It’s not a great time to have a hobby

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If your hobby involves ordering something from overseas, there’s a chance it’s feeling more like a job these days. That’s because tariffs are affecting prices and shipping procedures, impacting multiple industries that are supposed to be helping people decompress from the workday. Putting a price tag on fun: Need some new gloves for gardening? Thread for sewing? Dice for rolling? If any of it comes from another country (and it often does), you may also be importing a headache. That’s partly because last month, the de minimis exemption, which allowed products worth $800 or less to enter the US duty-free, ended at the Trump administration’s direction. Things got so confusing that many countries stopped shipments to the US to get a handle on how to process them, giving woodworkers, gamers, and knitters a puzzle to do, too. Changing winds: Then, there’s the fact that tariff rates have been changing rapidly this year. For example, Texas retiree Frank Vaughan wanted some new sails for his boat. According to the New York Times: In February, a Chinese company he contacted wanted about $400 per sail. A few weeks later, the price went up to $1,200 each. An American company, which sourced its sailcloths from China, quoted him at about $800 per sail—but he would have to wait six to eight months. He ended up buying used sails for $236 each. Big picture: The new tariff reality is also affecting the platforms where hobbyists peddle their wares. Etsy and eBay have both warned investors that the end of de minimis could impact business.—BC