In the whirlwind first few months of his second term as president, Donald Trump has gone back and forth on tariffs, with a bevy of threats and reversals. Still, some new tariffs have already been put in place, such as tariffs on goods from China and Hong Kong, as well as on all steel and aluminum imports.
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Some of the effects of tariffs will take time to play out, as even after they’re implemented, there can be a lag time until they show up in consumer prices. For example, when businesses stock up on inventory pre-tariffs, they don’t incur those taxes and, thus, are able to pass on pre-tariff prices to consumers.
However, in the coming months, many expect tariffs to ultimately make life more expensive. In fact, 75% of Americans are concerned that new tariffs will increase the cost of living, found an Allianz Life survey.1
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Home Appliances To Consider Now
If you are currently on the hunt for home appliances and want to make a purchase before tariffs potentially raise prices, there are several categories to think about. According to Simon Kim, CEO and founder at Glassdome, U.S. consumers should consider purchasing appliances such as:
- Refrigerators
- Toaster ovens
- Microwaves
- Air fryers
- Washing machines
- Dryers
“The tariffs on steel and aluminum that went into effect recently are affecting U.S.-made appliances that contain lots of metal,” said Kim. Not only could tariffs raise the price of imported appliances, but they could also make U.S.-based manufacturing more expensive.
“Additionally, many of these appliances are not made in America and will be affected by the April 2 tariffs, which could lead to price increases,” he added.
Should You Act Now?
With potential higher costs in mind, some consumers might be thinking about making purchases like home appliances before new tariffs arrive and current ones fully make their impact felt.
“Tariffs are changing rapidly — sometimes daily, said Laura Dow, business director at CPG Sourcing. “Will prices be higher or lower in a few months? No one knows. What is certain is that tariffs generally raise costs across the board, contributing to inflation. If your budget is tight, planning purchases now may be the safer bet.”
However, that doesn’t mean you should necessarily buy new appliances to simply try to get ahead of the curve. “If I were a consumer, I’d recommend buying appliances when you need them rather than trying to predict future tariffs,” she said.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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Sources
- Allianz Life, “Allianz Life Study Finds Inflation and Tariffs Increasingly Worrying Americans.” (March 25, 2025) ↩︎
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Home Appliances To Buy Now Before Trump’s Tariffs Take Hold
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