Toys Online Retailers Report Effective Changes as a Result of Tariffs

In light of recent events, online toy retailers are starting to feel the crunch as a result of the tariff war that is going on. This has prompted at least two such retailers, Allspark.com sponsors TFsource and BigBadToyStore, to issue statements about how this will affect their ability to conduct business and you, the consumer, at this point in time.

First, from TFsource, in an email titled "Note About Tariffs and Their Impact on Collectibles":

Dear Valued TFSource Customer,​

First, thank you for being a part of the TFSource community. We don’t take your trust for granted — and we always want to be upfront with you, especially when changes are coming that affect your collecting experience.

Recently, the U.S. government announced new tariffs on imported plastic hobby toys, effective April 2 and April 9, 2025. These tariffs are significant, and they affect nearly every product we carry.

This is a fluid, government-driven situation, and like many other companies in our industry, TFSource is having to quickly react and adapt to these changes in real time. We’re hopeful the current administration will reach agreements with the affected countries — which could lead to reduced or even eliminated tariffs in the future. In the meantime, we want to be transparent about how this impacts pricing and availability moving forward.

What’s Happening
The new tariff rates are now being applied and vary depending on the country of origin:

• China: 104%
• Vietnam: 46%
• Japan: 24%

Because so much of the collectible toy world is sourced from these regions, these changes are hitting our entire industry — including TFSource. Nearly all of our items are sourced from these regions. Once items arrive in the U.S., Customs applies these new tariffs, which must be paid before we can receive and ship the goods. This additional cost is substantial, and unfortunately unavoidable, making it extremely difficult for TFSource to absorb the cost fully.

Impact on Pricing
The good news is that all in stock or currently domestic in transit products will not be impacted by current tariffs. Until then TFSource has no choice but to increase prices on many upcoming preorder items, both new and previously announced. This includes existing preorders that have not yet arrived or cleared U.S. Customs. We understand this is disappointing, and we want to be transparent: honoring earlier preorder pricing on many items is no longer feasible, as doing so would result in unsustainable losses for the company.

We know this may be frustrating news, and we didn’t make this decision lightly. We’re doing everything we can to manage the impact, including:

• Absorbing costs wherever possible
• Minimizing increases on in-stock items (while inventory lasts)
• Continuing to offer Free Shipping, Source Points and loyalty rewards through TFSourceVIP

We know this isn’t the kind of update anyone wants to hear, and we understand the frustration. Our goal is always to support our fellow collectors and maintain the quality, service, and selection that brought you to TFSource in the first place - even in challenging times like these.

We’ll continue to keep you informed with any further updates and are working hard to manage these changes with as little disruption to your experience as possible.

We're hopeful that this situation will improve in the coming months. As always, we'll adapt quickly to any positive developments — including potential tariff reductions — and do everything we can to pass those benefits back to our loyal customers.

Thank you for sticking with us through this — and for being part of a community that continues to inspire our team every day.

With appreciation,

The TFSource Team
Your Source for All Things Transformers

Similarly, BigBadToyStore Founder and President Joel Boblit had this to say in an email of his own:

Hi Everyone,

I’m writing to share with you how we are working to handle the rapidly escalating tariff situation. I want to be transparent and honest with you about the impacts of these tariffs. This is a complex situation so I apologize upfront for the length of my note, but I feel it is important to be as clear as possible in this difficult time.

Tariffs – What Just Happened
For 25 years, we have operated as a family-owned business under a 0% tariff rate. Several months ago a 10% tariff was enacted for goods made in China. It was then doubled to 20%. In April a 34% tariff was added to the total, bringing us to 54%. Last night another 50% was added, and today (April 9th) an additional 21% was added, bringing us to 125% total tariffs on Chinese goods. Vietnam was to be subject to a 46% tariff, but it appears that this has been reduced to 10% for the next 90 days. These two countries manufacture 90% of the goods that we sell.

