightly as buyers perceive higher prices as a mark of exclusivity, but other hassles are emerging: renegotiating supplier contracts, compressing lead times, quality control; problems that are going to be more damaging in the long term for in a high-end product.

Tariffs and uncertainties surrounding the imported products from China have made small business planning more about flexibility. We've moved from reactive purchasing to proactive supply chain planning, with suppliers from different countries, ordering products well before the seasons, or even before the orders are processed, with real-time price tracking. The focus is on shielding the bottom line without raising prices for customers. What is most difficult is not the steep price tag, but the instability.

Tariffs and trade uncertainties in China made us reevaluate everything, from where we purchase to how we price. We did not focus on which vendor was cheapest. We diversified our supply chain to include vendors in other countries. Our flexibility has helped us shield our profit margins against sudden swings in costs. The first lesson? Prepare for volatility, not stability. A business model that requires stability to thrive will necessarily implode.

Far beyond the impact of economic uncertainty on actual imports, is how it can affect your business through such means as increasing fees for use of platforms, increasing ad rates, and licensing changes based upon public policy changes that cause a reduction in profitability. Using forecasted data, and a diversified income stream, allows me to remain steady during periods of tightening profit margins. For example, when I was able to achieve a 20% profit margin in a very difficult quarter due to increased operational expenses. I have managed Global PR campaigns for Blockchain and Tech Startups and I have learned to see that consistent execution is far better at beating reactive planning. I use a Variable Budget Model to keep our operational costs down by reserving 10 percent of revenue for operational costs. The operational cost reserve helps the company stay flexible in volatile market conditions and gives employees confidence with decisions based on a steady growth plan.