Trump’s tariffs are already showing up in Americans’ receipts : NPR

Lots of new tariffs have already gone into effect and more are about to come online.

There is the tax on auto parts that kicked in this month; duties on steel and aluminum; new levies on small value packages; 10% on most imports; a flat 145% customs fee on anything from China; and potentially even more coming, given other tariffs on dozens of countries were paused until at least July.

Some of that increased cost is being eaten by exporters in other countries, but a lot is being picked up by Americans.

NPR asked listeners and readers to send us copies of receipts that break out the higher costs from tariffs. We heard back from dozens of people. Here’s what we got:

She paid more than double the original price for her wheelchair

Sandy Alonso really needed to replace her wheelchair.

“It’s 10 years old,” Alonso said. “Pieces are starting to break.”

Alonso liked the model she already had: a chair that is light enough for her to load into her car herself. It is made in China, and she is not aware of any other North American distributor who has it. So, she found a freight forwarder in Canada who could ship the wheelchair to her to Tampa, Florida, where she lives.

When Alonso placed the order in early March, she found she would have to pay 20% tariffs on the chair, which was “certainly workable” though “not great,” she says. But President Trump imposed more tariffs within weeks, and by the time the wheelchair arrived in Canada via China and crossed the border into the U.S., Alonso was facing a steeper tariff of 145%.

By then, it was too late to send it back. The total cost of her wheelchair was close to $6,000, of which nearly $3,500 was for tariffs alone. 

“I’m just sitting here going, wow, I can’t believe I’ve just paid this much for this chair,” she laughed in disbelief.