Big monitor brands are stockpiling displays as a buffer against Trump’s tariffs

The big picture: The ongoing tit-for-tat tariff battle between the US and China could lead to a five percent increase in monitor prices for American buyers. That might not seem like much, but it marks a sharp reversal from the steady price declines of recent years driven by intense competition in the display market.

According to Asian supply chain sources cited by DigiTimes Asia, rising tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the US are set to drive up monitor prices. In response, major brands are stockpiling inventory in an effort to keep price hikes as low as possible.

This situation stems from the Trump administration’s aggressive trade policies, which triggered retaliatory tariffs from China. These tariffs have put additional pressure on monitor manufacturers, whose margins were already razor-thin. As a result, major brands like Dell, HP, and Samsung are being forced to adopt more conservative shipment targets as rising costs disrupt their pricing strategies.

However, the industry giants have a contingency plan: stockpiling. DigiTimes reports that these companies are rushing to import extra inventory – potentially around 2 – 3 million units – to buffer against the expected price increases.

Moreover, second-tier brands that were already struggling to compete with the pricing and logistical power of industry giants could be facing even tougher challenges ahead.

Historically, these smaller players have had little negotiating leverage when securing production capacity and maintaining profit margins. Now, with supply chains disrupted by the trade war and first-tier brands aggressively stockpiling, they are likely to face even higher costs that will be much harder for them to absorb.

A five increase may be the best-case scenario at this point. When the tariffs were first announced, the Consumer Technology Association warned that a worst-case escalation could send prices skyrocketing by 60-100 percent for some product categories. Fortunately, we haven’t reached that level yet.

However, experts caution that tariffs will lead to price hikes across the board. GPU costs have already been affected, and some manufacturers, such as ASRock, are even considering shifting production from China to Taiwan. Meanwhile, TSMC is reportedly planning to raise the prices of its most advanced semiconductor wafers by up to 15 percent this year.