“Tariff ” might be the defining word of 2025. The Trump administration’s crusade to tariff trading partners around the world has upended markets and shaken trust in the United States. The situation isn’t resolving anytime soon, either: Following the U.S.’s decision to impose a 104% tariff increase on Chinese goods, China reciprocated by raising its tariffs on American goods from 34% to to 84% .
In short? It’s a mess, and no one can predict where we go from here. Markets, of course, loathe uncertainty, so when the global economy gets this shaky—especially when that instability is the direct result of one administration’s actions—companies act to protect their interests.
If you, like me, are an American, it’s our country that’s throwing these tariffs at nations around the world. As such, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to see companies pause sales and business in the U.S. for the time being. While there aren’t a ton of organizations running with this playbook, there are some notable names that have done so already.
Nintendo
Last week was like Christmas Day for us Nintendo fans . The company spent an hour walking gamers through the new Switch 2 , announcing new games , upgraded play styles , and, for the first time, in-game chat (including video calls ).
Switch 2 preorders were scheduled to start April 9 , and seeing as the console has been hyped for years , preordering the console would be your best chance of picking one up.
That’s no longer the case. Following the tariffs, Nintendo announced Switch 2 preorders were delayed in the U.S. , though the console’s official June 5 release date remained unchanged. It’s not clear if or when Nintendo plans to make preorders available to Americans, or whether the company will hike the price of the Switch 2, but seeing as the console alone starts at $450 , any increases will make this an expensive handheld.
Framework
Framework makes laptops you can easily mod and upgrade yourself—the antithesis of most tech companies these days. Unfortunately, U.S. customers are going to have a hard time getting these machines in the near future.
Following Nintendo’s lead, Framework announced on Tuesday a pause on sales for specific laptops. The company says that, following the April 5 tariffs, they will not sell some of the base-model Framework Laptop 13 machines in the U.S., including the Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 5 7640U models.
Then on Wednesday, the company announced a pause on U.S. preorders for the new Laptop 12. Framework is also holding back on announcing a price for this machine, as it will likely cost more than originally intended.
Razer
Razer, a major laptop manufacturer, has taken things even further: The company has essentially stopped all laptop sales to the U.S. , and has paused sales on some of its accessories as well. If you browse the various laptops for sale on the company’s site, you’ll only find “Notify Me” buttons, rather than any option to purchase.
You can still purchase Razer laptops from other vendors, but I imagine those machines could sell out quickly given the company’s sales pause, or even jump in price.
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive
If you’re in the market for a luxury vehicle, you might want to hold off on buying a Jag or a Land Rover. Jaguar Land Rover Automotive is pausing shipments of vehicles to the U.S. , following Trump’s 25% import tax on vehicles entering the country.
Basic Fun
You might not know the name Basic Fun, but you probably know its products. The company makes toys like Care Bears, Lincoln Logs, K’nex, and Tonka Trucks, but has paused shipments of its products that are made in China. The company’s chief executive, Jay Foreman, told the New York Post that he “cannot risk putting any product on the water that might incur [high] tariffs as implemented and threatened by the president.”
Swiss watches
The Post also reports that Swiss watchmakers, such as Audemars Piguet, Breitling, and Rolex, are pausing shipments as well. For context, Trump imposed a 31% tariff on Switzerland .
Small businesses
The big-name businesses like Nintendo will make headlines, and will be easy to track when they pause sales or preorders to the U.S. But what’s more difficult to identify are the number of small business pausing or stopping their sales due to these tariffs.
In general, these tariffs are going to hit the smaller players in our economy hardest. These companies don’t have the capital to either pay the higher fees on goods they’ve purchased from other countries, or to stop sales while they figure out their next moves. They’ll have to raise prices to stay afloat, but then contend with consumers who may be hesitant to shop, since, well, everything is getting more expensive.
Many of these companies have placed orders before the tariffs went into effect, but by the time the goods arrived in the U.S., multiple rounds of tariffs ballooned the fees. Sarah Wells, founder of Sarah Wells Bags, owed an additional $15,000 just to get her goods from customs . On the other hand, Emily Ley, owner of Simplified, has sued the Trump administration over these tariffs . Ley says the tariffs will cost her an extra $630,000 in fees this year.
This is an ongoing situation. I will continue to add companies to this list as they announce pauses in sales and business.
