Tracking toy tariffs

[joshsquash729]

Because AI and robotics are on the verge of replacing humans, but we're not there yet and won't be for 10 to 20 years. Pretending we're already in the age of the Jetsons isn't helpful; it's an excuse to hide what Trump is really trying to do. We'll be there soon enough--maybe even during my lifetime which I never dreamed was possible--but there's still a ways to go.

Not to derail the thread or get too political, but that's a thought that really freaks me out. AI is being used more than ever to replace the things that I and my friends love to do (acting, writing, drawing, etc.) I know that Jetsons future is kinda inevitable- we've lived alongside AI and machines for some time, and it's definitely a convenience many take for granted, and will only continue to be used for more and more things. But I do worry about the total implementation of machines in factory settings. Sure, a metric ton of stuff is already assembled or packaged via robotics, but what happens when we continue to implement them more and more? Many places are struggling for jobs as-is. When all/most jobs are left to robots, what will be left for us humans to do to make a living? Goodness knows they're not gonna eliminate rent or bills. Not that I want humans to have to suffer in sweat shop conditions either; I hear the stories about how employees are mistreated by big companies like Amazon, etc.

Then again, I'm equally as guilty. I don't use a lot of tech features- no Siri for me, no AI touch-ups, ChatGPT, etc. I admittedly love when I'm able to use a self-checkout over a real person, which I know means I'm contributing to the problem. Given the choice, I'll always go with the self-checkout, but I don't mind doing normal checkout if that's the only option.

More on-topic, regarding the potential price-hikes with tariffs, I wonder how it would work with items or pre-orders we've already paid for. I'm sure they'd just charge your card whatever the extra money is, but it would suck if, for whatever reason, you didn't have enough money on your card for that little upcharge. For folks trying to budget, moving cash around willy-nilly isn't always an option, and to be caught off guard by an upcharge when you think your books are settled is a surprise. A couple of my friends relegate their toy purchases to gift cards in order to maintain some responsibility, and since those are so finite, if that gift card had to be charged a couple extra bucks, it may not be available. I'd hate for anyone to have their whole order cancelled over just a few bucks (though I also realize it could be far more than a couple bucks as well).

 

[docsilence]

Not to derail the thread or get too political, but that's a thought that really freaks me out. AI is being used more than ever to replace the things that I and my friends love to do (acting, writing, drawing, etc.) I know that Jetsons future is kinda inevitable- we've lived alongside AI and machines for some time, and it's definitely a convenience many take for granted, and will only continue to be used for more and more things. But I do worry about the total implementation of machines in factory settings. Sure, a metric ton of stuff is already assembled or packaged via robotics, but what happens when we continue to implement them more and more? Many places are struggling for jobs as-is. When all/most jobs are left to robots, what will be left for us humans to do to make a living? Goodness knows they're not gonna eliminate rent or bills. Not that I want humans to have to suffer in sweat shop conditions either; I hear the stories about how employees are mistreated by big companies like Amazon, etc.

Then again, I'm equally as guilty. I don't use a lot of tech features- no Siri for me, no AI touch-ups, ChatGPT, etc. I admittedly love when I'm able to use a self-checkout over a real person, which I know means I'm contributing to the problem. Given the choice, I'll always go with the self-checkout, but I don't mind doing normal checkout if that's the only option.

More on-topic, regarding the potential price-hikes with tariffs, I wonder how it would work with items or pre-orders we've already paid for. I'm sure they'd just charge your card whatever the extra money is, but it would suck if, for whatever reason, you didn't have enough money on your card for that little upcharge. For folks trying to budget, moving cash around willy-nilly isn't always an option, and to be caught off guard by an upcharge when you think your books are settled is a surprise. A couple of my friends relegate their toy purchases to gift cards in order to maintain some responsibility, and since those are so finite, if that gift card had to be charged a couple extra bucks, it may not be available. I'd hate for anyone to have their whole order cancelled over just a few bucks (though I also realize it could be far more than a couple bucks as well).

At the risk of derailing - but I suppose it isn't - tech and Wall Street doesn't seem to understand that you can't eliminate all jobs without providing people a means to still be consumers if you want to keep doing what you're doing. (Pretty hard to pay for those tariffs if we're all being put out of work with AI without some form of financial sustenance.) They do seem happy to just build company towns, force humans into labor, and remove all creativity, art, and innovation if it means moving the investor needle in their direction, though. They claim to be future-looking, but they don't care at all about the future. (The main reason why I said I needed to get out of tech before it killed me. The weight of such catastrophic lack of ethics was more than I could stomach).

