Many people were worried about the rise in camera prices caused by the U.S. government’s extensive new tariffs. However, now the tariffs are impacting on the availability of cameras as Fujifilm announces it has suspended some shipments.
Tariffs
Over the past month, President Donald Trump has imposed a wide-reaching range of tariffs on goods coming to the U.S. This has meant that U.S. companies and consumers have to pay extra for any products made outside of America. The extra money generated by the tariffs is kept by the U.S. government. Although the overseas companies don’t pay the tariffs, the increased retail prices can affect demand for their products.
What does this mean for Fujifilm?
Fujifilm is based in Japan. However, several of the company’s most popular cameras are made in China. Currently, the U.S. tariff on goods coming from China is 145%. This means that to buy a camera that costs $1,000, American consumers will have to pay an additional $1450, making a total of $2,450. Fujifilm still gets the same $1,000 it did before the tariffs were introduced, and the U.S. government banks the tariff fee.
The impact on U.S. retailers
The popularity of Fujifilm cameras has meant that the company has struggled to keep up with the demand over the past year. As a result, U.S. consumers are used to having to pre-order and wait for stock to arrive. However, the situation is even worse right now.
On the B&H Photo website, the new black Fujifilm X-M5 with the 15-45 mm lens is listed as “currently unavailable”. The body-only version of the camera is also shown as “temporarily out of stock” and “request assistance.”
What has Fujifilm said?
Following the concerns raised over the lack of stocks, the Fujifilm North America Corporation issued a statement. It said, “In the U.S. market, we have temporarily suspended orders for some digital camera products in order to assess various changes, including tariffs, and their impact as cost-increasing factors. As a result, we are currently not accepting new pre-orders for the X100VI, GFX100RF, and X-M5 (Black) models.”
What we think
It’s a challenging time for businesses both outside and inside the U.S. Over the past few weeks, President Trump has been imposing, raising and lowering tariffs with increasing frequency. On occasion, tariffs have literally changed every 24 hours. This makes it very difficult for companies outside of America to operate with any degree of certainty. As a result, it’s easy to see why Fujifilm has chosen to suspend supplies to the U.S. Unfortunately, this means that consumers in the U.S. will face the double pain of increased prices and reduced stock levels for the foreseeable future.
