Tariffs on China impacting toy prices in Western New York
WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — President Trump’s long-threatened tariffs are underway, sending the country into an escalating trade war with China, Mexico and Canada. One of the industries already feeling the heat of these tariffs is children’s toys.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico went into effect on Tuesday alongside a 20% tariff on Chinese goods.
Clayton’s Toys in Williamsville has been in business for over 100 years. Co-owner Tara McElligott says 90% of the products they sell come from Chinese suppliers.
“So far, what we’ve seen is newly printed catalogs coming in outdated,” McElligott said. “We’ve got some vendors that are emailing us saying that the prices they gave us last week are higher now.”
Now, the business is thinking about looking elsewhere for its inventory.
“We used to have a vast selection of American and European made toys which are really much better quality,” McElligott said. “But the prices are going to be high on those.”
McElligott says she’s fortunate to have had many local customers throughout the years. She’s hoping that even if prices do have to increase, people will still support local businesses.
“Our hope is that we can continue to make up for it in the services that we provide,” McElligott said. “There will be some adjustments happening but there will be a little bit of a balance.”
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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.
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