I'm in the weird spot of finding out 80% of my life's work was fed into Meta's LLM recently, so I'm not hopeful about a future powered by machine learning-based automation. We're all either investors or hamburger for the grinder in that space. And it certainly feels like the great mass of humanity won't care until it's too late. But that's what we do best, I guess.

 

[Buttmunch]

Preorders are kind of a contract. They can’t increase what you have to pay without informing you first. Granted, nobody saw this coming months or years ago when those preorders were placed. Nobody should be unexpectedly upcharged without their consent though. That would open a retailer up for a lawsuit I would think. I get they may have to add additional costs to some of those existing preorders now but each order would likely need to be manually approved by the buyer I would think. Any deposits paid would likely be refundable as well. Retailers could be taking quite the unexpected hit unfortunately.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

My first thought when I read this was small action figure companies. If your name isn't Mattel or Hasbro, I think you're in trouble.

https://bsky.app/profile/mims.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lmcfnva6ss2o

I'm in the weird spot of finding out 80% of my life's work was fed into Meta's LLM recently, so I'm not hopeful about a future powered by machine learning-based automation. We're all either investors or hamburger for the grinder in that space. And it certainly feels like the great mass of humanity won't care until it's too late. But that's what we do best, I guess.

All of these AI companies need to be sued into the ground. It's copyright infringement at best.

 

[canprime]

Not to derail the thread or get too political, but that's a thought that really freaks me out. AI is being used more than ever to replace the things that I and my friends love to do (acting, writing, drawing, etc.) I know that Jetsons future is kinda inevitable- we've lived alongside AI and machines for some time, and it's definitely a convenience many take for granted, and will only continue to be used for more and more things. But I do worry about the total implementation of machines in factory settings. Sure, a metric ton of stuff is already assembled or packaged via robotics, but what happens when we continue to implement them more and more? Many places are struggling for jobs as-is. When all/most jobs are left to robots, what will be left for us humans to do to make a living? Goodness knows they're not gonna eliminate rent or bills. Not that I want humans to have to suffer in sweat shop conditions either; I hear the stories about how employees are mistreated by big companies like Amazon, etc.

Then again, I'm equally as guilty. I don't use a lot of tech features- no Siri for me, no AI touch-ups, ChatGPT, etc. I admittedly love when I'm able to use a self-checkout over a real person, which I know means I'm contributing to the problem. Given the choice, I'll always go with the self-checkout, but I don't mind doing normal checkout if that's the only option.

More on-topic, regarding the potential price-hikes with tariffs, I wonder how it would work with items or pre-orders we've already paid for. I'm sure they'd just charge your card whatever the extra money is, but it would suck if, for whatever reason, you didn't have enough money on your card for that little upcharge. For folks trying to budget, moving cash around willy-nilly isn't always an option, and to be caught off guard by an upcharge when you think your books are settled is a surprise. A couple of my friends relegate their toy purchases to gift cards in order to maintain some responsibility, and since those are so finite, if that gift card had to be charged a couple extra bucks, it may not be available. I'd hate for anyone to have their whole order cancelled over just a few bucks (though I also realize it could be far more than a couple bucks as well).

Yeah the creative arts seem to be getting hit the hardest right now with AI. I am not in that field so I don't know what it feels like, and honestly I don't really care at the moment. I'm sure I will when it hits me more directly, but I think that is the problem in general. None of us really react to something until it affects us personally.

As to manufacturing, there will always be jobs for humans. Even if it is just maintenance of the machinery. However there are still a ton of things being done on production lines that can't be done by robotics (yet). It is just a matter of how small a workforce will be needed, but there will always be a workforce in a factory. I guess the other question is can factories survive in high cost markets?

As far as I am aware the laws of both the US and Canada don't allow for a company to come back and charge your card directly, without your permission, for an item you have already paid for in advance. Even if they could it is easy enough to dispute such a charge with your CC company and win because it is an unauthorized charge. I can see some of these crowd fund projects being a problem if the tariffs persist long enough.

 

[joshsquash729]

Preorders are kind of a contract. They can’t increase what you have to pay without informing you first. Granted, nobody saw this coming months or years ago when those preorders were placed. Nobody should be unexpectedly upcharged without their consent though. That would open a retailer up for a lawsuit I would think. I get they may have to add additional costs to some of those existing preorders now but each order would likely need to be manually approved by the buyer I would think. Any deposits paid would likely be refundable as well. Retailers could be taking quite the unexpected hit unfortunately.

