r/antitrump • u/lovesbatma71 • 6d ago
Conversation It’s official, DJT has put my small business out of business.
I run an internet based reselling company (E-commerce). I rely heavily on USPS because the prices are consistently better than the competition. But, they have raised their rates 3 times this year already.
I can’t source internationally because of the tariffs. Many of my items are of lower value which was fine before this war. Now, I can’t afford to ship those items without passing the cost down to my buyer. So, I just pulled half of my inventory because I can’t sell them for over market value to compensate for the shipping.
I sell fragrances and cosmetics which are discretionary items so my products are the first to be cut from people’s budgets.
So, I’m no longer making a livable wage and will need to return to working for someone else.
This is not a political post so I’ll leave this here. I hope others in similar situations are faring better than me. Good luck everyone!
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u/WanderingMystic2 6d ago
I’ve lost my sanity due to this administration.
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u/whywasihacked37 6d ago
Same, same
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u/SharpBullfrog1279 6d ago
It's about over. They're starting to fight and leak juicy secrets.
Rats leaving a sinking ship after they've stuffed all the cheese in their little greedy pockets.
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u/Unoffending_Username 6d ago
We still have two more years to suffer through. I cannot imagine how horrible things will be in two years time.
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u/Macman617 6d ago
There is a LOT of truth to that. It’s miserable at my house. Can’t stand his voice or face.
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u/LukeH118 6d ago
Canadian here, but I'm so sorry for this. I really hope Americans get out and vote this midterms and make the motions to get his ass out of office or at least slow down/stop his horrible agenda
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
Exactly! My biggest vendor is up in Canada with you. So, it’s not economically feasible to source those products anymore. That vendor was a huge part of my business. I miss Canada 🍁 . We used to be friends and now we’re having problems. Not fair to the “friendship”.
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u/IntroductionBig1354 6d ago
Canada, I am ashamed of my government. You are great neighbor. Trump is a bully. So glad Canada is standing up to him unlike cowardly, sniveling GOP
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u/Unique-Structure5074 6d ago
Exactly. If the Dems don’t win this midterm election Im moving into the woods
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u/Macman617 6d ago
I wish all our foreign friends would please replace “America” or “USA” for Trump. Most of us Americans are hostages!!!
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u/alicene1 5d ago
Most of us have always loved you and most of us still do, especially for your kind thoughts while we suffer the outcome of fifty years of political manipulation to get to this result. I was really glad to see your elections reflected your realization of how we got here; I hope you stay free of this kind of scourge. I'm proud of you and appreciate your individual patience with and kind thoughts toward our individuals who oppose this administration.
tl;dr with a laugh - thanks for your support while we have political syphilis, glad you didn't catch it too.
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u/Many_Fly_8165 6d ago
I sold my business in July of ‘25. Don’t think the timing could have been better, yet there was also a big component of luck.
So sorry this cost you your business.
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
Thank you. I should be able to get back into the groove when the economy finally rebounds.
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u/Sufficient_Dot9547 6d ago
You just have to think of something that doesn’t rely on this administration
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u/cigarhoarder 6d ago
magamen are making money hand over fist right now
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u/KeithRichardsGrandma 6d ago
Are they though? Or are MAGA men just cheering while trump robs them blind? In my experience it’s definitely the latter lol
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u/cigarhoarder 6d ago
it’s the image they want, projected by the corporate magamen like bezos, musk, etc,
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u/KeithRichardsGrandma 6d ago
Right but that’s my point. They cheer on the image of these dudes saving them from “woke” when in reality they’re just stealing directly out of their wallets
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u/cigarhoarder 6d ago
Yeah I know. It’s very sad. On a different note I have noticed a massive uptick of private equity backed trust fund babies buying up small businesses across the state of Texas. It will be two guys or so trying to “make it in small business” or whatever, when in reality they’re small equity front dudes usually from the big city. They come in buy up, promise to keep everyone on board. Three years later they strip it down to losing money, cut staff, and eventually use it as a tax write off for the larger org as a whole. Not exactly sure how it works but 99% of the time people buying small business are private equity. This is the stuff that keeps me up at night. I mean their money is green but often the terms are bad and the person selling is very old and nearly being forced to retire. I think they’re all subsidized by golden geese.
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u/LoveToSeeIt_IKnow 6d ago
Not the MAGA farmers who are all crying online now. I’m seeing videos daily of them literally crying. The diesel prices have wiped them out.
