Tariffs Update Part 3: Big Turn + Unseen Costs

• What's changing this week about the tariffs?
• Unseen consequences of the tariffs up to this point
• Several ways I hope to ease your path as a stationery lover

After the Supreme Court’s decision, why the tariffs are not going away:

The Supreme Court has ruled POTUS’s extreme tariffs of 2025-’26 unconstitutional. However, in response, the President immediately imposed a new 15% global tariff, this time under a law more favorable to his aims. As The New York Times reports on Feb. 22, 2026: “In Asia, countries that rushed to reach deals with the U.S. before the Supreme Court decision now face the reality that they may have been better off waiting.” These include Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Indonesia, among others, basically almost all the important players in the international stationery community, with one big exception. China stood its ground and, the NYT speculates, is now in a more favorable position to negotiate a “better deal” than these other nations going forward.

The tariffs have notably increased costs for small business owners and consumers in some indirect or unseen ways:

Apart from huge customs duties themselves, material and manufacturing costs have risen surrounding global tariffs, driving up the retail price point for tape rolls, paper packs, stickers, and all sorts of stationery items.

You may have noticed over the past couple of months – on popular international retail platforms such as Pinkoi where many indie artists sell their stationery products – baseline prices have jumped up dramatically. Rolls of tape previously priced in the $6-10 range are now in the $12-16 range, and tapes formerly $14-16 are now $20-22 for a roll. This coincides with the industry-wide push to phase out 10-meter rolls in favor of 5-meter rolls, so now we’re seeing half-size rolls lurching up in price, such that per-loop prices are considerably higher than a year ago. Paper products have increased by $3-4, as well. I’ve watched as items left in my online carts since early January all jumped in cost. It's likely that Pinkoi recently raised fees on artists' shops, contributing this this.

As consumers, we’re used to paying $20-22 for a designer tape roll once it’s imported to the U.S., due to the international shipping fees involved, but we expect to pay less when buying direct from a seller overseas. That's shifting around and we've yet to see quite where the new price points will land, especially since the tariff rates are still a moving target. Regardless of where tariffs are headed, carrier services are not going to hasten to eliminate the new hefty handling fees they've imposed (often higher than the tariffs themselves). We can expect to be stuck with those in the long run.

Some steps I am taking to help keep prices down:

To help balance the scales, I've been beginning to bring over some inexpensive, non-designer tapes from China, and offering series sampler bundles, for those who still want to replenish their journal decorating supplies with fresh tapes but can't afford to splurge right now on designer goods at the new higher price points. Let me know whether you find those mass market, budget-friendly tapes worthwhile, or would rather I continue to focus more exclusively on the newest designer releases.

I also plan to bring out some beautiful tapes from the archives, so to speak – tapes from recent years that precede the new tariffs. This will give you a chance to peruse tapes you may have missed the first time around, from popular talented overseas artists. I haven't yet decided how I'll highlight these for you to browse, since they won't be New Releases. I may add a “Rediscover Old Favorites” tab or something similar. And I'll continue to look for additional ways to offer beautiful stationery at affordable prices.

As a community, I believe we can also encourage each other to shop our own collections, trade tape loops with penpals, and inspire each other by sharing ways to keep creativity flowing on a budget! I'll explore these ideas more in the blog in coming months.

Have a great week!