Gadgets dragged into trade war
Millennials and Gen Z feel victimised by tariff hikes on their toys
As the US and China fire the opening shots of a trade war, tech-savvy US millennials are already being caught in the crossfire. Looming tariffs on some of the hottest gadgets among younger consumers, from vaporisers to electric scooters and "smart home" devices, have threatened to drive up prices from this week. Analysis by Flexport, which provides supply chain and freight forwarding services, has uncovered several categories of consumer products, made in China, that will face a 25% import tariff under the Trump administration's proposed new rules. Few have noticed that e-cigarettes and vaporisers from fast-growing companies such as Juul, Pax and Blu, the vast majority of which are made in Shenzhen, have been included in the latest tariff proposals because they appear on a list of import codes vaguely entitled "other machinery". Electric scooters and e-bikes, which have soared in popularity over the past year thanks to app-based rental systems from the likes of Uber, will also face ...
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