LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump’s trade war with China could hit toy stores the hardest as they begin ordering for the holiday season.
What You Need To Know
- President Donald Trump’s trade war with China could hit toy stores the hardest as they begin ordering for the holiday season
- Eighty percent of toys sold in the United States are made in China
- Don Kipper, who owns the oldest toy store in Los Angeles, said of the tariffs: “This is crazy. This is like nothing we’ve seen before”
- In the short term, Kipper said he’s relying on his inventory that’s already been shipped
The vast majority of toys sold in the United States are made in China, and many of the toy stores that remain are small businesses.
As the owner of the oldest toy store in Los Angeles, Don Kipper has weathered quite a few storms, but when it comes to tariffs, he said: “This is crazy. This is like nothing we’ve seen before.”
Kipper’s father started Kip’s Toyland 80 years ago, but with Trump raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, their costs could soon soar.
“I got an email from one of our suppliers and said they had to, at the beginning of April, increase their prices 10%, and the end of April, they’re going to go up an additional 25%,” Kipper said.
Eighty percent of toys sold in the United States are made in China, including a lot of the classics that Toyland prides itself on selling, which could make holiday shopping this year a lot more expensive.
“If you’re a small toy shop or small manufacturer in the states, you might not even have the bandwidth to absorb something like this,” said Dominick Miserandino, a consumer expert and CEO of Retail Tech Media Nexus.
Nintendo recently paused pre-orders on its much anticipated Switch 2 gaming console due to tariffs, and some retail experts suggest starting your holiday shopping early to avoid higher prices.
“If you find that perfect gift from now until the holidays … take it and stick it in the attic,” Miserandino said.
But all the uncertainty makes planning harder for stores and shoppers alike.
“Maybe you buy it today, it’ll be one price,” said Robert Concannon, who was visiting Toyland from Maine. “Maybe you’ll buy it tomorrow, and it will be double. We don’t know.”
“We’re trying to identify those things that have not been impacted by tariffs, and we’re focusing on them,” Kipper said.
In the short term, he’s relying on his inventory that’s already been shipped. So while nobody, not even a Magic 8 Ball, can predict the future, Kipper said he’s keeping the store going for his family, and despite the frustration, he’s still having fun.
