Are Pre-Tariff Sales Promotions Fair Game?

Several smaller retailers are running promotions urging consumers to buy now before President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs arrive to jack up prices.

Among those running sales around the threat of tariffs:

• J&J Sports Service, a maker of custom fishing rods in Maryland, implored customers to “buy now” in a Facebook post, noting that the coming tariffs are “not a joke.” The post elaborated, “Our rods are built here but the supplies come from other places Japan in general. We will hold the line as long as we can. But we can say for certain this may be the last ‘sale’ you may see.”
• Finally Home Furnishings, an online furniture seller, wrote on Facebook, “Pre-Tariff Sale! This is not a drill. The very same items you are seeing now will be double the price once the tariffs kick in. This is not speculation. We went through this 4 years ago.”
• Tarptent, a tent seller based in Nevada City, California, stated in a Facebook post, “Prices may never be this good again. Our November/Black Friday sale ends tomorrow. Normally we would say these are the best prices you are likely to see until this time next year, but with high tariffs on the horizon our prices may not go this low for a lot longer.” Tarptent added that with the majority of tents made overseas and all woven fabrics and most hardware components procured overseas, tariffs “will cause our costs to go up and our prices will have to follow.”
• Jolie Skin Co., a maker of water-purification showerheads, urged customers in an email to “lock in our current prices” while warning tariffs could raise prices on its signature showerhead to $205 from $165. Jolie Skin wrote, “We’re hopeful that these new tariffs do not get added as we as American consumers would see increased prices from everything made outside the U.S., which is almost everything.”

The Wall Street Journal also said that some TikTok influencers “are feeding into the tariff frenzy, urging people to buy their favorite products in bulk now. Others on the platform are doling out tips on how long everyday items such as makeup, shampoos and food can be stored, helping users strategize their stockpiling plans.”

On the campaign trail, Trump pledged a tariff of 60% to 100% on goods imported from China and a 10% to 20% tariff on goods from all other countries on the belief that tariffs on foreign goods will help benefit U.S. manufacturing and create jobs.

Since election day, he has vowed to deploy tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China to clamp down on the flow of drugs and illegal migrants coming into the U.S., as well as tariffs on the BRICS group — comprising nine emerging market countries including Brazil, Russia, India, and China — to protect the U.S. dollar.

It is unclear what tariffs will be levied and how much they will affect prices.

Larger chains and brands haven’t yet incorporated tariff warnings into their marketing messages, although Walmart, Lowe’s, Best Buy, Columbia Sportswear, and Stanley Black & Decker have all indicated they’ll likely raise prices should tariffs arrive.

A survey of 2,000 American residents from CreditCards.com taken in late November found 34% of respondents stating they were stockpiling daily necessities like toilet paper and nonperishable food out of fear that Trump’s tariff pledges will lead to higher prices.