Tariffix

Tariffs made simple — track, compare, and calculate in seconds.

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Inspiration

With tariffs becoming a popular topic in recent news, we saw a growing gap in consumer understanding of how these hidden costs influence everyday purchases. Tariffix was born out of a desire to make that information accessible, understandable, and easy for the average American shopper.

What it does

Tariffix is a dual-platform tool a Chrome extension and a website designed to help consumers understand the hidden layer of tariffs behind the products they buy.

  • Browse smarter on sites like Amazon and Walmart with real-time insights into tariff-influenced pricing powered by AI.
  • Look up HTS Codes (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) to understand import taxes on specific goods.
  • Estimate how much companies pay in tariffs, and how those costs might be affecting you.

How we built it

Tariffix was developed as a monorepo featuring:

  • A Next.js website for tariff education and HTS lookup.
  • A Vite-powered Chrome extension to overlay data on online stores.
  • A shared AI backend that scrapes metadata (product category, country of origin, etc.) and calculates estimates.
  • A ** Pricing algorithm to ensure even with errors you ensure you get an estimate.
  • A MongoDB database to store and update HTS codes and tariff rates.

Challenges we ran into

Finding accurate, real-time tariff data was harder than expected.
We initially planned to use the U.S. Department of Commerce’s FTA Tariff Rate API, but it hadn’t been updated since early 2024.
To solve this, we created a custom dataset using web scraping and tariff tables, allowing us to estimate tariff costs across various goods.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Built a seamless integration between extension and site.
  • Developed a flexible backend for live tariff estimation.
  • Made a complex economic concept easier for the average consumer.

What we learned

  • Tariff data is fragmented and hard to access, centralizing it is valuable.
  • Building for both web and extensions takes planning and modular design.
  • UX matters a lot when explaining dry, complex topics like international trade.

What's next for Tariffix

  • Integrate real-time news on trade policy and tariff changes.
  • Expand the database to include country-specific tariff rules.
  • Partner with financial organizations and companies.
  • Add visual graphs and price comparison tools for better insight.

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