ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – As the Fourth of July approaches, fireworks retailers are gearing up for one of their busiest weekends of the year. But with a 30% U.S. tariff on Chinese imports in effect, some shoppers are wondering whether their holiday celebrations will come with a bigger price tag.
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Roughly 95% of consumer fireworks sold in the United States come from China, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With that kind of dependency, a tariff of this size has the potential to shake up prices and availability across the board.
Still, many local shoppers say they haven’t noticed much of a difference.
“Some mortars, some sparklers for the baby — we spent $129,” one customer, McKenzee, said while shopping with her family.
Phantom Fireworks Vice President Bill Weimer says the company was proactive in preparing for the tariff’s impact.
“We have at least 70 to 75% of our products that will be tariff-free, same price as last year,” Weimer said. “There will be 25 to 30% of the products that will have some adjustment. We’re not going to pass it all on… but the customers, by and large, who shop Phantom will basically be paying what they paid last year.”
At the Phantom Fireworks location in Jacksonville, customers seemed more focused on tradition than inflation, many using coupons and bundle deals to save.
“Coupons went crazy,” one group of kids said, after tallying their total at $177.
“Same price it was last year,” another shopper added.
Store employees say inventory has remained strong despite international trade tensions.
“Corporate was very proactive in stopping shipment and production once those tariffs hit,” said Bryan Narvaez-Hernandez of Phantom Fireworks. “So it hasn’t impacted us like what most people would think.”
Weimer says he’s hopeful the fireworks industry will receive a tariff exemption before the end of the year, especially since there is no domestic production of consumer fireworks in the U.S. Without that relief, he warns, prices could rise more dramatically in the future.
