*

Trump's tariff threats had prompted importers to stockpile

spring goods early

*

Importers chose to load balance sheets with inventory

rather

than face tariffs

*

Retailers are mitigating risks by ordering from domestic

warehouses

*

Chinese suppliers are more relaxed about tariff

uncertainty

By Jessica DiNapoli, Siddharth Cavale and Arriana McLymore

NEW YORK, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Small importers for large

U.S. retailers rushed in China-made strollers and wares meant

for spring and are storing the goods in their own warehouses to

avoid the big tariff bills that had been threatened over the

next month.

Before Sino-American

talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur

eliminated the threat

of U.S. President Donald Trump's 100% tariffs on Chinese

imports starting November 1, importers were expecting to

shoulder the

staggering levies.

In response, importers of goods sold at retailers Walmart ( WMT )

, Amazon ( AMZN ), and Target ( TGT ) chose to risk

loading their balance sheets with inventory that may take months

to move out, and pay more for warehousing costs. They're also

betting consumer spending holds up in the spring as lower-income

consumers rein in spending and the economy remains uncertain

overall.

"We are trying to front-load spring orders," said Leslie

Stiba, CEO of high-end stroller-maker Austlen Baby Co. "We

brought in as much as we could manage."

Stiba said she placed orders for 20% to 25% more strollers

for spring 2026 - her biggest season - compared to the last.

Overall, she is holding 50% more inventory than before the start

of Trump's trade war, and has held off on hiring due to the new

expenses.

Front-loading has become the norm for months now, as businesses

have tried to get in front of Trump's vacillating levies.

Importers bulked up shipments from China during the six-month

tariffs truce between the two countries, triggering a surge in

shipping rates and port activity.

Reuters reporting, in the days before the framework of a tariff

truce was hashed out on Sunday, shows the phenomenon continued

for spring 2026 shipments.

Like many importers of China-made goods, Stiba had to stop

shipments earlier this year when Trump first imposed tariffs of

about 145%. The halt hurt her business because she did not have

enough inventory to fill orders.

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Some Chinese suppliers took a more relaxed view, baking

tariff-related uncertainty into their business plans.

"Whatever happens on November 1 will happen, and if it

doesn't, it doesn't," said a toymaker in southern China, who did

not want to be named for privacy reasons.

"I don't think very many people are assuming that tariffs

will rise dramatically. ... People might be doing some

front-loading deals with the assumption that we will have a

three-month extension window, but there wasn't enough time to

move orders forward to meet the November 1 deadline even if you

wanted to."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday he

anticipates that a

tariff truce

with China will be extended beyond the November 10

expiration date.

Deng Jinling, manager of a Chinese company that exports thermos

flasks to the United States, told Reuters before Sunday's

development that her shipments were still going out normally and

she wasn't worried about further levies.

"There's no rush," she said. "Most of the goods have already

been shipped. Only about 20% of the U.S.-bound cargo is left."

Not all U.S. importers ramped up shipments.

Spreetail, which distributes large items like trampolines,

was waiting to see if the tariffs would stick, said chief

merchandising officer Owen Carr.

Spring merchandise - from warmer-weather apparel to Easter

baskets - usually arrives stateside at the end of the year, with

volumes peaking right before China's Lunar New Year celebration

in winter.

"Until there is a clear path forward or a resolution (to the

trade war), we can expect to see more front-loading," said Noel

Hacegaba, chief operating officer at the Port of Long Beach, the

U.S.'s second-busiest. "It has resulted so far this year in a

tsunami of cargo."

This year, record volumes including spring goods are far ahead

of schedule, he said.

MITIGATING RISKS

Retailers are ordering more from suppliers' domestic

warehouses, rather than picking up directly from China,

executives at toymakers Hasbro ( HAS ) and Mattel ( MAT ) have

said on recent calls. That allows them to mitigate tariff risks

and control the pace of stocks on their shelves as shoppers

tighten budgets.

Holiday toymaker Hey Buddy Hey Pal, which imports Easter-egg

decorating kits from China, already has 50% of its goods for the

spring ready to be shipped from a warehouse in Dallas, said

Curtis Gill, co-founder of the company.

Balsam Hill, which supplies artificial Christmas trees and

seasonal decor, recently decided to move forward with spring

orders of floral wreaths it had been holding back on placing,

said CEO Mac Harman.

"We did a scaled-back order for spring," Harman said, adding

that he raised prices.