BILLINGS — Fireworks are a popular way to celebrate Independence Day, but consumers went into the holidays uncertain of what it would cost to light up the skies because of tariffs.
Many stands in the Billings area purchased their fireworks before tariffs were implemented on China, where 95% of fireworks are manufactured, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
With a 30% tariff now in place on imports from China, prices may fluctuate from stand to stand, depending on when the products were imported.
Watch how Billings fireworks stands are handling the tariffs:
Eric Fisher — a fireworks enthusiast who describes the experience as incredible — is excited to see many people out enjoying fireworks with their families this year.
Still, Fisher expressed concerns about how tariffs might affect the cost for families celebrating Independence Day.
“It absolutely worried me,” Fisher told MTN.
Fisher, who has owned the General Mortars Fireworks stand in Lockwood for 32 years, decided to purchase fireworks earlier than usual this year.
“I started purchasing them in March and early April to make sure that we stayed ahead of the tariffs,” Fisher said.
He sources his fireworks from a distributor that imports directly from China.
“I did not want to be passing along additional expenses to customers, so I was very specific about making sure that I got that done,” Fisher said.
It seems that Fisher’s way to keep costs low is working.
“I don't even remember what the prices were last year,” said Jason Daviau who buys fireworks every year.
From Daviau’s perspective, whether tariffs are in place, it has always been expensive to buy fireworks.
Despite the potential impact of tariffs, Fisher believes that the prices at his stand have remained steady. However, he understands that some customers were hesitant to buy fireworks this year.
“I would expect that people are probably a little more cautious in their purchasing just because of the kind of a sense of uncertainty in everything right now,” Fisher said.