What is the Impact
This unfortunately is going to result in retail price increases on products impacted by the tariffs, including new and open pre-orders. We are working hard to minimize these increases through discussions with our vendors, deploying the most efficient importing processes, and ultimately sharing directly in the financial pain. I’m heartbroken to have to do this, and I hate this tariff situation: it is ridiculous, poorly thought out, poorly implemented, cruel and punishing to everyone involved in affected countries and at every level of our industry.

Who Pays Tariffs
Tariffs are a tax on the US consumer. Foreign governments do NOT pay these tariffs. The US based companies who import these goods are directly responsible for paying the tariffs. And ultimately, the US based consumer pays for them through higher product prices. We are devastated that it has come to this, and we will continue to work hard to minimize the impact to you.

When and How will Prices Change
In the past month we have raised prices in a manner that was inclusive of expected tariffs, while also honoring previously pre-ordered prices. Unfortunately, the dramatic increases in tariff levels has now made this approach impossible.

To minimize confusion during this rapidly changing situation, we will be changing newly affected pre-order product listings to reflect our normal, non-tariff-based price. We will also add a notice indicating that a tariff surcharge will be added at the time of the product’s arrival. We will inform you of the full amount before your payment method is charged. You will also be able to cancel your pre-order at that time if the surcharge amount is something you do not wish to pay. Our customer service team, as always, will be ready to help with any issues that arise from this situation, and we will be very flexible given the circumstances. Today, we expect the surcharge may be between 15% to 40% of the pre-order price, however that could change as the situation continues to unfold. Please note that any items currently In Stock are not subject to the tariff.

We are working as fast as we can to make these changes clear on our site, but it will take us time. We have over 10,000 items listed for pre-order currently, and it is going to take us time to work through how each vendor will respond to their specific tariff situation. Our supply chain is complex and we have hundreds of vendors. The timing of when a particular tariff is applied will depend on a variety of factors including import shipping dates and any new rules set by the government.

Finally
I absolutely hate increasing prices to you, but the tariff situation is beyond our control. If tariffs are reduced or removed, we will reduce or remove the tariff surcharges on orders accordingly. My pledge to you is that we will be fair, and we will share the pain of this. I assure you we are already feeling significant economic and business disruption pain from these tariffs. We will continue to work hard to serve you with the quality and customer service level you expect as we navigate through this difficult time.

I want to thank you deeply for all the trust and loyalty that you have placed in BBTS with your collecting passion. Whether you have recently joined our family or have been with us for years, we truly value our relationship with you and will do our best to continue to earn your trust every day.

Sincerely,
Joel Boblit
Founder and President

In addition, The Toy Book has posted their own report on the matter and how it's affecting those in the business of making children (and adults) happy:

“It’s incredibly problematic,” Greg Ahearn, President and CEO of The Toy Association, told The Toy Book this afternoon. “Everyone is caught up in the economics of this, but they’re missing the human side of the equation. By back-to-school season, products could see a 35% — or higher — price increase. It will put pressure on American families while limiting access to toys that are critical to child development.”

The Toy Association, which runs a charity called "The Toy Foundation", numerous shows each year such as Toy Fair (among other things), is trying to push back:

“We’re working two sides of the coin,” Ahearn explains. “On one side, we’re working externally, communicating with the U.S. Trade Representative, the Senate, and Congress, trying to get in and make our points. We’re getting in front of the media, showing up where the industry should show up, and spreading the message of what toys mean. And we’re always looking for ways to engage with those who make policy.”

You can read the full report here. (Thanks, Steevy Maximus!)

Unfortunately, there has been no word as of yet from Hasbro themselves about how this might affect their operations going forward, including their online Hasbro Pulse store. But this may be to be expected, as things have been in a constant state of flux with regards to the tariffs this week alone, even prompting video game manufacturer Nintendo to push back the official start date for pre-ordering their recently-announced Nintendo Switch 2 console in the United States and Canada -- the latter only hours before they were due to open on April 9th.

If you'd like to discuss how this affects you, or anything else you've heard from any other retailers or manufacturers, you can do so in the comments below, or in the "Hasbr-uh-oh" thread that is already in progress (suffice to say, this isn't the first blow they've received in recent).

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