California PC case maker CaseLabs has gone bankrupt.

The firm announced via Twitter (below) that it was going out of business, blaming the new trade tariffs that US president Donald Trump introduced. According to CaseLabs, prices rose 80 per cent off the back of these, eroding the company's margins.

These tariffs are likely the increasing number applied by the US to Chinese imports. Though designed to hit China where it hurts, it's clear they are harming American businesses also.

Additionally, a large client defaulting helped spell the end for the hardware firm - CaseLabs was in the process of trying to secure a deal to survive but this fell through.

"We have been forced into bankruptcy and liquidation," the company said.

"The tariffs have played a major role raising prices by almost 80 per cent (partly due to associated shortages), which cut deeply into our margins. The default of a large account added greatly to the problem... We reached out for a possible deal that would allow us to continue on and persevere through these difficult times, but in the end, it didn’t happen."

It's bad news for customers too as CaseLabs is unable to fulfil orders on cases but other items may ship.

Photo credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com