-- Update 4/11/2025

On behalf of the entire Timewalker Team, I would like to extend our heart-felt sympathies to everyone who has been impacted by the events of the last couple of months. We are living through difficult and uncertain times. It is our hope that rational minds will prevail to put an end to the chaos and needless turmoil, both at home and around the world.

Today, we need to talk about tariffs and how they might impact your preorders and future orders with Timewalker. Some of the language that follows will be similar to a statement we sent out specifically to our EXO-6 customers on April 9, 2025, so if you are a “Red Alert” subscriber, I apologize for the repetition.

Anyone who has been following the news about the global trade war already knows there have been sharp and repeated increases in tariff rates on Chinese imports over the last couple of months. The current tariff rate on Chinese goods now stands at 145%, and there is presently no sign of a reversal in the direction of this rate. But frankly, it does not matter if the rate is 54%, 125%, 145% or 1000%. The effect is the same. Trade between the world’s two largest economies has all but ground to a halt.

Of course, the impact of this trade war, which is being carried out with all the subtlety of an asteroid collision, if sustained at tariff rate of anything more than 20% for more than a month (length of time it takes a container to travel from China to the U.S.), will ultimately affect every aspect of life in United States. So, in no way do I want give the impression that what we do for enjoyment, like collecting, is more important than the necessity of feeding your family or putting a roof over their head. Nevertheless, we are here to talk about your current and future orders and what you may be asked to do.

The answer to this question has as much to do with which distributor or factory we buy from as does the tariff rate at any given time. Some vendors can absorb a significant portion of the tariff rate, while others simply cannot afford to do so. And while I cannot tell you what tariff surcharge you may be asked to pay for any given item at the present time, what I can tell you is that we will do our best to absorb whatever our sources cannot absorb, so that the impact of the tariffs on your orders will be as low as possible.

Current Preorders: Preorders placed prior to the advent of tariffs are potentially subject to a tariff surcharge. At the moment, however, nothing is shipping from China, as the elevated tariffs make any imports uneconomical. When tariffs revert to commercially viable levels, we will resume shipping with the various arrangements we have made with our suppliers. From this point forward, until this situation changes, you may see a tariff surcharge line item added to your final invoice at Imminent Arrival, which will be communicated in advance on our product records and through our newsletter. What that percentage will be, if there is any charge at all, is heavily dependent on the market conditions and manufacturer, as suppliers have different resources and situations. As stated above, our intention is to pass as little of the eventual cost on to the buyer as we can.

New Preorders: You will be asked to check a box when you preorder acknowledging the possibility of a tariff surcharge. We are, as before, listing items at MSRP since we do not know what the tariff situation will be when the item lands. This is the most transparent approach given the information at hand. Any surcharge will be updated on the product record on Imminent Arrival and noted in our newsletter.

The first thing we would ask is for everyone to be patient as we monitor this situation and adapt to changing circumstances. The next thing we would ask you to do, if you live in the United States and decide to take a more active role, is to contact your representatives in Congress and demand they repeal the National Emergencies Act (NEA) that gives the Executive Branch the ability to unilaterally impose tariffs without the Constitutional consent of Congress. While we still have a representative democracy, apart from the ballot box, this is the most powerful weapon we, the people, have at our disposal. You might be surprised how adding your voice to the voice of millions of others across the land can turn the tide of history.

This year marks 22 years serving the collecting community. We have seen many ups and downs, and we have made a lot of friends along the way. We are so grateful for all the support we have received over the years. More than anything else, we are, and always have been, poignantly aware that we simply cannot exist without you. So, again, thank you for your trust and continued support.

As soon as we have better news to report, I will get back to you. In the meantime, hold steadfast whereever you are.

Thank you all for your business and your continuing support of Timewalker Toys.