Right, and most of the time it's not an issue. Even now, there's times when I get a notification from a site that the price changed by a couple bucks, either more or less (and goodness knows we all get the pre-order delay notices). For the most part, I'm cool with it, as long as it's just a couple bucks. If I got a notification that it went up by like, $20 or more, I'd probably think twice. For the smaller companies, it's a little different- I don't mind helping out a small company I like, but Target and other big companies will do just fine without my extra moolah.

But even if they didn't get permission first, it's not like a lot of folks can afford to sue, especially for something that would most likely be relegated to small claims court. If you didn't (or barely) have enough for the item itself, you certainly wouldn't have enough for all the legal fees. Unless there was some class action lawsuit, which is totally possible, but it would take a while to get there.

I think, in a perfect world, companies would honor the existing pre-orders, and either apply the tariffs to outstanding/new pre-orders, or just set a specific date that price hikes would go into effect, and anything ordered before that date would be honored. But, as we all know, this isn't a perfect world, and such a model is feasible for a lot of smaller companies.

I'm a bit nervous to see who is still standing when all is said and done- both online retailers and brick and mortar. A couple independent artists or small businesses I follow have already had to shut down because of the looming price hikes. I used to hit up Superplastic every now for a couple years and then to check out their stuff (mostly the Gorillaz stuff), and they just had to shut down because it wouldn't be possible to continue with the hikes. Definitely a bummer.

 

[AceofKnaves]

Do NOT get me started on AI.

I hope that we humans will eventually evolve to the point where we can safely and sanely use all the things we’ve created, but we are not even close to “there” yet.
Until that day, I won’t be fucking with Siri, ChatGPT, whatever. And as a performer and creator, I find AI “replacements” insulting.
Then again, I also get an uncanny-valley “ick” every time I see one of those “filters” applied to photos.
. . . I’m not particularly interested in tech, I suppose, so I’m more apt to see its dangers and general yuckiness.

I’m VERY antsy about HasLabs and other large items re: tariffs. I’ve got Ecto-1, 2 Dragon Mans, 2 97 Sentinels, and 2 Rattlers in the hopper.

 

[hmmberto]

If we were talking modest numbers here I'd be on the "let the big guys eat the overage" train. But 25-50% tariff are going to wipe out any profit margin, and it's unreasonable to expect *any* company to absorb that. If these go into effect I don't think we should expect anyone to honor preorder prices for things that were solicited and offered before these were announced. I also wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that production has been halted on some things that aren't too far along while they try to figure out a game plan/see what's going to happen.

 

[Misfit]

When it comes to current preorders, I would not expect any company to just charge people a new price without informing them. If a company comes to a decision on a product like Hasbro's Dragon Man or Sentinel where it can't be profitable at the agreed upon price, they would likely cancel all orders and then either halt or terminate production or reoffer the item at an adjusted price. Items not far along in production can be paused or delayed indefinitely to wait it out, especially if no one has been charged. It's the upfront stuff like a HasLab or Super7 direct sales that is a lot harder to manage because they're bought and paid for. It's either offer the consumer a refund or eat the added cost. Or go bankrupt.

 

[canprime]

Do NOT get me started on AI.

I hope that we humans will eventually evolve to the point where we can safely and sanely use all the things we’ve created, but we are not even close to “there” yet.
Until that day, I won’t be fucking with Siri, ChatGPT, whatever. And as a performer and creator, I find AI “replacements” insulting.
Then again, I also get an uncanny-valley “ick” every time I see one of those “filters” applied to photos.
. . . I’m not particularly interested in tech, I suppose, so I’m more apt to see its dangers and general yuckiness.

I’m VERY antsy about HasLabs and other large items re: tariffs. I’ve got Ecto-1, 2 Dragon Mans, 2 97 Sentinels, and 2 Rattlers in the hopper.

I forgot about the preorders through Pulse as well. I'm in for 2 Dragon Man, 1 Sentinel and 2 SNAKEs from Classified.
Then there is SDCC exclusives. If those haven't already hit the US shores they could be hit pretty badly with these tariffs, and considering their already inflated pricing I hate to think what Hasbro will have to charge to cover the unexpected tariff cost (which is probably partly why we haven't seen a price yet).

 

[Misfit]

I'm mostly worried about my Mondo X-Men line. Those things are already more expensive than I like, but I love them and the property so I buy them. How much more can I really absorb? And Mondo is another company that takes payment upfront. They owe me a Wolverine and two Ghostbusters and I know they're planning on a lot more sixth scale X-Men for 2025. I shudder to think what the price on the next one is going to be.

