7/11/2025 Update.
For the "TL;DR" crowd: If you have a summer project on the to do list, our recommendations would be to order ASAP as pricing can and likely will increase without notice given the volatility of the situation.
Shortly after rolling out his massive and widespread import taxes on nearly everything imported to the USA President Trump blinked. The large scale taxes are on hold for 90 days or until the President changes his mind. July 7th, one day before President Trumps the new implementation day, he changed his mind and now August 1st is the new implementation date for his 32% tax on goods from Taiwan (where 3M manufactures its Pro Series Paint Protection Film). However a broad 10% tax on essentially everything imported is in effect. This means that once rolls subject to this new tax hit the ground our prices will be going up 10%. Also mused was the loose plan to increase the import tax on essentially everything imported to 15-20%! Tax baby tax. Buy now or pay more later is the theme of the year.
We are also anticipating large scale supply disruptions across industries including ours as importers hold USA bound shipments until more certainty is achieved. This means once on hand goods are sold out it could be quite some time until a replenishment supply arrives. We have been given no direction on the timing as current situation does not make that possible. All we know is that pricing will likely be going up, it is just a question of when. If you have a spring paint protection project on your to do list we suggest ordering ASAP.
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For the "TL;DR" crowd: If you have a spring project on the to do list, our recommendations would be to order before April 9th in case the President does not change his mind and does indeed go through with these massive new taxes.
Yesterday, April 2, 2025, President Trump rolled out his massive and widespread import taxes on nearly everything imported to the USA. These new taxes will impact every business and every consumer in the USA, even those with domestic production / final assembly as the supply chain is global and most things you buy do have some fine print regarding globally sources materials / components.
Our company was founded in 2003. Even way back then 3M PPF has always been produced with globally sourced materials. Starting with the current generation of Scotchgard Pro 200, 3M moved production to Taiwan to improve quality and maintain price. There has been no indication from 3M they currently have the ability to produce these materials in the USA.
What does this mean for your paint protection needs? According to the list published by the President, Taiwan (where 3M produces its pro series paint protection film) will be subject to an additional 32% import tax starting April 9th. The instability of the messaging coming from Washington has made business planning a challenge for every business including ours. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep pricing stable but if tariff changes are not made and the cost goes up 32% or more that tax increase will be directly reflected in retail pricing.
If you have a spring project on the to do list, our recommendations would be to order before April 9th in case the President does not change his mind and does indeed go through with these massive new taxes.