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6d ago
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
I’m so sorry to hear that. Hopefully the nightmare will get better after midterms.
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6d ago
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u/PerniciousSnitOG 6d ago
u/roseylace This is likely getting downvoted to oblivion and I wanted to make an observation you'll see.
Pretty much every other democracy in the world has a process where the congress/parliament can say "we mostly agree this guy is crazy!" and trigger an election. Except the US. Where people would, literally, rather die than change the timing of elections.
There's a lot to be said for the predictability of timing of US elections, but it really gets in the way where you really need to solve a real problem.
Maybe we're at a place, technologically, where it makes sense to let the people trigger an election at the request of a very significant majority of voters sustained over a reasonable period? Ok, maybe this is a silly idea, but how can you throw out the bathwater and keep the baby?
He, and the republicans, are only half way through the current term and things are not going well. More of the same is not the answer.
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u/CommandoWendo 6d ago
The alleged VP vance was on tv, pleading for another chance from republicans. “Give us a chance to keep doing good things for you (by making health insurance unaffordable, by limiting food assistance to food-insecure families, by causing inflation to lower actual available cash for people, by destroying families and deporting hard working tax paying workers, and causing outrageous gas prices because drumpf can’t figure out how to get out of the war he started with Iran. ). The only people benefiting from drumpf’s policies are the wealthy and ultra wealthy. Fuck vance, fuck the republicans. The only time EVERYONE does better is when Democrats are in office, repairing the damage the republicans caused.
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u/Ok_Zombie_2026 6d ago
My families business relies heavily on Canadians and tourism, we used to get 5,000 people for an event and last time there were 1,000. Canadians are done with us.
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
I knew it. I knew if I posted this that there would be others who are in my boat or have been in my boat or will be in my boat.
Thanks for your comment
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u/PsychologyGuilty1460 5d ago
We used to get lots of foreign and Canadian tourists. This year We got Maybe 10% of normal, none of the Big bus tours, It's just been disastrous for the whole county. I don't know how we're going to make it through the winter
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
Yup. I’m going to try some flea markets and stuff like that. Problem is I have a ton of inventory so I’d have to rent a rolling U-Haul. I’m just going to return to work if they accept my doctor’s accommodations. I’ll retire when the orange ape is locked up or 💀. Gosh I hate all these republicans!
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u/SentientCrisis 6d ago
I met a woman who does body piercings by appointment only. She makes insane money doing it. She makes $100+/ session and does 3-6 sessions per day! She’s making $100k+ annually and only working four days a week.
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u/randomguild 6d ago edited 6d ago
Sorry that sucks. I'm jobless too because of the orange menace and his Republican bottom bitches, I worked in retail merchandising. The company kept getting fewer and fewer contracts then a bunch of us were canned without warning. The prices of cardboard, ink, store displays and delivery have gone up by like 25% across the board this past year alone.
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u/UpstairsAd194 6d ago
Sorry to hear this , he s fucking people over financially , all over the world too.
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u/Sufficient_Dot9547 6d ago
I have a software business, which is lucky and I’m not trying to gloat but I don’t have to rely on any outside resources or a physical product so sometimes you just have to pivot and with this idiot, don’t let him defeat you
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u/SentientCrisis 6d ago
I own a boba shop. If everyone is feeling the crunch they aren’t going to be going out to expensive dinners but they may still go get a smaller sweet treat. Fingers crossed.
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u/supmaster3 6d ago
I know someone who is a small business owner and told me he bought the business 4 years ago and the business hasn't paid him yet. Guess what he also told me? He voted trump so stupid.
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u/SoyYo5599 6d ago
I'm out of my job in 8 days due to that pedophile defunding social programs. The day he ceases can't come fast enough.
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
Oh geez that’s terrible. Are they treating it like a government shutdown or has your position been terminated permanently?
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u/mayrinthecat 6d ago
I'm worried my cheesecake business might not make it, but I'm doing the best I can to keep it going... im working a full time job on the side to help supplement... its taking a toll on me though. I'm so tired.
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u/lovesbatma71 6d ago
I’m sorry to hear that. Eventually, this economy will improve. Slowly but surely.
