--- title: Stockpiling Before Trump’s Tariffs? Experts Warn It Could Backfire description: People are stockpiling goods ahead of Trump's China, Mexico and Canada tariffs, but experts warn it may lead to higher costs. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 600 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2025-02-07T16:20:15.000Z' modified: '2025-02-10T15:29:31.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 732 canonical: https://money.com/news-people-stockpiling-goods-trump-tariffs-mistake/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Man stockpiles 2 shopping carts with groceries](https://img.money.com/2025/02/News-People-Stockpiling-Goods-Trump-Tariffs-Mistake.jpg?crop=0px%2C270px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85) As [tariffs](https://money.com/trump-tariffs-price-increases/) on China take effect — and possible tariffs on Mexico and Canada loom — you may be wondering if it would be smart to stock up on imported products before costs go up. If so, you're not alone. A recent survey by [Bid-on-Equipment.com](https://www.bid-on-equipment.com/post/tariff-impact-survey) found that 12% of people were already "stockpiling" goods due to tariff-related concerns. That follows a separate survey, released in January by researchers at the University of Texas, University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago, in which more than 40% of respondents said they were "likely to stockpile goods before tariffs hit." The future effects on consumers of any proposed tariffs are unknown. While President Donald Trump talks in "maybe… maybe not" terms about whether tariffs will bring "pain," economists say the answer is likely "yes." Ultimately, the risk of inflation *could* sway the admin to not go through on enacting major tariffs on Canada and Mexico — but it's unclear. Meanwhile, a 10% tariff on imports from China went into effect Tuesday, which was immediately met with counter-tariffs. Trump's tariff action with China could affect an estimated $400 billion of goods that Americans buys annually. According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, tariffs on all three countries would amount to an [$800 tax](https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/trump-tariffs-trade-war/) on American consumers in 2025 and "would rank as the largest tax increase in more than 30 years." And due to stockpiling, “the inflationary consequences of the tariffs will manifest themselves even before the tariffs are put in place, further complicating the Federal Reserve’s job of bringing inflation back down to its target,” the aforementioned university researchers wrote in a [working paper](https://news.uchicago.edu/story/what-effect-will-trumps-tariffs-have-us-economy). ## Personal Loans can help you in your time of need ### If you're struggling to get back on track, applying for a Personal Loan is a step in the right direction. Click on your state and find out more. [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/ye8276afd0db?ap_referrer=%2Fnews-people-stockpiling-goods-trump-tariffs-mistake%2F) ## Should you stockpile ahead of tariffs? Experts are discouraging consumers against "doom spending" over tariffs as concern rises that excessive stockpiling could lead to higher prices or even supply crunches. (Remember in 2020 when toilet paper stockpiling briefly spiraled into a mini crisis as everyone made runs on the stores?) Amir Mousavian, professor of supply chain management at the University of New England’s College of Business, told [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/04/stockpiling-ahead-of-higher-tariffs-is-a-big-mistake-experts-say.html) that stockpiling could cause more harm to consumers in the way of shortages, outweighing the possible marginal benefits. Stockpiling is also inherently difficult because many items are perishable and there are really only so many use cases in which you could practically stockpile. Unless you have room in your garage, where are you going to store a giant Walmart haul of goods from Mexico and Canada? If you're at the point where you're asking yourself if you should fill up your freezer with avocados, maybe pause and question if you're trying too hard to min-max the situation. That's also money you're literally freezing away that you could have been using for anything else, like earning interest or supporting your spending. In addition, not all of Trump's threatened tariffs may come to fruition. Wall Street analysts, including those at [Goldman Sachs,](https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/tariffs-worry-wall-street-over-earnings-hit-inflation-pressure-2025-02-02/) have noted that it's still a question of *if* tariffs will actually go into place on Canada and Mexico. If the situation does devolve to that, the tariffs could be short lived, meaning less effect on American consumers. (Officially, the Trump administration says it has delayed its proposed 25% tariffs by 30 days following pledges from Canada and Mexico related to stopping fentanyl trafficking.) Even if tariffs are enacted, prices won't rise for everything that the U.S. imports from affected countries. There are robust supply sources of some imported goods already stored in the U.S., and other goods can be sourced from countries not under threat of tariffs. Alternatively, you could buy domestic products — for example, substituting Budweiser and Vermont-grown maple syrup for Modelo and Canadian syrup. In certain cases, however, consumers may face increased costs as tariffs take effect. Categories like electronics and apparel are expected to be among the most affected by China tariffs, for example. It's fine and potentially even prudent to move up normal purchases that you know you are going to make in the near future anyway, experts say. We've [covered](https://money.com/what-to-buy-before-trump-tariffs/) some things to consider buying now from appliances to cars. 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