Import Tariffs: Piper Explains (Updated March 2026)

Hey, Piper here!

A lot has changed in the tariff world since we last talked about this, and almost all of it is good news for shoppers. The Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s sweeping import duties in February 2026, and we want to make sure you understand exactly where things stand and why your order with us has been protected throughout all of it.

The Big News: The Supreme Court Struck Down Most of Trump’s Tariffs

On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most significant trade rulings in decades. In a 6-3 decision (Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump), the Court held that President Trump exceeded his authority when imposing sweeping import tariffs using a 1977 emergency law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.

The short version: the president doesn’t have the unilateral power to impose tariffs by declaring a national emergency. That authority belongs to Congress, and the Court said so clearly.

Those IEEPA tariffs, which included the so-called “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs and duties as high as 145% on goods from China, were terminated on February 24, 2026.

What’s Still in Effect

The ruling didn’t wipe out every tariff on the books. A few things remain:

• Steel and aluminum tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act are still in place
• Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese goods (which predate Trump’s second term) also remain
• A new 10% global tariff that Trump announced the same day as the ruling, imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a different legal authority the Court did not address

That last point is worth watching. Section 122 tariffs are time-limited to 150 days and capped at 15%, so this is a narrower tool than what was just struck down. Whether it gets extended or replaced through Section 301 investigations is still developing.

What Does This Mean for Your Order?

We want to be clear about something: your order with us has been protected from tariff exposure throughout all of this, and that hasn’t changed.

If you’re a U.S. customer: Most of our U.S. orders ship domestically, from within the United States. Your vaporizer doesn’t cross an international border on its way to you, which means import tariffs of any kind don’t apply to your order. If our stock in the US is limited, we ship from Canada and cover any tariffs or import fees before shipment. Not all orders require tariffs, so we eat the cost on the few orders that do require duties to be paid.

If you’re ordering from Canada, the UK, or the EU: We handle duties and taxes pre-shipment through our international logistics setup. You’ll see the full landed cost at checkout with no surprise charges at the door. We don’t always have to pay full duties on every international order, but when we do, that’s our cost to manage, not yours.

We built things this way on purpose. Tariff volatility was predictable long before it made headlines, and we weren’t going to let it become your problem.

A Bit of Background (For the Curious)

The tariff situation over the past year was unusual by historical standards. No president before Trump had ever used IEEPA to impose tariffs. It was a law designed for freezing foreign assets and blocking financial transactions during national emergencies, not for setting trade policy.

The reciprocal tariffs announced in April 2025 hit rates of 145% on Chinese imports and affected nearly every U.S. trading partner. The business impact was immediate and significant. Hundreds of small businesses sued. Courts at every level ruled against the administration. The Supreme Court agreed.

The refund process for tariffs already collected is ongoing. More than 1,000 companies have filed claims, and federal courts are currently working through how that process will unfold.

What We’re Watching

Trade policy is still shifting. The 10% global tariff now in place under Section 122 is temporary by law, but the administration has signaled it plans to use the 150-day window to launch new Section 301 investigations that could produce additional targeted tariffs.

We’re monitoring this closely. If anything changes that affects what you pay or how we ship, you’ll hear about it before shipment.

Let’s Puff Forward Together

The worst of the tariff chaos is behind us, and shoppers are better off for it. For you as a Pipe Puffin customer, the practical reality is the same as it’s always been: we handle the complexity so pricing stays predictable on your end.

Same great prices. Same shipping you’d expect. Same flock looking out for you.

Your Feathered Friend,
Piper Puffin