Why You Shouldn’t ‘Panic Buy’ in the Face of Tariffs

You’ve probably heard a thing or two about theongoing tariff situation.

You might know the Trump administration has beenimposing tariffs on countries around the world since February.

What started as a 10% tariff on China, for example, has multiplied more than tenfold.

Other countries have had tariffs threatened, imposed, then paused, all seemingly at random.

It’s chaotic, and it’s having real-world implications on the stock market, businesses, and consumers.

Are devices going to get more expensive?

Here’s the thing: No one knows exactly what’s going to happen here.

That said, the blanket 10% tariffs are still in effect here.

Suddenly, Apple’s “budget” iPhone is anything but.

Of course, that assumes a company like Apple passes along every cent of the tariff to consumers.

In fact, instead of raising prices,some companies are pausing sales in the U.S. altogether.

However,experts do expect companies to raise pricesas tariffs make importing goods and products more expensive.

Some companies have already confirmed as much.

But in all likelihood, you don’t actually have to buy anewdevice right now.

I mean this in a couple of important ways.

You might be surprised how some simple maintenance can improve the performance of an older laptop.

There has arguably never been a better time to buy last year’s tech,ora machine secondhand.

Side by side, sure, you may notice some performance gains.

Smartphones really are a good example of this new age of technology longevity.

Companies likeSamsungandGoogleused to support their smartphones for only a few years at a time.

Now, both guarantee software updates for seven years.

There are stores that sell certified refurbished deviceslikeAmazon,Best Buy, evenApplethat come with limited warranties.

You may find even steeper deals on used markets likeReebeloorBack Market.

That’s not to say you shouldneverbuy the newest equipment.

It’s the latest thing the company offersbells, whistles, and all.

It also helps when it makes financial sense to buy the latest piece of tech on the market.

Who knows what they’ll offer you once smartphone manufacturers raise prices.

That said, Apple could easily raise the price of the MacBook Air due to tariffs.

If so, poof!

There’s goes that great value.

If you’rethinkingabout buying a new Mac, but your current laptop is working just fine, hold off.

That’s how I think you should approach this current tariff situation.

Buy it if you need it, wait if you don’t.

If the price jumps, consider an older model instead.

You’ll get a great deal, and you could upgrade your tech when you actually need to.