If you've shopped for a sofa lately, you've probably noticed two things: the price is higher than you expected, and the delivery date is further out than you'd like. Neither is a coincidence.
Since October 2025, most imported upholstered furniture with a wood frame, which covers the majority of sofas, sectionals, and armchairs, has carried a 25% tariff. Imported kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities carry the same rate. An increase is scheduled for January 1, 2027, to 30% for upholstered pieces and 50% for cabinets and vanities. That date has already moved once, so treat it as a forecast, not a promise.
Why it shows up in price and timing
A tariff is paid by the company bringing the piece into the country, and most of that cost eventually lands on the price tag. The less obvious effect is on timing. When brands shift production to new factories or new countries to manage costs, they are also changing frame suppliers, foam, and fabric mills. Every one of those changes can add weeks.
Five questions to ask before you order
Where is it made, and what is the frame made of? Upholstered wood-frame seating is the category hit hardest. Other materials and categories fall under different rules.
Is my price locked when I pay or when it ships? If your order ships after January 1, ask in writing whether a tariff increase could be added to your bill.
What is the real lead time? Ask what the date is based on and what happens if it slips.
Is there an in-stock or floor model option? Pieces already in the country have already cleared the tariff.
Can I swap the fabric? Sometimes the frame is ready and the fabric is the holdup.
Look closer to home
This is a good moment to rethink where your next piece comes from. Vintage and secondhand sofas are not new imports, and many were built better than what is on the floor today. Local workrooms and makers can be competitive, especially once you factor in time. And if you already own a sofa with good bones, reupholstering it may cost less than replacing it, and it keeps a well-made frame out of the landfill.
My advice
Don't panic-buy. If you need a sofa, buy the one that fits your space and your life, ask hard questions, and get the answers in writing. If you can wait, wait for the right piece, not the right headline. Furniture should outlast the news cycle.
Chanae Richards is the founder of ọlọrọ interiors and a voice on design, home, and creative business. For interviews, visit the Media + Press page.
