With odious import taxes now coming into effect, electronics sellers in the US are bracing for disruptions to their businesses—Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods are making it difficult, even impossible, to sell profitably to Americans. 8BitDo, a favorite for their high-quality yet affordable retro-themed gaming accessories, is the latest example. The company appears to be limiting shipping to US residents to avoid tariffs.
Americans trying to buy from 8BitDo’s online store are being hit by warnings that some products simply aren’t available to ship. Polygon reports that a warning message on some products explicitly stated that shipments couldn’t be made from its warehouse in China to US residents, and only products available in US warehouses are currently shipping. But as I try to replicate the same message today, it merely says “This product is not available for delivery to your location” for one of the keyboards. 8BitDo may have softened the warning text.
There doesn’t appear to be any specific pattern to which products are available to Americans and which aren’t. The only way to figure out what’s actually available is to go through the checkout process and enter a US-based address. If you’re looking for something specific and it’s not available from 8BitDo, you might try Amazon or Best Buy in hopes that they have domestic stock. It’s not an especially elegant solution… but then again, Americans are experiencing unprecedented issues.
We’ve seen many, many companies that rely on Chinese imports and manufacturing—from smaller players like 8BitDo to notable mid-sized companies like Razer and Corsair, all the way up to giants like Acer—raise their prices or simply stop offering products in the wake of the Trump administration’s punishing tariffs and taxes. While the tariff rate on most imported products is at “just” 10 percent for a limited time, China-based imports get slapped with a 145 percent tax, more than doubling their cost, or higher in some cases based on their raw material contents.
For an exhaustive breakdown on how the trade war is affecting the computer and electronics industry, you can check out PCWorld’s own report from PC insiders or this three-hour documentary from Gamers Nexus. Host Steve Burke joined PCWorld’s The Full Nerd podcast earlier this week to chat about it.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.