How tariffs are impacting the prices of lawnmowers and snowblowers

Paul Hollingworth explains how it might be more costly this year if you’re looking to get a new snowblower for winter as tariffs impact power equipment prices.

U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum are driving up the cost of lawnmowers and snowblowers, according to a Halifax vendor who fears the price tag may scare customers away.

“We sell products that are made of steel and aluminum,” said Maritime Lawn and Garden owner Derrick Forgeron. “There is quite a bit of that in the componentry of the equipment.”

According to Forgeron, most of the machines he sells are produced in the U.S., but they are made with steel and aluminum parts from Canada and other parts of the world.

Back in March, the U.S. applied a 25 per cent import tariff on steel and aluminum from all countries, which means, the cost to buy these items is going up, some by roughly 10 per cent or even more.

“And that’s primarily due to those aluminum and steel tariffs I would suggest,” said Forgeron, who added he is concerned the fear of price hikes could chase away customers this winter, when people typically purchase snowblowers. “There is always that fear when prices rise, that you are going to have consumers not spend, because they can’t afford it for whatever reason.”

Customer Rick Kitchin believes high tariffs are the new reality, and he’s resigned to paying more for items in the future.

“Tariffs are a hard thing to handle, because everyone is paying them but as much as much as we hate paying them, we have to,” said Kitchin.

Dalhousie University professor Dan Shaw said tariffs have cause priced instability which results in confusion and fear for customers.

“Customers have reference prices in their head for what they are going to pay for products,” said Shaw. “What was a $1,200 snowblower could now be a $1,500 snowblower. Are people going to buy a low-end snowblower instead of a mid-end snowblower?”

Forgeron said there are other negative impacts on his business. Anticipating tariff-induced supply chain and manufacturing issues, he stockpiled tools, equipment, and machinery to sell in the future. By doing that, he has spent a lot of upfront money and put a financial strain on his company, he said.