American smart home and home security manufacturer Wyze just received its first tariff bill, and the amount shocked the company. According to a Wednesday post on the company’s X (formerly Twitter) account, it received a $255K tax bill for importing $167K worth of floodlights. The company even shared a screenshot of the receipt proving how much it paid U.S. Customs and Border Protection:
For those who say we made it up... pic.twitter.com/3wEL6u1VTQApril 30, 2025
The U.S. and China escalated their ongoing trade war with a series of tariff increases in April 2025. This started when President Donald Trump applied a 34% import tax on Chinese products, which Beijing matched soon after. The White House responded by tacking on an extra 50% tariff, which China matched evenly. At the end of the day, China settled for a 125% levy on American goods, while Trump countered with a 145% duty of his own on Chinese products.
Both countries soon put exemptions on various items. Trump was the first to blink in the tariff race when he put an exemption on computers, smartphones, and other electronic gadgets that come from China. This is crucial, especially as the U.S. imports 66% or more of consoles, monitors, smartphones, Li-ion batteries, and laptops.
On the other hand, China has reportedly waived the tariffs on chip imports from the U.S., and has even told companies that have already paid duties that they’re eligible for refunds.
Wyze says that it’s been trying to move its manufacturing from China for at least a year, and that it will probably be out of the country in around two months (the company is seemingly moving its factories to Vietnam). In the meantime, Wyze has no choice but to absorb the tariffs for importing components it needs to make its products.
Some commenters asked the company why it did not just source from U.S. vendors to avoid these tariffs. And while it would’ve been an amazing option, the company said that the chips and materials that it needed aren’t just available locally.
“It’s not just moving a factory, the whole neighborhood has to come,” Wyze replied on X.
