Tariff Troubles in 2025: What Importers Can Do Now to Protect Margins

Written By Winson Teh

What's Happening Now

U.S. businesses importing goods — especially from China — are facing renewed tariff challenges in 2025. A series of reimposed and increased tariffs have raised costs on everyday items, from electronics to plastics to packaging materials. The Biden-era rollbacks are gone, and the Trump administration’s latest moves have reinstated steep tariffs of up to 30%, with some sectors like electronics accessories impacted even more.

Why It Matters More Than Ever

Importers are feeling the squeeze:

Cost Pressures: Margins are eroding across retail and wholesale.

Uncertainty for Q4: Planning is difficult with constantly shifting tariff lists.

Sourcing Bottlenecks: Everyone is looking to shift away from China at the same time, leading to vendor delays.

According to a recent WSJ report, more than 70% of U.S. supply chain executives are actively seeking alternative sourcing hubs.

Your Options Are Shrinking

The longer you wait to respond to tariff volatility, the fewer viable options remain:

Mexico and Vietnam are in high demand, and lead times are growing.

Factories in Malaysia and Indonesia are selective about who they work with.

Building a reliable supply chain outside China takes more than just finding a new supplier — it requires logistics coordination, compliance, and trusted partnerships.

Where Aplars Comes In

At Aplars, we’ve specialized in sourcing and supply chain management for over a decade, and we saw this trend coming. We’ve built strong, verified supplier relationships in:

  • Mexico (packaging, electronics accessories)

  • Vietnam (textiles, molded plastic)

  • Malaysia (cables, consumer electronics)

We don’t just give you a vendor — we give you a turnkey solution:

  • Vendor vetting and sampling

  • Freight and logistics planning

  • Tariff classification and documentation support

We recently helped a U.S. accessories brand shift 40% of its production to Vietnam in under 60 days — avoiding over $120K in Q1 tariff costs.

Get Started Today

If tariffs are putting pressure on your margins — or if you simply want to explore diversification — we can help.

Request a Free Tariff Strategy Session. We’ll review your current sourcing setup and provide a 3-option plan (stay + optimize, partial shift, full shift).

Winson Teh