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Shoe prices are expected to rise further as footwear companies work through stockpiles of inventory they rushed into the U.S. before tariffs lifted import costs.
Footwear prices rose 1.4% in August, a slower rate than the 2.9%
increase in overall consumer prices, though prices for women’s shoes
rose 2.8%, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Liz Young writes. Now, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America is warning that companies are beginning to pass along to consumers the costs of tariffs from recent shipments.
The industry group’s roughly 500 members are on track to pay about $5
billion in tariffs in 2025, up from about $3 billion in a typical year.
Separately, the end of the de minimis tariff exemption on parcels worth $800 or less last month is wreaking havoc on international package delivery and startling U.S. e-commerce customers with unexpected charges.
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The Wall Street Journal’s Esther Fung writes that FedEx and United Parcel Service are directing confused customers to FAQs on their websites as the number of packages needing customs clearance increases. DHL
is holding more packages pending calculation and payment of duties
because of missing information on shipping labels. Some sellers are
covering the cost of duties upfront, saving their customers from a
tariff bill on delivery.
Overseas sellers of appliances, meanwhile, could be evading hefty tariff bills by undervaluing their imports, Whirlpool is telling U.S. authorities. The Journal’s John Keilman writes that the appliance manufacturer’s claims are based on federal data generated from import paperwork, which WSJ reviewed.
Whirlpool says the data show the declared customs value of numerous
appliances started to plummet in June. The retail prices of appliances,
which carry tariff rates ranging from 13% to 60%, haven’t shown a
corresponding drop, Whirlpool says.
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