BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Some businesses in Western New York are dealing with tariff tensions as they try to figure out what tariffs will mean for the cost of products they buy and how much will be passed on to you.
I spoke to a small buffalo manufacturer and a hockey shop manager on Wednesday, a few hours before President Donald Trump officially announced his tariff plan.
READ MORE: Trump announces baseline 10% tariff on imports for all US trade partners
At Great Skate in Amherst, I asked manager Keith Farkas how tariffs could affect the price of the hockey equipment he sells.
“I think it could be 5%, maybe 10%," he said. "Some items may be untouched, but things are going up in price. It's hard to predict.”
Farkas doesn't believe the increase will significantly affect his business in the long run because the price of hockey equipment tends to rise yearly, no matter the situation.
“People are still going to buy,” he said. “We will have the best prices that can be sold. No one is going to have a better price than me.”
Just about everything in the store is made in another country – a hockey stick from China and gloves made in Vietnam and any tariffs placed on these goods could lead to price increases.
“Some of our stuff is overseas, like China and Mexico, and it does affect the prices,” Farkas added.
From sports equipment to Buffalo-made novelties, the ripple effect of these tariffs extends beyond the hockey world.
David Sheffield, owner of Buffalo BottleCraft, is feeling the uncertainty.
Sheffield’s company imports hockey pucks from Canada to turn into bottle openers and koozies. Sheffield said he is stuck “between a rock and a hard place."
“The uncertainty is the most frustrating part,” Sheffield said.
He explained that his company imports between 20,000 and 30,000 hockey pucks annually, but if tariffs continue, he’ll face a tough decision.
“At the end of the year, I make $10,000 to $15,000 less for my family, or we have to raise the price, and when customers see a higher price, sales typically go down,” said Sheffield.
Sheffield’s options are limited. The most significant hurdle he faces is that there are no American-made hockey pucks available to purchase.
“There’s not a single manufacturer of American hockey pucks,” he explained. “They don’t exist. I can't do that. I can't go support American products because nobody makes hockey pucks in America.”
Sheffield said he has new products he would like to launch but is holding off because he’s not sure he can afford it.
