los angeles — Bobby Javaheri is trying to fill his warehouse with equipment from overseas while he can still afford it.
“We have been preparing for the last six months — both our factories and importers — for a Trump victory,” Javeri told CBS News.
Javaheri is president of Los Angeles-based Yedi Houseware Appliances, which makes its products in China. He says that newly elected President Donald Trump Threat to increase tariff Will force him to charge more.
Javeri said his company's Yedi Evolution air fryer currently costs $130. He estimates Trump's proposed tariffs would increase prices by about $200. Yedi's two-quart air fryer currently costs between $30 and $40. Trump's tariffs could raise that to about $100.
trump Promoted Imposing blanket tariffs of 10% to 20% on all imports, as well as additional tariffs of 60% or more on goods from China.
“It will destroy our business, but not just our business,” Zaveri said. “This will destroy all the small businesses that depend on imports.”
Javaheri says it is not Chinese companies that pay tariffs, it is their own business.
“We are getting the bill, the bill comes to us directly from the government,” Javeri said.
Brian Peck, an adjunct assistant professor of international trade law at USC, says Trump's tariffs could also be a negotiating tactic.
“If he doesn't like a certain practice or policy initiative, he can use that to intimidate them,” Peck said. “…It's important for the American people to understand that the people who pay the tariffs are American importers. Not China, not foreign governments, not foreign companies. It's going to be in your wallet.”
1st August Study The Peterson Institute for International Economics indicated that Trump's proposed tariffs could cause middle-income families to lose more than $2,600 per year.
When Trump in 2018 Tariff imposed Prices on imported washing machines rose by nearly $100. But foreign appliance makers also moved some production to the US, and a year later they had created 1,800 new jobs.
However, other countries retaliated with tariffs on American exports, leading to the loss of jobs.
According to Javaheri, most of Yedi's products cannot currently be made in America.
“There are no factories in America,” Zawahiri said. “A factory that can potentially produce hundreds of thousands of air fryers a year, of similar quality, is not available anywhere in the world except China.”
Javaheri's advice? If you are considering a purchase, make your purchase before potential tariffs are implemented.
