Tariffs and Landed Cost Risk
- Importers continue to face tariff complications and rising fuel prices that drive landed‑cost uncertainty. - NPR reported a tariff‑refund portal opening, while CPA Practice Advisor flagged persistent importer challenges. - Those timing pressures can delay OEM and channel purchases, so forecasting should surface deals awaiting refunds or routing changes ( ).
Importers got a new way to seek tariff refunds on Monday, but many still face weeks of cost uncertainty before that cash comes back. (cbp.gov) U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the first phase of its CAPE refund system opened April 20, 2026 for certain unliquidated entries and some entries within 80 days of liquidation. The agency said later phases will handle more complicated claims. (cbp.gov) NPR reported the portal opening after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in February. TIME reported those refunds cover roughly $130 billion in collected tariffs, and Fortune, citing the Associated Press, said businesses may wait 60 to 90 days to get paid. (npr.org, time.com, fortune.com) That timing lands as freight costs are moving too. CPA Practice Advisor reported Global Port Tracker projected March imports at 1.97 million twenty-foot equivalent units, down 8.3% from a year earlier, while importers also faced higher fuel costs. (cpapracticeadvisor.com) Landed cost is the full price of getting a product to a warehouse shelf: factory price, duty, freight, fuel, insurance, and customs fees. When one piece changes after a purchase order is written, importers can lose their margin or delay the order. (kpmg.com, avalara.com) Trade advisers say the refund process itself adds another layer of planning. RSM said companies must act promptly and meet technical filing requirements, while Davis Wright Tremaine said importers should prepare documentation now as court orders and eligibility rules continue to evolve. (rsmus.com, dwt.com) The tariff fight is also spilling into digital trade. Bloomberg reported in March that the United States was pressing the World Trade Organization to make permanent the moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, and Congress’s research arm has said cross-border data flows now underpin payments, logistics, and other trade services. (bloomberg.com, congress.gov) Budget Lab at Yale estimated the 2025 tariffs had raised $214.7 billion in inflation-adjusted customs revenue above the 2022-2024 average as of February 2026, before the court decision vacating the emergency tariffs. That left many importers balancing refund claims, new routing choices, and fresh purchase decisions at the same time. (budgetlab.yale.edu) For companies buying from overseas, the immediate question is no longer just what tariff rate applies. It is whether the duty gets refunded, when the refund arrives, and what fuel and freight cost by the time the container lands. (cbp.gov, cpapracticeadvisor.com)
