When Dan Turner of Turner Hydraulics ordered a custom product for a U.S. steel mill from a Chinese manufacturer back in January, he was expecting to pay a 25 percent tariff on the $49,000 product when it arrived this spring at a port in the United States.

But that was before President Donald Trump announced his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries around the world—and then subsequently paused most of his so-called reciprocal tariffs while simultaneously escalating his trade war against China.

Just days after the custom product shipped, Trump announced China would face minimum tariffs of 145 percent, but the rate can vary by product. Turner is now expecting to pay significantly more than a 145 percent tariff when the item, currently somewhere on a container ship in the ocean, arrives. 

“So we are having to pay an $84,000 tariff on a $49,000 item,” Turner told The Dispatch in an interview. “We’re just hoping either the ship sinks or somebody comes to their senses before it hits the dock.”

‘We’re Just Hoping the Ship Sinks’