Survey: Tariffs on Chinese goods cost U.S. consumers about $12.2B each month
Americans are rethinking spending, as a majority (66%) have seen price hikes post tariffs.
U.S. adults now spend an extra $12.2 billion each month, averaging $47 more per person monthly following new tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a survey by email and SMS marketing platform Omnisend. (*The $12.2 billion figure is an estimate based on survey responses to the question "how much has your monthly shopping budget increased since tariffs on Chinese imports?" For more, see end of article.) One-in-seven report monthly increases of $100 or more.
Two-thirds (66%) say they've noticed higher prices following the tariffs announcement. Shoppers most commonly point to Amazon (39%), Temu (30%) and Walmart (27%) as places where they noticed a pricing shift.
As for tariff sentiment, 49% of Americans say they oppose tariffs, 28% support them and 23% don't have an opinion. This compared to only 42% who opposed tariffs on Chinese goods in a similar survey conducted in February 2025. There has also been a slight increase of Americans (43%) who are willing to pay more for goods from the U.S., compared to 40% in February.
"You won't see a 'tariff' line at checkout — you feel it in the grocery total, the back-to-school cart, and the small online orders that now cost a bit more to bring to your door,” said Marty Bauer, e-commerce expert at Omnisend. "The impact comes in waves as new shipments arrive, which is why many people felt it first on the big marketplaces and will likely feel it later on at local stores. Even things made here, in the U.S., can increase in cost when imported parts or packaging get pricier."
Other findings from the survey are below:
- With budgets squeezed, consumers are cutting unnecessary spending and have started looking for alternatives. Two-thirds (68%) have reduced or moved away from Chinese marketplaces like Temu and Shein as the end of the de minimis rule for Chinese goods removed much of their price advantage.
- Price increase is the #1 trigger to switch with 34% of Americans citing it as the main reason for no longer shopping on Chinese marketplaces.
"De minimis once let small packages under $800 enter the U.S. duty-free, and platforms like Temu and Shein built their low-price models around it,” Bauer explained. “When that break ended for China, their biggest advantage vanished overnight. Temu paused U.S. ad campaigns for a few months and blocked shoppers from seeing China-shipped items. With fewer listings and higher prices, shoppers started looking elsewhere.”
Shoppers are also looking for workarounds — 23% have already purchased or are actively looking to buy from Canada or Mexico to dodge price shocks. Another 26% say they'll do so if prices keep rising.
Tariffs have people looking for cheaper options, and right now, buying from Canada or Mexico online still avoids extra fees thanks to the $800 de minimis rule, added Bauer.
”However, that is not for long, as on Aug. 29, the de minimis rule will expire for the rest of the world," he said.
Methodology
The survey was commissioned by Omnisend and conducted by Cint in July 2025. A total of 1,200 Americans were surveyed. Quotas were placed on age, gender, and place of residence to achieve a nationally representative sample among users. For more information, click here.
*The $12.2 billion figure is an estimate based on survey responses to the question "how much has your monthly shopping budget increased since tariffs on Chinese imports?" Each survey bucket option (e.g. $50 - $99 more per month) was given a representative dollar value (the midpoint of its range, with a –$25 for the "decreased" group), multiplied that value by number of responses per bucket, and summed the totals to get the average monthly change per adult. This was then multiplied by the total U.S. adult population (258.3 million) to get to the $12.2B figure.
