Biz Owner Feels the Burn of Tariffs as He Tests His 'Made in USA' Shower Head
Customer bracing for high prices due to heavy tariffs on merchandise labeled 'Domestic Production'
Entrepreneur Ramon van Meer took a gamble, putting his 'Made in America' shower head head-to-head against its foreign-made counterpart, only to realize American buyers aren't ready to fork over the extra buck.
Facing mounting tariffs, van Meer, founder of Afina, wanted to experiment with bringing manufacturing back to US soil. But his consumers crashed that dream, saying no thanks to the three times pricier 'Made in the USA' version.
"Nobody's voting with their wallets the way I wanted them to," van Meer spilled to Fox News Digital, after his product landing page racked up 26,000 visits with 584 purchases favoring the cheaper foreign shower head over the pricier domestic one—you guessed it, not one single sale for the American-made shower head.
When it comes to making a splash in the market, putting up a fight against overseas competition isn't as easy, as van Meer found. With manufacturing plants in China and Vietnam under his belt, Afina's shower head currently retails at $129. But the current 170% tariff cost had van Meer hunting for a US-based manufacturer who, as expected, came with an hefty price tag.
"I wanted to drain the swamp of those cheap foreign options but, sadly, the all-American version cost a pretty penny," van Meer added. If he didn't compromise, he'd have to pass the extra cost on to his customers, making them pay nearly triple the price. But hey, he wanted to give them a choice.
So there he was, presenting American-made vs. foreign-made shower heads on his website, with a side-by-side comparison, hoping his fellow-US citizens would tally up their patriotism in the checkout cart. Unfortunately, apparently not enough of them felt it was worth an extra $370.
Trump has been discussing tariffs as the new way to bring back America's manufacturing prowess. But the country's need for infrastructure and skilled workers is still an uphill battle, van Meer mentioned. In contrast, manufacturers in other countries can produce thousands of units a day, whereas in the US, van Meer had to build everything from scratch.
On top of that, there's a list of products that can't even legally be made in the US due to strict regulations, like van Meer's health-monitoring cat litter (sorry, cat owners), and the new, all-electric cars pushing for that green future in states like California, with battery materials being prohibitively expensive to mine in the US. Even the components for van Meer's shower head filter aren't readily available domestically.
Looks like "Made in America" isn't as simple as it seems, or as wallet-friendly. Oh well, at least Trump eased or suspended many of his announced tariffs, but negotiations with China remain rocky, with both countries slapping increased tariffs on each other's imports. Yikes, this could get messy! So here's to hoping we'll see more businesses like Afina striving to make 'Made in America' happen, even if it takes some time and careful planning.
- Van Meer, the founder of Afina, discovered that American consumers are not willing to pay the higher price for a 'Made in USA' shower head, due to the triple cost compared to the foreign-made counterpart.
- The current 170% tariff cost made it difficult for van Meer to find a US-based manufacturer, as the costs were significantly higher compared to overseas manufacturers.
- Despite Trump's discussion on tariffs as a means to revitalize America's manufacturing industry, there are still challenges such as the need for infrastructure, skilled workers, and regulatory barriers that hinder the production of certain products.
- Even with the easing or suspension of some tariffs, negotiations with China remain uncertain, which could lead to increased tariffs and potential economic turmoil. However, this shouldn't deter businesses like Afina, as they continue to strive for the 'Made in America' label, despite the difficulties and extensive planning involved.
