Source: Engadget
“Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter just announced something called a ‘Tariff Manager Tool’ that lets creators add new surcharges to funded projects. This should help these creators deal with the unexpected costs of Trump’s global trade war. Here’s how it works. Creators will be able to apply per-item surcharges to account for tariff-related cost increases. These charges will appear as a separate line item on the payment page for folks who have funded the project. It only applies to items heading to US-based shipping addresses. Not everyone will want to, or be able to, pay an additional fee for something they backed months or years ago when the economy was stronger. Backers will be given the option to decline the surcharge, in which case a creator can issue a refund. A blog post does suggest that backers and creators could find ‘another resolution,’ beyond a refund, but didn’t get into specifics.” (04/28/25)