US Shoppers Are at Risk of a Costly Christmas as China Hikes Prices

Chinese suppliers to major US retailers like Walmart Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. said they are hiking prices for the first time in years as raw material costs soar just as factories ramp up production for Christmas.

According to interviews with more than a dozen suppliers over the past two weeks, the increases vary depending on the product and type of customer. Chinese manufacturers are raising prices by up to about 5% for some products for big box retailers, according to five of the people, and the increases go up to 15% for smaller merchants, according to 11 of the people.