Shoppers on Amazon looking for products from the portable gadgets maker Anker are already seeing the effects of US tariffs against China, with an 18% average increase across 127 products since April 3, according to the Reuters news agency.
Reuters was citing information from the product research company SmartScout, which tracked pricing on the retailer for the products, which are manufactured in China. The 127 products account for about one-fifth of Anker’s products on Amazon, Reuters said.
Watch this: Anker Products’ Prices Jump as Tariffs Ramp Up
Anker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Consumers are being advised to shop carefully for products that are manufactured in or include components from countries affected by tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, ranging from smartphones to vehicles to cameras and TVs. The US is currently holding China, where many electronics are made, to a 145% tariff rate. China has retaliated with 125% tariffs on US goods sold in China.
Is now the time to buy?
Consumers who are planning to make purchases this year need to avoid panic buying and plan ahead to time their purchases, said Stephanie Carls, a retail analyst with the discount-finding service RetailMeNot and video host for Ziff Davis Shopping.
A barrage of news about tariffs is causing lots of uncertainty for buyers.
“This week in general, it’s been kind of wild,” she said. “Are we doing (tariffs) or are we not doing them?”
Carls said, “I think it’s really making people sit and almost like wonder ‘what do I need to prepare myself for?’ As the tariffs are rolling out, these prices are then rising behind the scenes and shoppers are having to then be much smarter and I think savvier.”
Outside of Black Friday, the best time for heavy discounts on items such as electronics tends to be during back-to-school season and, for products like Anker’s, during Amazon’s Prime Day events. The next one is expected to be in July, and Carls said it will be interesting to see if discounts will be as high as they’ve been during previous shopping events.
She suggests checking out sites such as CamelCamelCamel to track historical pricing for items on Amazon. Stacking savings with credit cards or sites that offer cashback on top of sales prices and promo codes, if they’re available, can help offset price increases, she said.
“Smart shoppers are watching these trends and then they’re shopping accordingly,” Carls said. “So we’re in a window where planning ahead can really help your wallet. And I think that that’s just going to be a situation where you have start paying attention to that timing mixed with those different sale events that are happening.”
