(March 26): United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) is launching a new tool for online shoppers to automatically see the added cost of tariffs that are increasingly flummoxing international shippers. 

The new service will calculate and guarantee the cost of any levies on products in a shopper’s online cart at checkout, UPS said on Wednesday. The product aims to address a longstanding problem of buyers being handed surprise charges from international duties when their parcel arrives, an issue that risks becoming more prevalent as President Donald Trump’s trade war escalates.

“The timing’s great, but it’s been something our customers have been asking of us for a while,” said Kiel Harkness, vice president of strategy for UPS’ European and Americas markets.

E-commerce retailers who ship with UPS can integrate the tool, dubbed Global Checkout, into their websites, which will calculate the cost of tariffs and ultimately show online shoppers their final price, inclusive of duties.

UPS and rival FedEx Corp have each touted the ability of their customs brokerage businesses to weather policy changes since Trump was elected on promises to use tariffs to reshape international trade ties. Trump has already slapped tariffs on steel and aluminIum imports and threatened an array of additional duties on trading partners and goods such as autos and pharmaceuticals.

The potential fallout has spooked some UPS and FedEx investors. UPS shares tumbled on Tuesday after Bank of America analyst Ken Hoexter lowered estimates for the company’s first-quarter earnings, citing tariff uncertainty. FedEx’s stock also fell last week after it trimmed its outlook for the year on expectations of continued weak demand.

UPS’ new product will be available to shippers in 43 countries. The company says it could help boost volume from international and small- and medium-sized businesses.

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