TIMONIUM, Md. — Baby gear is about to get significantly more expensive as new tariffs on imported products take effect, with some popular stroller systems increasing by as much as $450.
Leading baby gear manufacturer UPPAbaby has announced price increases despite efforts to absorb costs. One of their most popular stroller models will jump $300 (from $899.99 to $1,199.99) while the compatible car seat will increase $150 (from $349.99 to $499.99) starting May 5, according to a pricing sheet posted by the owner of Three Littles, a Washington D.C. baby gear store.
The price hikes come as companies respond to escalating trade tensions and new tariffs on products and parts manufactured overseas.
"There is no scenario where we could pretend like it's not going to happen," said Pascal Yammine, CEO of Zilliant, a pricing platform.
Zilliant recently surveyed over 400 senior executives about their response to tariffs. While just under half said they plan to reduce operational expenses to maintain current pricing, 44 percent indicated they will pass increased costs to customers.
"Smaller companies don't have as much leverage to negotiate with their suppliers. Smaller companies don't have as much capacity to absorb the cost or absorb the margin hit. They don't have as much operational cost to shed either," Yammine said.
UPPAbaby, based just outside Boston, posted a statement on their website notifying parents that while they've made every effort to absorb costs, price increases are "unfortunately unavoidable."
For budget-conscious parents, secondhand options offer significant savings. At Once Upon A Child in Timonium, gently used baby gear sells for a fraction of retail prices.
"So 95 percent of what you see in our store when you walk in is gently used," Kristen Suter, president, owner, and operator of Once Upon A Child – Timonium, told WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii. "The majority of what we sell in this store actually retails for about $5 and under. So our goal is to keep our price points at 50 to 70 percent of the original retail value."
High-end brands like Nuna are also available secondhand at substantial discounts.
"We do have a Nuna MIXX, and that is currently retailing on our floor for $225. Those sets start upwards of $800 and can go up from there," Suter said.
While Nuna and UPPAbaby are considered premium brands, parents can find other stroller brands selling for under $100, with secondhand options available "anywhere from $30 to $40, $50 to $80, and it would have been double, if not more than that retail," according to Suter.
Apparel and shoes are also top sellers in the secondhand market. "This was an Under Armour heat gear, new with tags, $10," Suter pointed out.
Online marketplaces provide additional options. Erin Kelly, a Maryland mom who started the Facebook Group “Modern Era Resellers,” helps families recoup some costs while finding new homes for their items.
"I always say we're somewhere in between consignment and cash for clothes," Kelly said.
With clothing and toys selling for just a few dollars, the savings are substantial. "Now that I've been doing this for so long, I can't justify buying new honestly, because, you know, a $30 shirt, we can get it for $6 or $7. It just doesn't make sense," Kelly said.
Her group ships nationwide and is seeing increased interest. "This year, we're already at 136 inquiries for the year, where last year, we were only at 51 inquiries at this point. So definitely more people are trying to sell their clothes," Kelly said.
As tariffs push retail prices higher, secondhand options are increasingly attractive to budget-conscious parents.
"Everything can be washed, everything can be cleaned. And it all has new life. They grow so quickly. You only use some of these things for three months, and then they're outside of the weight and the height range. So do yourself a favor, and if you jump on the bandwagon sooner than later, you will save yourself a lot more money," Suter said.
Safety experts don't recommend buying car seats secondhand unless you know the full history of the seat and can verify it wasn't in a crash, recalled, or past its expiration date.
Several lawmakers have asked the Trump Administration to exempt essential child care products from the tariffs, but no exemptions have been granted yet.
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