 

[canprime]

I'm mostly worried about my Mondo X-Men line. Those things are already more expensive than I like, but I love them and the property so I buy them. How much more can I really absorb? And Mondo is another company that takes payment upfront. They owe me a Wolverine and two Ghostbusters and I know they're planning on a lot more sixth scale X-Men for 2025. I shudder to think what the price on the next one is going to be.

That is a good question for everyone.

What is your breaking point for extra cost on something you have preordered? It doesn't mean it is going to happen, but I figured I would ask. Does it also depend on the price/scale/brand/etc?

Personally I think the Haslabs will be a "suck it up and pay it" type of situation if it were to happen. Mostly because they are already paid for and I don't see much in the way of options should my government tell me I have to pay.

The big ticket preorders are going to be trickier. I really want Dragon Man, Sentinel and the SNAKE. However not having paid for them yet means I might not be willing to pay if I have to pay 25-50% more.

Lowered priced items, as I have said already, are going to be easy "wait and see" items outside of Classified.

I just hope this doesn't translate to companies making more and more stuff "exclusive" so that if you don't preorder it you won't get it. So then you feel forced to pay for something.

 

[Misfit]

Oh, it would vary for me depending on brand, license, and if I prepaid or not. I shudder to even put it out there as I don't want to give companies ideas, but if Mondo comes to me hat in hand that they can't make any money on the Wolverine they sold me already would I pay more? Probably, because that money is already gone and I really haven't missed it. How much more is a good question and even I don't know. On the other hand, if it were Super7 who said they needed to charge me an extra 10-15 bucks per figure for the set of 2003 turtles I paid for last year I might tell them to refund me. I don't have a high opinion of their products and it's a new line. Conversely, I also have a JoyToy Krang I preordered and I'd probably eat whatever increase was asked because it's likely to be the last figure I purchase in that line.

Anything I've preordered and haven't paid for though I'd probably just let go. I actually don't have a ton of preorders right now, but a lot of it is for stuff I'm also not really dying to get my hands on. Other than maybe The Tick, but he's not expected to release until 2026 so there may not be a decision on that one for some time.

 

[Buttmunch]

Yeah, Hasbro and Mattel might be the leaders of the Toy industry (well Lego might technically hold the crown currently) but they aren’t doing super great. Mattel is better off currently but if these tariffs hold they’re both going to be in serious trouble. Collector lines might limp on for a bit but parents would almost certainly balk at increased prices for kids toys. I’ve heard parents in shock at some of the prices already while wandering through the toy aisle.

I do think Haslabs are something Hasbro will have to eat the cost on. We took the risk of pre-funding them for Hasbro. Once we did that, it’s all on Hasbro to follow through. They bake in a good profit margin on those almost assuredly. Those might get wiped out with tariffs but I suppose that’s the one risk Hasbro takes with the money upfront system and it might backfire with the current round of in production-Haslabs, sadly. The companies getting screwed with the tariffs doesn’t help us in the end as they still need to make profit to stay in business. Still hoping most of this gets resolved before worrying about these items becomes a reality.

 

[Buttmunch]

Oh, it would vary for me depending on brand, license, and if I prepaid or not. I shudder to even put it out there as I don't want to give companies ideas, but if Mondo comes to me hat in hand that they can't make any money on the Wolverine they sold me already would I pay more? Probably, because that money is already gone and I really haven't missed it. How much more is a good question and even I don't know. On the other hand, if it were Super7 who said they needed to charge me an extra 10-15 bucks per figure for the set of 2003 turtles I paid for last year I might tell them to refund me. I don't have a high opinion of their products and it's a new line. Conversely, I also have a JoyToy Krang I preordered and I'd probably eat whatever increase was asked because it's likely to be the last figure I purchase in that line.

Anything I've preordered and haven't paid for though I'd probably just let go. I actually don't have a ton of preorders right now, but a lot of it is for stuff I'm also not really dying to get my hands on. Other than maybe The Tick, but he's not expected to release until 2026 so there may not be a decision on that one for some time.

I think that’s the other reality of the situation. If companies don’t eat the loss on current orders, I imagine a majority of people will be canceling. Now they’ll have overpriced items they can’t move. Discounting them back to the original price might move less than they had originally sold so they’re likely looking at a loss either way. It just might be less to honor the original price. Such a horrible situation for them to be in. I can only hope they can cover their losses on their taxes to make up for some of it, and maybe really illustrate the affect the tariffs are having.