UPDATE 5/5 1:55 PM: Right after we published this piece, we were informed that Retroid is encouraging customers who live in the US and DHL is requesting a fee, to “contact Retroid CS right away, so they can handle it with DHL.”
With the first deadline now behind us, we began wondering how long it would take to see what kind of ripple effect would appear. It didn’t take long, as there are already posts on various subreddits showing off tariff bills.
One of those Reddit posts, simply titled “crashing out“, shows a DHL shipment tracking page with a warning about an “import duty” being due. Not all that surprising or shocking until you make it to the end of the second sentence and see that this person will need to pay an extra $1,330 in order for their package to be delivered.
via r/Retroid
However, we’re taking this post with a grain of salt, as the original poster has not replied to any messages about what was ordered or when. Plus, it’s not exactly difficult to doctor up a screenshot just for the sake of some Reddit updoots.
That being said, another post on the r/Retroid subreddit shows an email with a similar message. However, this one provides a bit more information, confirming that the package was indeed arriving from Retroid’s warehouse in China. It also shows an “import duty” fee of just over $400. Unlike the previous post, the original poster shared that they “ordered a retroid flip 2 with case and button replacements, total around $270.”
via r/Retroid
There does seem to be a bit of confusion over what Retroid previously said when all of the shipping questions came to pass. Instead of halting shipments like we’ve seen from Powkiddy and others, Retroid announced it would be “adjusting its shipping method” resulting in a $20 increase to shipping costs.
It appears that some took this as meaning this was Retroid’s way of trying to get around the import duty tariffs. Unfortunately, unless you or a company jump through a bunch of hoops or do something nefarious, there’s really no way to avoid the extra costs. Which also means that it won’t matter what company handles the transportation of your devices.
We expect to see many more posts like these in the coming days and weeks, so be prepared to see your Reddit feed clogged up. In the meantime, all we can do is hope that something drastic changes and brings an end to this situation. Otherwise, dark days are ahead for not just our hobby, but basically everything around us.
What did you think of this article? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.
This is going to be a long four years, isn’t it?
So much winning
Yes, I’m already tired of people whining about tariffs.
Sucks to be you then 🤣
Who wants to bet that he’s going to be kicked out for incompetence before his term is over.
Who is the vice president anyway?
Yeah lol good luck with that when more people are thanking god for what hes already done than the small part of the country that cant think with logic because their feelings take priority over everything. Cheers
Just wait for midterms to see how tiny of a group you MAGA people are. I laugh every time I see you people talk about anything. So you scraped one win because half the democrats chose not to vote. You think this is happening again? The next presidential term will not be a Republican lol go back to delulu world
Why would that happen? Obama did the same thing… These things were normal and no big deal until all you chicken littles showed up in droves.
Eyeliner guy
It was 100% tariffs it’s not going to raise the price by 600%, foh🤡
$400 is 145% –Trump’s China import tax amount– of $275.
The person said their order was about $270, so the math checks out
move to China, then you can buy all you want, you just need to pay their insane tariffs if you want to buy a non-Chinese car
Yeah! China will raise their tariffs on US made cars to 40% in July. That’s definitely was worse than a (checks my notes real fast…) 145% tariff on all Chinese goods.
Oh, wait, you’re just an idiot. I see.
Nope, I go to China regularly. I’ve been all over Shenzhen and you can’t buy these handhelds anywhere there. They are not compliant with the laws there for gaming time restrictions for minors. Showed an Anbernic handheld to several gaming shops in the electronics markets and Shenzhen and you’ll get ignored. One vendor told me not to talk or ask about these devices as the emperor is too near.
lol u sure? there are malls with all stores inside, all, sell these retroid anbernic ayn and many more that we never heard in the west, it is called Huaqiangbei, a district of shenzhen
Just check my archived timeline… Yes, I went to the Huaqiang Electronics World and Seg Electronics Market with a family member who lives in Shenzhen proper. Lots of vendors selling switch, ps4&5, and Xbox games, but no retro handhelds. Tons of stalls for switch picofly installs too. I’ll be there again this summer, so I’ll check again.
People forget they have emulators in their pockets …
Tarrifs aren’t cost not retail. So any retailer charging you Tarrifs rates in retails should be reported to the department of weighs and measures.
Are’
A looooooooong 4 years..
A 30 some percent increase on the tarrifs to China are not capable of raising the price on a product 300%…. I really can’t figure out the math on this one guys? How is this working out…..
Not one of the components used to make this particular product are produced in America. All of them are on shore with the manufacturer in China. So how did the cost go up so much? They still get to source their stuff cheaply, yet they can charge more….. Hmmm….?
Finally. somebody with common sense.
Nick, the new de minimis amount is 30% of declared value or $25. PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 145%
Feel free to do the math on a $229 Retroid Flip 2 to figure out the tax trump just enacted on all items from China.
Hey Maps Ban, you’re a fucking retard. Maybe you and Nick Coxsucker can explain how you got 30% when the tariff rate on China is 145%. Do the math on that.
Your mom’s a hoe no one wonder you keep crying
Its 145% though…
What 30%? Anything shipped from China to the USA is charged at a rate of at least 145%. That means if something is $100, you pay $100 to the company, then $145 to the US Government for the tariff, total $245.
Unlike what Trump says it is the person or company that imports the goods that pays the tariffs.
Thank you, AJ. This is the correct interpretation of the current tariffs. I wish this was common sense.
nothing is up 145% on teemu, amazon or anywhere. try reading the actual executive order instead of the news that says “most items”
Big corporations have the money to insulate their price increases to keep people buying. Welcome to the adult world Steve.
where are you getting 30%? The new ad valorem duty is what has replaced the de minimis exemption and it’s 120 percent for goods manufactured in China.
I think you’re confusing the rest of the world tariffs he’s imposing on Europe, Canada etc at 30% with the Chinese ones at 120 (with some confusion over whether that’s 120 flat or 120 plus the 30)
Unfortunately, the tariff on China specifically is much larger than 30%. As of posting on May 6, electronics currently face a 145% import tariff. So a 200 USD console produced in Shenzhen would be hit with a 290 USD import fee today, totalling 490 USD cost before state sales taxes and shipping fees.
You still don’t get it. China is NOT charging more. It is your own government charging YOU for importing that Chinese item to your country.
I’m sorry to do this. But I can’t choke it back anymore.
Just listen to us spoiled Americans complain that the latest gadget we want will cost us more because someone is looking out for the American worker for once. We all love our gadgets, but we love them so much that we can see the real cost we are paying.
Look around you. The gap between rich and poor is only growing larger. Quick, everyone jump into a $100k student loan so you might have a chance at a middle class job someday (until AI takes it away). The middle class… The thing that makes America the envy of the world… Is dying.
Small towns are gutted as factories have closed for the last 30 years. We don’t make anything here. The only thing America produces is debt. We stand in line to load up our credit cards with more Chinese made gadgets.
Any business who wants to compete must make their products outside the U.S. just to have a chance. And so the cycle continues. But hey, at least we can buy an iPhone case for $3 on Amazon (making another billionaire richer).
145% tariff is not permanent. Timing sucks if you just placed an order, but a better day will come soon. And we have 1000 ways to play these old games, including the phone in your pocket that you already have.
I’m in the minority, but I’ll wait a bit and pay a little more for my next cheap Chinese gadget so that my kids might have a chance at the middle class someday.
Before anyone says “those jobs are never coming back*… I’ll grant you it’s not easy, but we need to try something.
I think you have good intentions friend, but those jobs truly are not coming back. The Trump administration isn’t putting forward a constructive industrial policy, they’re just getting the country ready for war, and for the rich to make a break and run when things go south.
Biden actually did make a real effort to bring semiconductor industry back to the US and protect domestic EV production and it’s still going horribly. Neither party ultimately cares about anything but protecting their corporate donors bottom lines, a big part of which is the weapons industry! Hello warmongering. We need a more fundamental change.
You think Biden was trying to do anything positive in this country You’re not someone anyone should be listening to.
“The gap between rich and poor is only growing larger”
.. so filling the government with rich businessmen whose only goal is profit and results is bankruptcy will fix it.
And oh ya, let’s do project 25 on the side.
No…Him and his billionaire friends are destabilizing the global economy for profit and attempt to establish themselves as a truly “ruling” class. How much has Donald’s net work grown since we all went broke. Wake up you brainwashed minion, PLEASE, before your arrogance dooms us all.
Wait… you think you’re going to be middle class by working in a factory?
I mean, if you want to work in a dead-end factory job, that’s up to you. But personally, I’d rather work a decent job with a decent wage. Preferably one that doesn’t require me to keep up with a literal machine.
