"Make America Great Again" hats could double in price after new US rates: Merchandiser



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The latest price series on Chinese products proposed by President Donald Trump could double the price of "Make America Great Again" hats inspired by his 2016 campaign slogan, according to a merchant who imports them.

New tariffs announced Thursday would touch $ 200 billion of Chinese imports, especially consumer goods, including popular hats sported by Trump supporters nationwide, according to an article first published by Associated Press.

David Lassoff is the director of a California-based company that sells a line of fancy goods online.

  PHOTO: Make America Great Again produced by Incrediblegifts who says the price could double with the new US tariffs Incrediblegifts
Hat "Make America Great Again" produced by Incrediblegifts that says the price could double with the new US He told ABC News that his company, IncredibleGifts, generally imported red hats from China and embroidered them in the United States. But now, the company might have to do both jobs in the United States, which could raise prices significantly.

"We usually sell MAGA hats for around $ 9 to $ 12, but that could go up to $ 20 if we were to manufacture them in the United States and embroider them here," Lassoff said.

Lassoff said that a few Chinese manufacturers recently informed his company that they were "nervous" about the potential impact of these rates and, in the future, could charge more than $ 500. 39, money per order.

"There may be a limited amount [of hats] in the future, we are trying to make sure we have enough hats in stock now, so if things change, we are ready," he said. .

The US Trade Representative's office did not respond to ABC News's request for comment.

While IncredibleGifts is not affiliated with the Trump campaign, Lassoff said the company had sold "a few hundred of 100,000 MAGA hats" since Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015.

"They are our hottest item," he says of classic red hats with embroidered white letters.

Amy Lee, director of The Hat Depot, a New Jersey company that also sells unofficial MAGA hats, says hats are a big product for her business.

"They are a bestseller," she said, adding that her company sold these hats of different colors and generally received "20 orders a day" only red hats.

  PHOTO: Donald Trump speaks at a rally on board the battleship USS Iowa in Los Angeles, while wearing a Make America hat Great Again, September 15, 2015. UIG via Getty Images, FILE [19659006] Donald Trump speaks at a rally on board the battleship USS Iowa in Los Angeles, while wearing a hat "Make America Great Again" on September 15, 2015.

But Lee said that manufacturers in China has not yet reached out to The Hat Depot possible impact of these tariffs.

"We buy our hats from China for $ 3, and we sell them $ 14," she told ABC News, adding that the Chinese factory "does everything" from manufacturing to embroidery .

Going forward, Lassoff said his company "thinks about" importing goods from Vietnam to avoid the proposed tariffs.

"I think they would be negative for any company selling goods from China," he said. He attributes the difficulty of manufacturing goods in the United States to "taxes and regulations and security problems" which he says complicates the management of a business.

Lassoff said he also hoped that large online retailers like Amazon and Walmart will be pushing against proposed tariffs on behalf of small businesses that use their platforms.

"Our company is too small to do anything," he said. [ad_2]
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