Cars to gadgets: What U.S. consumers are losing to Trump tariffs

While Americans doling out more money for groceries and consumer goods will be the most probable outcome of President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes, it’s not the only one.

Consumers might, at times, find there are no goods to pay for, as companies from Europe to Asia halt shipments of everything from cars to video game consoles. That follows Trump’s move to slap new tariffs on imports from some 60 countries, including China and the European Union.

China is now subject to tariffs of 145%, with Trump admitting during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that “there’ll be a transition cost, and transition problems.”

Here’s a look at what could go missing from American stores as businesses weigh the cost of additional tariffs and mull reducing exposure to the market.

Philadelphia-based retail chain Five Below Inc., which sells toys, clothes, and household goods, has suspended cargo shipments from China, according to a letter that shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S sent on behalf of the U.S. retailer to suppliers.

No containers are to be delivered to the yard starting April 10, with those that have been loaded to be unpacked and returned to the carrier, according to the letter, which didn’t specify what kind of products were involved.

Christmas decorations and trinkets for this year’s festive season may also be impacted, after Reuters reported that Chinese producers of those goods said they haven’t been receiving orders from their American customers. Orders are usually finalized by mid-April.

Consumer electronics maker Framework in early April announced a pause on sales for specific laptops. The company said that, following the tariff announcement, it will not sell some of the base-model Framework Laptop 13 machines in the U.S..

Razor, another maker of laptops, has stopped all sales to the U.S. Links formerly directing to laptops and some laptop accessories on Razer’s U.S. site now read “Notify Me,” directing users to sign up for email updates on the status of products.

Basic Fun, which makes toys including Care Bears, Lincoln Logs, and Tonka Trucks, has paused shipments of its products that are made in China. Its CEO Jay Foreman told local media in the U.S. that he “cannot risk putting any product on the water that might incur tariffs as implemented and threatened by the President.”

Audi has suspended deliveries to the U.S., with shipments that arrived after April 2 to be held from dealers for the time being. The luxury car company told showrooms to focus on selling existing inventory of around 37,000 vehicles, which should last about two months, German media reported Monday.

New Jaguar Land Rover vehicles may be hard to come by after the British carmaker said it’s putting exports on hold in April, as it deals with the new trading terms. Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. said it will stop selling two Mexican-built Infiniti sports utility vehicles in the U.S. market.

Bloomberg News reported that Mercedes-Benz AG was considering withdrawing its least expensive cars from the U.S. as the new levies would make their sales economically unviable.

The bigger-than-expected import tax has also prompted Japan’s Nintendo Co. to delay preorders for its long-awaited Switch 2 gaming console, though the June 5 launch date remains unchanged. The company will announce a new date after assessing the potential impact of the tariffs and evolving market conditions, it said.

Nintendo and Sony Group Corp. are likely to raise prices on their game consoles in response to the tariffs, according to the latest research from Bloomberg Intelligence.

American consumers would pay as much as 30% more for a Switch 2 or PlayStation 5 under the base-case scenario, which would imply pricing close to $590 for the Nintendo flagship machine or Sony’s PS5 Astro Bot bundle. Both devices are assembled in China.

Award-winning Japanese whiskeys may also run dry in the U.S. if Suntory Holdings Ltd. decides to divert products to Japan and other Asian markets if Trump’s tariffs make them too expensive for American consumers.

“If prices of Hibiki and Yamazaki become up too high for U.S. consumers, we have an option of simply changing the target market,” Suntory president Nobuhiro Torii said in an interview. He noted that demand remains strong elsewhere, such as Asia and in Japan.