Trump’s Tariffs Could Hit You in an Unexpected Place: Your Vinyl Collection

As the chaotic rollout of President Donald Trump’s tariffs last week rattled the nerves of companies across nearly every industry in America and around the globe, one small business owner in the San Francisco Bay Area was trying to figure out if he could finagle his way through a loophole. Eric Mueller of the punk rock record label Pirates Press was wondering whether he could classify his company's records—which include colored vinyl releases by bands like Rancid, the Slackers, and Cock Sparrer—as “informational material.” Doing so would allow the records to be imported from overseas pressing plants without incurring a tariff under a little-known law. More than anything Mueller is hoping to find peace of mind. “The volatility is insane,” he says. “We had a couple dozen shipments leave in the past few days, and we’re trying to figure out what we're supposed to bill people!” The Trump administration’s erratic on-again, off-again approach to tariffs is seeding general confusion through ... Read full article.