"The big picture: Retailers are reshaping how prices show up, including raising shipping fees on items that face duties after the late-August end of the " de minimis" exemption on postal shipments to the U.S. worth less than $800. Vague charges like "processing" or "import fees" are appearing more often at checkout. Such shifting of tariff costs into the fine print makes it harder to compare prices."
"Stephanie Carls, retail insights expert at RetailMeNot, tells Axios shipping costs have routinely doubled or more - "it doesn't always say it's because of tariffs, but that's often what's behind it." GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders said retailers often adjust shipping since tariffs feel like a shipping cost - but warns consumers "are more likely to balk at unreasonably high shipping fees than higher priced products.""
The end of the de minimis exemption for postal shipments under $800 led retailers to alter visible pricing and raise shipping fees on dutyed items. Retailers increasingly apply vague charges such as "processing" or "import fees" at checkout, shifting tariff costs into fine print and reducing price transparency. In-store re-ticketing and label removal, especially in apparel, have emerged to allow flexible pricing and competitive responses. Online shoppers often see higher shipping costs at the end of checkout. Retail analysts report shipping charges have routinely doubled and consumers react strongly to high shipping fees. Receipts and receipts comparisons show identical items facing much higher shipping charges and inconsistent in-store tags.
Read at Axios
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