As many of you may know, small businesses across the United States have been navigating a new wave of tariffs introduced by the current administration. These policies have placed significant strain on independent retailers and caused ripple effects across global supply chains — all at a time when many of us are just beginning to recover from the devastation of COVID-19.
I wanted to take a moment to explain what’s happening in more detail. There’s been a lot of confusion and misleading narratives around tariffs, and as a small business owner, I believe it’s important to keep our customers informed about what these policies really mean — for us, and ultimately, for you.
First: Who Actually Pays Tariffs?
Despite what you may hear, tariffs are not taxes paid by foreign countries. They are import taxes paid by American businesses — and more often than not, those costs are eventually passed on to the consumer. But in our case, we’ve chosen to absorb as much as we can.
The Timeline of Tariff Changes
April 2, 2025: The administration announced a blanket 10% tariff on imports from all countries, with additional "reciprocal" tariffs to follow.
April 9, 2025: The reciprocal tariffs were paused for 90 days — until July 9. However, the 10% increase went into immediate effect and remains in place today.
Although we do not import from China (where tariff rates are even higher), these across-the-board changes still hit us hard.
The Unexpected Financial Hit
We were blindsided by several unplanned tariff bills on goods we had already shipped on March 30, which arrived in the U.S. on April 6. These shipments were valued at $150,000. We had budgeted for the previous import tax rate of 2.75%, expecting to pay $4,125.
Instead, with the sudden change, we were charged 12.75% — totaling $19,125.
That’s an additional $15,000 in unexpected costs overnight. No notice, no warning — just a bill we had no choice but to pay.
A Weakening Dollar Adds More Pressure
To make matters worse, the U.S. dollar has weakened significantly in recent months. We pay many of our suppliers in foreign currency — and now, each payment costs us more:
- January 2024: €100,000 = $105,000
- May 2025: €100,000 = $115,000
That’s an additional 10%–15% increase in foreign exchange costs — on top of the new tariffs. Altogether, our costs for imported goods are up by nearly 30%.
The Ongoing Uncertainty
The most frustrating part? We still have no clear direction. We don’t know if the reciprocal tariffs will come into force on July 9. We’re operating on the edge, unable to plan properly for the months ahead — and we’re not alone. This uncertainty is choking small businesses across the country. We have heard of various stories from the small business community and it is heartbreaking to hear of so many businesses having to close down or down size, most of the owners I have spoken to personally have said they have put their shipments to the US on hold temporarily. See more stories here of small businesses being effected.
What We’re Doing at EndlessPens
Despite everything, we’re still here — and still fighting. Here’s what we want you to know:
Prices: We’ve made the decision to hold prices steady despite the increase in our costs. we will reassess this in July based on whether the reciprocal tariffs take effect. If a brand or distributor does request us to increase our prices between now and then we will defintely let our customers know a couple weeks ahead of time.
Orders: Some pre-orders are taking a bit longer than usual, but rest assured — we’re actively tracking every shipment and working closely with suppliers to get your orders to you as quickly as possible.
We remain committed to fair pricing and transparency. Our goal is to absorb as much of these rising costs as we can without compromising on quality or service. This means we are not planning any restructuring as we firmly believe the team behind the doors is what holds us together.
Thank You for Your Support
My team and I are incredibly grateful for your continued support over the years.
These policies have put real pressure on small businesses like ours — but with your continued support, we’re confident we can get through it.
While we understand the administrations goal is to onshore businesses which we fully support we also truly hope this administration reconsiders the direction it’s taking and makes exceptions for small businesses, particularly ones where the products are not readily available and manufactured in the US or the art and design is from other regions of the world.
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy — and policies like these are making it harder and harder for us to survive.
Thank you for reading, for understanding, and for being part of the EndlessPens community. Your support means everything.
7 comments
Lisa
Kevin, thank you for not only writing a letter to us but worrying so much about us that your company is absorbing these ridiculous costs! Your loyalty to us will come back to you, I promise! For those of you who voted for this president….hope you’re happy! He certainly is Making America great again by tearing our business’, economy and families to shreds. I live on disability and they just cut my SS check by hundreds. This is my only income and I have no idea how to make ends meet now but somehow I will survive. GOD will see us through.
Lisa
Kevin, thank you for not only writing a letter to us but worrying so much about us that your company is absorbing these ridiculous costs! Your loyalty to us will come back to you, I promise! For those of you who voted for this president….hope you’re happy! He certainly is Making America great again by tearing our business’, economy and families to shreds. I live on disability and they just cut my SS check by hundreds. This is my only income and I have no idea how to make ends meet now but somehow I will survive. GOD will see us through.
Paul Bottwin
While I inderstand the hardship that small businesses are embracing. Blaming it on the current administration when the corruption and economic disaster perpetrated by the previous woke administration has created this problem and the 100’s of percent in tarrifs this country has paid out in the previous decades to these same countries is unfair, and unreasonable. Your considerationin holding costs down is very laudable and appreciated. As a collector, if I see something that I value, then what I agree to pay for it is worth it to me. The beauti and value of what we own in this hobby is truly in the eyes of the beholder.
Thank you ckr the opportunity to share my feelings.
Best of luck in these difficult times.
Pen Head
Thank you for this explanation and I am so sorry this is happening to you and others. I always appreciated how hard you all worked to offer your products at substantial savings. I own a “grail” pen thanks to you all I never could have owned otherwise. I am skeptical the administration truly cares about boosting US industry and business but I won’t get into that further here. For my own part, the middle class lifestyle I worked very hard for decades to attain is disappearing due to this administration’s wholesale destruction of the federal government. For several years I supported many small businesses like yours by purchasing pens and related supplies. No more. At a time when I should be planning for retirement I am instead forced to start my life entirely over or lose my home and everything I worked for. I hope this national nightmare will end for all of us, but I am not holding my breath. Good luck to you all.
Gilbert Trujillo
I am so sorry to hear of the burden this situation has caused you. Please know that as a loyal customer, my prayers and loyalty remain with you and the EndlessPen family during this difficult time. Thank You & Take Care.
John
Thank you for sharing this with me and all your customers. In ordinary times, there is much in life that we cannot control. But for a government to intentionally make lives unpredictable is just crazy. And it is not just tariffs. The government has cancelled contracts, fired workers for no valid reason, destroyed economic, social and health data that is stored on government computers, attacked universities and news services, and is also acting against families. I wish you and your business good luck. I pray that the country I love can survive without morphing into something unrecognizable.
Eric Joseph
Endless Pens knows I love fountain pens, which define a luxury item. For most of us who are regulars customers, a $500 pen that becomes $550 would not be a deal breaker. Higher quality Conklin made in the US…priceless! Thank you.