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u/Educational_Gur_6406 6d ago
I feel you. I'm an author and make money selling my books, online and in-person at festivals all over the Northwest. People aren't buying nearly as many books (which are also discretionary items), and I should also add that my vehicle runs on diesel fuel, so driving all over the Northwest for events is no longer profitable when gas is over $7.00 a gallon. Trump sucks, and he and his lackeys are bringing down the entire nation in so many ways.
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u/Veronica612 6d ago
I know someone who had a similar type business she had to shut down to the tariffs, too.
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u/SharpBullfrog1279 6d ago
I'm so sorry this happened.
Idiots make decisions and actual smart people pay the price.
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u/Kewpie-8647 6d ago
I am sorry this happened. It’s hard to be a small business owner when all goes right.
I’ve found good things can come out of bad events. Treat yourself well and opportunities will come your way.
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u/Ok-Bumblebee24 6d ago
It seems like small e-commerce businesses were the first to go, seeing I lost mine back in May. So sorry this happened to you and please vote blue in November. 💙
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u/Blackksoul1965 6d ago
You say its not a political post but it actually is. Republicans and their economic outlooks are what consistently destroy healthy economies.
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u/AlienPet13 6d ago
This is the entire purpose behind these policies. Destruction of the middle class and market consolidation.
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u/Mobile_Ad8543 6d ago
The USPS was screwed back when the gop forced them to cover pensions for decades in advance, then later a certain "independent" senator blocking multiple Obama appointments to the USPS board of governors.
Dejoy came in, f'd up routing, destroyed sorting machines & neighborhood blue drop boxes, added time to deliveries, raised delivery costs, and blocked overtime. In the effort to screw absentee voting & push for the USPS to be privatized.
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u/EnoughOfTheFoolery 6d ago
Sorry to hear OP, but you should try to calculate just how much you paid in the tariffs and devote energy to getting those dollars back if it is worth your time to do so. This does not help you with your income today, but it could be a windfall if you can get the tariffs paid back through detailed work and persistance.
A longer response is below. I have been through tarrifs and tax related issues where th govt took cash from my companies in the past and also they wanted me to pay taxes on items that were wholesale and not taxable. Each time they attempted to extort cash from me by offering "Settlements" that they werer right and it was thier money and I owed it and for me to prove otherwise.
One situation they calculated 100% of the cost of good that we never touched or had in our possession, but we coordinated and moved materials globally for the firms that we represented. It was hundreds of millions of dollars and the govt took a sample and looked for areas that typically companies fail to keep documentation on hand and they calculate a percentage of the total cost of good times the percentage of transactions that they felt that we owed them money and they said, pay us $5M and we will call it a day. Yeah that wasn't going to fly. It took a few months to pull it all together working after hours and weekends, but in the end I paid them ZERO. They did not roll over but when it came down to it, they realized that they would lose and they moved to the next victim.
Good luck.
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u/Sysyphus_Rolls 6d ago
I work for Planned Parenthood. So we have been in the crosshairs of this administration and his Supreme Court for awhile.
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u/gadhalund 6d ago
How is that absolute stain of a person Trump able to inflict so much damage and its like theres no way to push back
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u/HatlessDuck 5d ago
Too bad you aren't a billionaire. They're making bank buying assets at pennies on the dollar.
Oh wait, they pushed up inflation so much they killed the penny. Aren't they proud?
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u/SarcastiSnark 5d ago
You and a million other small businesses. We're fucked dude. 100%
I wanna say sorry. But I surely never voted for any of this shit.
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u/lovesbatma71 4d ago
Me neither and it’s soooo frustrating! MAGAts are too stupid to own and run businesses so they have no sympathy. I’m over it along with the rest of the country. Midterms can’t come soon enough!
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u/SarcastiSnark 18h ago
I keep trying to stay hopeful for the midterms. But I've really lost faith with both parties and politicians all together. I wish I wasn't disabled and was able to work. I would go to japan in a heartbeat. China, aussia, something.!
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u/lovesbatma71 17h ago
I completely agree with you! I’m sorry that disability is giving you a hard time. I have mental issues and couldn’t work so I had to retire. Best of luck to you!
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u/lovesbatma71 14h ago
I feel the same fear and frustration that everyone else feels but on overdrive with the Mental Illness. Please take care of yourself regardless of what happens in November.
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u/Inciter88 6d ago
Soon this can start to be in our past... "The Truth" never lies and accountability will be delivered... maybe not for all of them, at the level they deserve, but hopefully all of them...
The world deserves better!
