A Texas mom ordered her spring shopping haul. Then she got a $372 tariff bill.
The 35-year-old mother ordered a spring clothing haul online from the website Damson Madder in early April: new tops, jeans, and a couple of outfits for an upcoming vacation. She doesn't often spend money on herself — running a household, paying for groceries, and affording the kids' summer camp gets expensive — and she was in desperate need of a wardrobe refresh.
A few weeks later, a crisp white FedEx envelope arrived at her Dallas home. The bill explained that she owed the government $372 for tariffs, on top of the $919 that she initially paid to the clothing retailer. A red sweater vest she ordered for about $60, for example, would actually be costing her over $200 once the 125% made-in-China fee and other costs were applied. Even the items she had returned and received a refund for were subject to a tariff.
"That was frustrating, obviously, because — if I'm going to be charged all this extra money — maybe that changes the calculus of what clothes I keep and what I don't keep," she told Business Insider.
Wahnschaffe said she's in contact with FedEx trying to appeal the tariff bill on all, or some, of her clothing order. A representative for FedEx said that the company facilitates "the payment of required duties and taxes to the government on behalf of the seller/buyer" but does not determine who is charged for the tariffs or the amount. The clothing brand, Damson Madder, did not respond to a request for comment.
Wahnschaffe said tariff anxiety is changing her shopping habits
Wahnschaffe isn't the only American with tariff sticker shock. President Donald Trump's rapidly-changing trade policies have rocked the economy in recent months and sparked recession fears. Some companies like Walmart have begun hiking prices to cover the cost of importing goods, while others are passing the levy expense directly onto shoppers.
The University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey — a key indicator of how Americans are feeling about the economy — slid 11.3% year-over-year in June, a faster-than-typical swing, though the index has recovered slightly compared to its spring free fall. Some shoppers are sharing their surprise tariff bills on social media. US retail sales also dipped by 0.9% in May, a larger-than-forecasted figure, especially compared to April's 0.1% sales decline.
Wahnschaffe anticipates that her tariff bill experience will change her shopping habits. She and her husband are only buying necessities right now, she said, adding that " luxury things" like a handbag or a new pair of shoes will have to wait until the economy feels more stable. She's noticed a similar shopping pullback from her friends.
Going forward, she also wonders how federal tariff policy will impact other parts of her life. Wahnschaffe is a content creator and runs a popular DIY home projects page on TikTok and Instagram. She anticipates that the materials she uses for projects like wood and paint could become more expensive if they're imported from other countries. She feels similarly about groceries and other everyday necessities that are grown or made outside America.
"We've created an economy where we buy things from other countries and manufacture them there," she added. "And we need this stuff to live."
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