Shortly after the US announced a tentative trade agreement with Japan, setting tariffs at 15 percent, several US retailers listed several camera models as unavailable. The reason? Rumors of a tariff-induced price hike have created a rush of new orders, according to one store.
A US-based camera retailer, who wished to remain anonymous, told Digital Camera World that the reports that came out last week from Fujifilm Rumors caused a rush of new orders. The retailer paused orders because they were unsure if they would be able to fulfill those orders if the rumored price increase were to occur, as reported, on August 01.
The retailer reported that they had not yet heard official word from Fujifilm on the rumored price increase.
However, another retailer, Capture Integration, a specialty camera shop focusing on large format cameras, reported that Fujifilm prices would increase on August 01, at a rate between 7-11 percent. The retailer reported this on July 22, the same day that the tentative US-Japan trade deal was announced.
Fujifilm US has declined to comment.
Last week, a number of US retailers changed the status of several Fujifilm cameras, listing cameras like the X-M5, GFX100RF, and X100VI as temporarily unavailable. When tariffs were first announced, US orders of those popular camera models were paused, but pre-orders eventually resumed, and the X-M5 was available without the wait list last month.
Now, one of the retailers has spoken up, noting that a rush of orders and uncertainty over whether or not the reports are true led to the pause in orders.
While a number of camera brands have already adjusted prices in response to the tariffs, Fujifilm’s initial response was to temporarily pause orders on some popular models back in April, “in order to assess various changes, including tariffs, and their impact as cost-increasing factors.” At an earnings call with investors, Fujifilm initially estimated that the new US tariffs could cost the company $140 million.
Then, in June, Fujifilm’s US web store began listing JP models of several popular cameras, presumably made-in-Japan versions of some cameras made in China, although Fujifilm did not share an official comment on the JP models.
While moving production likely helped Fujifilm avoid the highest tariffs, the list of countries with increased import costs to the US is long enough that US President Donald Trump has even threatened longtime trade allies Canada and Mexico beginning August 01. Back in April when the reciprocal tariffs first began rolling out Blackmagic Design said the tariffs complicated plans for building a manufacturing facility in the US because parts and components would still face increased tariff costs.
Tariffs and trends have created the perfect storm for Fujifilm users in the US. The brand’s most popular models, including the X100VI and X-M5, had long wait lists of pre-orders even before tariffs began affecting stock availability. Currently, Fujfiilm’s US webstore only lists the X Half and the X-H2 as in stock, along with pre-orders for the recently announced X-E5.
A number of camera brands have already increased list prices in the US following the reciprocal tariffs. Some brands announced that a price change was coming with a date. Others adjusted prices quietly, and, in some cases, some reports of price changes from rumor websites proved true with time.
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