President Donald Trump has signed an executive order which would raise Chinese tariffs by 250%. This is set to cause several issues nationally, and one demographic that will be extremely affected is college kids.
The tariffs
President Donald Trump recently announced that he will be raising tariffs to 245%. This is economically significant because consumers will have to pay higher prices for items. This is due to American supply chains will have to increase prices and sourcing businesses to other venues. This change will spark higher prices since 70 to 80% of our everyday consumer goods are made in China.
For years, America has relied on China for their imports. Their products are so integrated within society that the raising of these prices are set to drastically affect our economy. One of the age groups that is strongly affected by this is college age kids.
According to financial expert Maja Berenika, who has 20 years in the business of financial planning, Generation Z is one of the larger generations and their dollar counts significantly towards America's bottom line.
“Individuals in their twenties are now active participants in the economy—not only as consumers but also as investors. Their purchasing power is just as significant as that of any other demographic. They occupy a critical position as emerging, influential consumers. As their consumption increases, they may be disproportionately affected by tariffs, particularly given the prevalence of goods manufactured in China. Consequently, any rise in prices due to these tariffs is likely to be especially noticeable for this group,” Berenika said.
There are different ways students will be paying the price following these tariffs. Whether that be through online shopping, or even buying things in our own school bookstore, college kids will be affected.
Online shopping
One of the ways that college age students are going to be affected is through online shopping. It is estimated that almost 28% of online shoppers are between 18 and 21. Due to the tariffs, certain websites prices will skyrocket.
For example, a popular China-based website Shein announced that they will be having to increase their prices due to tariffs. This will occur April 25, 2025. The website specializes in clothing and small accessories and is widely used between the demographics of 18 to 21, despite all the controversies surrounding the company.
At the height of the pandemic, Shein clothing fashion hauls were trending due to the ability to get a ton of clothes for a little bit of money. The idea of this company raising their prices has sparked concern and outrage from college students.
Anyiah Fuller, a communications major from Miami University, says that with the price increase she will have nowhere to get clothes.
“There aren’t a lot of stores for plus sized women physically like me. Torrid exists, but it is so expensive, and the clothes aren’t trendy at all. So, I went to Shein,” Fuller explained, “now that they are raising prices, I’m worried that I won't be able to afford the places that I go and buy clothes."
It is unclear at the moment what the full effects of these tariffs will be on online sites like Shein. But if these prices continue, college students will have to pay top dollar for their goods.
Raider Landing Bookstore
Another place that students might notice changes is in the Wright State University bookstore, Raider Landing.
By visiting the store, you can find that over half of the goods are made in China. This means that WSU students are going to have to pay more for their college merchandise. Students have mixed opinions on this.
Hannah Layton, a WSU Nursing major, is very upset at the prospect of having to pay more.
“The bookstore is already kind of pricey. It makes me upset that there may be an increase in prices because God forbid that I want to have [WSU] merch that is affordable," Layton said.
Other students like Victoria Powell, an English major, do not think that it will make much of a difference.
“I don’t think it will affect us that much. It definitely won't affect me. The bookstore is already too damn expensive to begin with, so I haven’t bought anything from there and I won't buy anything from there in the future. Besides there are Alumni that have Etsy’s that make cuter stuff anyway," Powell said.
While Raider Landing is currently on point for prices of the everyday college bookstore, [WSU] students (and other college students for that matter) will most certainly be feeling it in their wallets once the Chinese tariffs hit.
