Etsy sellers say their previously thriving shops can't rebound from Trump's tariffs

Etsy sellers say tariffs enacted by the Trump administration, and subsequent policy shifts, have crushed momentum for previously thriving shops. Emmalyn Perez, of BewitchedStitchery, built a cross-stitch business that prospered online and on YouTube before tariff changes in February 2025. Tariffs on Chinese imports, partly upheld by federal rulings, disrupted supply chains for makers who relied on inexpensive Chinese production. In Perez's case, production in China uses machines restricted in the U.S. because they're similar to those used to print currency, complicating relocation. As a result, Etsy sales face a challenging environment to rebound amid rising costs and limited affordable manufacturing.