Why It’s Impossible for Most Small Businesses to Manufacture in the US

Dallas-based small business owner Allen Walton says he just sold out of one of his products, a surveillance camera used by law enforcement and private detectives. That would normally be great news for Walton’s electronics company, SpyGuy, which specializes in gadgets like GPS trackers and hidden camera detectors. But thanks to the Trump administration’s ever-shifting tariff policies, Walton says he doesn’t know if he should replenish his stock. His products are mostly manufactured in southern China, and the new additional 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports will completely change the economics of his business. Like almost every other electronic device on the market today, what Walton is selling isn’t typically manufactured in the United States, and all he can do is to wait for the tariff situation to hopefully change again soon. “It took me five years to finally rank the number one keyword on Google. That’s why we ran out of stock. Now, I don’t know if it’s worth it to have my hit p ... Read full article.