Computer & Office Equipment Distributors NAICS 423420, 423430

Jan 2, 2026 - Trump Administration Considers Tariff Options

• The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are legal. Computer and office equipment distributors are likely to benefit if the cost of goods imported from countries that were hit with tariffs decreases. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled earlier that President Trump overstepped his authority when he declared national emergencies to justify tariffs on many countries. The Trump administration can use other laws to impose duties on goods from other countries if the tariffs are ruled illegal. The administration will most likely rely on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to recreate Trump's tariffs, experts told Business Insider. Section 301 allows the US to place tariffs on goods from countries if they "either violated international trade law or otherwise acted unfairly," according to Rachel Brewster, a professor of international trade at Duke Law School. The law includes provisions that allow the president to form trade deals with other countries to resolve the unfair trade practices, so the deals Trump already struck could likely be "folded into" Section 301, Brewster said. Section 232 allows the president to impose tariffs on goods determined to be a national security threat. Trump has already applied it to goods ranging from aluminum to bathroom vanities, according to Business Insider.
• Some electronics products imported to the US have been exempted from President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, according to US Customs and Border Protection. Profit margins of computer facilities management services may be compressed if tariffs are applied to these products in the future. The exemption, which comes after the Trump administration imposed a minimum tariff rate of 145% on Chinese goods imported to the US, does not include the 20% tariff on Chinese goods for the country’s alleged role in the fentanyl trade. Smartphones, computer monitors, and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. The exemption applies to products entering the US or removed from warehouses as early as April 5.

• Workplace occupancy, an indicator of demand for office equipment, was 55.8% for the seven-day period ending on September 10, up from 51.4% for the seven-day period ending on September 3, according to data gathered from swipes of access control cards in buildings with security systems provided by Kastle Systems. Occupancy has struggled to remain above the 50% mark since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic despite attempts by many organizations to bring employees back. The Austin, TX, metropolitan area had the highest occupancy for the seven-day period ending on September 10 at 69.8%. The San Francisco, CA, metropolitan area trailed all others tracked at 42.6%.
• Computer and office equipment distributor industry employment increased slightly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased significantly during the first seven months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer and office equipment industry sales are forecast to grow at a 3.2% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Professional and commercial equipment distributor inventories remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels.