At Cobblestone Quality Shoe Repair in St. Louis, third-generation cobbler Randy Lipson is seeing more business than usual. With many shoes made overseas and thus hit by President Trump’s new tariffs, customers are turning to repairing the shoes they already own rather than buying a new, now more expensive, pair. Lipson has been joking with his customers that “There’s no tariff on shoe repair!”
Lipson says he usually sees more business during times of economic hardship. “Back when the gas prices hit four and five dollars a gallon, we got busier,” he said. “Any time there’s a situation where pricing in the economy is high or inflation is high, like now, people look for ways to save money.”
The tariffs, which currently stand at a 10% baseline tax on global imports and a 145% tax on Chinese imports, will mean as much as $3800 a year less in consumers’ pockets on average, according to a new study from the Budget Lab. As these new tariffs begin to ripple through the economy, American consumers will opt for secondhand and repair options, fueling a surge in demand across industries that thrive when buying new becomes less affordable. And while this shift would be driven by short-term sticker-shock, it could lead to longer-term, more sustainable consumption practices.
“We might become somewhat less of a throwaway culture and throwaway economy than we have in recent decades,” said Alan Tonelson, an anti-free trade policy expert and founder of the blog RealityChek. He believes this moment represents a short-term windfall for repair professionals.
Shoe repair demand had already been growing steadily before tariffs, especially among budget- and eco-conscious shoppers, according to Justin Bennett, the president of the Shoe Service Institute of America. He anticipates even more business in the months to come.
“When people have that uncertainty, they’re not going out and buying new,” said Bennett. “They’re looking to maintain their things or fix what they have.”
That sentiment is echoed across other repair sectors. In Highland, New York, Hernan Santiago manages Knuckle Busters Auto Repair. Customers bring up tariffs everyday, he says, and he expects people to start holding onto their cars longer, as they did during Covid, when the demand for used cars drove up prices by more than 50%.
Already Santiago has seen customers delaying preventative maintenance to cut costs in anticipation of economic hardship. “They’re holding onto their cash,’” Santiago said. “ Now it’s like the car has to be broken for stuff to get fixed.”
Electronics may also see a boost in repair traffic. In Olympia, Washington, computer repairman Tom Livingston expects to see more business, and even anticipates being able to barter his repair skills for food directly from farmers. “I do believe that it will give us additional work, because people won’t have the money to buy things,” he said.
For items that can’t be repaired or that consumers don’t already own, or even for buying basic necessities, the answer for many Americans will lie in resale or secondhand goods. Deidre Popovich, a consumer behavior expert and associate professor of marketing at Texas Tech University, said rising prices often push people to reconsider how and where they spend.
“As soon as you hear, ‘oh, prices are going up,’ people start thinking more carefully about their budgets,” said Popovich. “That’s when they begin looking for alternatives—especially options that feel both practical and aligned with their values,” as buying used keeps items out of landfills and often, money in the local economy.
Even small price hikes can tip the scales for shoppers on tight budgets, making resale not just a preference, but a necessity. “A 10% increase out of some people’s budget is significant,” said Adele Meyer, executive director of NARTS: The Association of Resale Professionals. “If they don’t want to pay the higher prices, they’re going to look for ways to get the quality they want at lower prices.”
Meyer said members in her organization are optimistic about the impact tariffs will have on the industry, and that in discussions on the organization’s private Facebook group, many predicted a jump in business. Some are preparing by investing in new marketing strategies or strengthening their supply chains. “They’re going to look for new ways and social media to reach out to customers,” said Meyer.
Buying secondhand is also more environmentally sustainable. Eric Doherty is the operations supervisor for a two-sided business in mid-Michigan –Junk Luggers, which does eco-friendly junk removal, and Remix Market, a secondhand furniture and home goods store which sources its goods from the junk removal side of the business.
“There’s all sorts of really great options for people to get stuff that’s one, cheaper than buying box store furniture and two, it almost looks as good,” said Doherty. “It’s great for us, it’s great for rehoming the items, it’s great that we’re living our mission to keep items from going to the landfill.”
To be sure, resale deals are often not as straightforward as simply evading the tariffs. In the used car industry, dealers often need to refurbish a car before it goes on the lot for sale, and may need to order parts that aren’t made in the U.S. and are thus subject to tariffs.
“If you’ve got water pumps, chains, tires, all that stuff that’s manufactured outside of the United States then affects the price of the car,” said John Kohler, managing partner at Complete Auto Sales in Kansas City. “We are all very interconnected.”
According to Popovich, the consumer behavior expert, the price increases in new goods may be permanent. Once manufacturers and importers have to raise their prices, even if tariffs ease, “it’s really unlikely they’re going to now say, ‘Oh, just kidding.’” That permanence could push more people toward resale and repair, not just as a temporary fix, but as a new standard.