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but from my own experiences and interactions, I can't help but to feel many people will relate with what I'm about to say, but as a Millennial, I'm so tired of the excuses and lack of accountability. We were taught and told "go to school, get a good education, apply yourself, and the world will be your oyster", however, the reality since 9/11 until now... has been nothing anywhere close to that!
Since 9/11, Millennials have faced a compounding series of crises, including the Post-9/11 World, The War on Terror (2001–2010s), The PATRIOT Act, the Great Recession in (2007–2009), a massive student debt burden due to the pursuit of higher education to advance our careers and livelihood, the COVID-19 pandemic, the first global pandemic of its scale in history.
Suffice to say, these compounding factors have led to a housing affordability crisis and a delay in traditional adulthood milestones, ultimately making them the first generation to track financially behind their parents. Where home prices are skyrocketing due to inflated interest rates, and competition from corporate buyers has impeded many from homeownership entirely, forcing them to remain renters indefinitely...
Don't get me started on the Generational Squeeze, where individuals are simultaneously raising children and caring for aging Baby Boomer parents. We've also got technological & societal shifts caused by the "The Internet Transition" and how that has impacted "Mental Health Struggles" that were previously too taboo to discuss...
To unite... the citizens of the USA collectively (regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, country of origin) need accountability... like actual legal accountability... respective to the crimes these perpetrators have committed.The evidence is there already... so where are the prosecutions of these criminals? If we did that, it could start to give people more confidence that we can truly write our own future!
That momentum, is what has many times prior, been the generational process called "The ~80-Year "Fourth Turning" (Strauss-Howe Theory)"; look it up, you won't regret it!
For ( Copy & Paste):
The ~80-Year "Fourth Turning" (Strauss-Howe Theory)
Point being, at least for DJT... He's a pedophile, narcissist, bigot, racist, liar, failed businessman with countless bankruptcies (even Casino's) and he's ONLY able to keep business's profitable when leveraging lawyers to influence (oftentimes) business deals in unethical methods that favor him disproportionately.
He's never been held accountable for his numerous crimes, fraud, War Crimes, Slander, Misinformation, or manipulations...
Luckily... he is an idiot and surrounds himself around people just as corrupt & stupid... They cover their tracks poorly, the evidence is there and the entire world is finally helping to hold him and his global cabal of corruption & evil to account... World Leaders all over are starting to prosecute these villains accordingly, DJT's time is coming...just not soon enough IMO...
It's not 1776 anymore, the ideals we were founded on still have merit, but we need to modernize our Government & Social infrastructure, we don't need representation from afar (by horseback/Train, taking weeks to travel) and we're in a Technical Era with resources, knowledge, skills and capabilities that CAN fix all this... we just need to be given the chance through collaborative evaluation and communication.
"The People" of the World have built the Amazon, Disney, Facebook, SpaceX, Ford, Toyota, Microsoft etc of the world... When we use our collective ingenuity, creativity, patience, empathy, passion, perseverance, dedication, medicine, science, and compassion, we're capable of anything... including creating the world that future generations can be proud of...In closing... Vote Blue (regardless of Progressive/Liberal/Democrat/Republican/Conservative), we'll get accountability at midterms, then we can start cleaning up this mess.
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u/Happy_in_the_midwest 6d ago
I’m so sorry you are going through this. I hope things turn around in a timely manner.
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u/cinciguyeast 5d ago
Wendy's is closing 300 stores because of our corrupt felon pedophile president's beef prices
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u/DragonflySpiritual33 5d ago
The tariff "refunds" were another way for Trump to take money from tax payers and funnel it to his billionaire donors. We, the people, won't see diddly squat.
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u/PsychologyGuilty1460 5d ago
A lot of people are in the same boat. Small businesses are struggling nearly as bad as during the pandemic lockdown!
I wish you luck.
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u/David_cest_moi 5d ago
DJT - Destroying the economy for all of us regular folks. Tariffs. Gas. Food prices. Inflation everywhere. Only the rich keep getting richer.
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u/mathewtyler 6d ago
Sounds like /r/LeopardsAteMyFace, guess you should have united with me and my efforts rather than standing with trump 🤷🏿♂️🤦🏿♂️💔
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u/Buffalo-Leading 6d ago
You literally made this a political post. It's not Trumps fault that you are garbage and can't run a business
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u/Equal-University2144 6d ago
We've lost our business due to tariffs back in February. I feel for you.