UPS Rolls Out Tool to Help Shoppers Avoid Surprise Tariffs

UPS is debuting a tool to help online shoppers view the added cost of tariffs.

UPS Global Checkout is designed to ease international trade as a trade war between the United States and other nations complicates eCommerce shipping, according to a Wednesday (March 26) press release.

“Until now, international purchases often arrived with an unpleasant surprise — an additional bill for unpaid import costs,” the release said. “UPS Global Checkout solves that problem by guaranteeing upfront the amount online shoppers pay in duties, fees and taxes, and eliminating the frustration of unexpected costs at delivery.”

The offering comes amid increased anxieties around tariffs, with President Donald Trump expected to introduce new levies next week.

“The timing’s great, but it’s been something our customers have been asking of us for a while,” said Kiel Harkness, vice president of strategy for UPS’ European and Americas markets, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

A survey of shoppers in the U.S. and the U.K. found that 41% held back from buying products from an international eCommerce site if duties and taxes were not clear at checkout, the press release said.

Meanwhile, PYMNTS Intelligence found that — among consumers who said they are informed about the tariff situation— 57% think tariffs will have a negative financial impact. The data showed that 78% of those surveyed said they anticipate higher prices because of the tariffs, while 75% expect product shortages.

“If you’re getting flashbacks to those empty store shelves during COVID, you’re not alone,” PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster wrote last month. “It’s the same kind of anxiety that consumers now express, just with a different root cause.”

Findings from The Conference Board’s monthly review of consumer sentiment found that tariff concerns could be leading consumers to buy things now before they get too expensive.

A lack of confidence could be seen across income levels, while “consumers’ optimism about future income — which had held up quite strongly in the past few months — largely vanished, suggesting worries about the economy and labor market have started to spread into consumers’ assessments of their personal situations,” said Stephanie Guichard of The Conference Board.