But hey, if you want your own kids to be the ones working in those factories making cheap crap, rather than the Chinese children that are doing it now, sure. I’d rather my kids be doing something a lot better, but I can see the altruism in throwing your own children onto the fire rather than someone elses.
You think that a factory worker can’t live a middle class life? I disagree. Well let’s suppose you are right. But it wasn’t always that way you know. The majority of factory workers in the 2nd half of the 20th century made up much of the middle class.
So why then would it be so difficult for a factory worker today to achieve the middle class? Could it be because their competition isn’t Joe down the street, but rather a child slave laborer in Asia somewhere driving down our wages? Could it possibly be that our companies can’t fathom paying a good wage to factory workers when it’s so easy to get that stuff made for pennies on the dollar and ship it over?
No, it couldn’t possibly be that. It must be because “times are different now”, right?
Maybe you aren’t aiming for this, but the tone of your “decent” or “better job” comments is rather condescending. Those people (be they underpaid workers in China or Joe down the street) actually build something. They build something that you get to use and enjoy. Maybe show them a little respect and I don’t know, gratitude?
You don’t have to believe me, but I’ll offer a friendly tip. It’s a lot of the “decent jobs” that are the next to dry up. AI is coming. And it’s extremely good at a chunk of that decent work.
I think you need to visit the rust belt to understand the impacts globalization has had on the country. Those people would be happy to even live lower middle class. All their jobs were exported and now their towns are dead and full of hopelessness and addiction. It’s not at all easy or cheap to pick up and move to where jobs are. Most people cannot do that.
well, those jobs wont in fact come back. sure, you can try something, but do it in a non-retarded way, unlike the trump admin. look at how china gained manufacturing dominance: years, even decades of smart infrastructure investment, eduction, and a strong(and dictatorial, human rights ignoring) government.
one of thoe aspects the trump admit is doing its best to emulate, and ill let you figure out what that is.
You mean currency manipulation, IP theft (as is the case with these emulators), literal slave labor, and citizen suppression? China’s rise was due to unchecked bad behavior, not smart planning.
Well said!… can’t argue with the truth that’s for sure!… Short-term pain for long-term gain!
Guys I know when you typed in what are the tarrifs rates in Google it told you 145%.
However the tarrifs are different for different types of products. There is no 145 percent sweeping tarrif. That is an extrapolation made by adding a bunch of tarrifs together.
If you got your info from CNN maybe I can see why you’d think this. I can also assume your a 65+ year old whose probably walking the streets on the weekend with your official chant sheet from Alex Soros and a sign saying somthing clever like “Elon is a felon”
China has been taking advantage of us for years. If it upsets you that we are evening the playing field I’m sure there are several other countries you can move to. Didn’t most of you whiners say you were moving anyway?
I agree with you 100%. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a blind Trump supporter…I’m not happy with him for many other decisions he’s made. But, I thing he’s trying to return America to the way it was in the 1950s post world War 2…and that’s a good thing. We simply cannot have these massive trade deficits forever. It will bankrupt our nation as soon as countries begin refusing to buy our debt
Also, everyone in the US wants to make a six figure income, but still have out little gadgets that we want ..not need…for cheap. But, we also want it to be produced here with “liveable wages”. You can’t have both .
Even through the 1970s, most Americans didn’t have as many items ..and we survived just fine. A 19″ TV cost roughly $500. In all honesty, we shouldn’t have 75″ Samsung TVs for $400. Even if it’s made someplace else. I would gladly pay more for something if that extra went to help a Chinese family make more money and have a better life. It’s basically legal slavery so we can have shit we don’t need for cheap and it really bothers me
The tariff money is not going to the family that produced the piece of gadget that you’re buying, it’s going to the US government to discourage buying non-us products
Good luck to those in USA
As some one who enjoys gaming I believe everyone should be able to enter this hobby. That is until now, Trump supporters your no longer welcome in our inclusive community. You have proven by your actions that you don’t care about others and how your actions affect others. Sell your collections and get out of this hobby your no longer welcome.
Did you happen to read any of my comments above? I wouldn’t call myself a Trump supporter…I am a moderate who voted for both parties.
Anyway, I see why people are so upset with the tariffs . I’m upset with him for a variety of reasons, but the tariffs are low on my list. Do.i want video games and consoles cheap? Absolutely. But, I’ve always felt guilty for enjoying nice things basically off the backs of poor workers in second and third world countries. Even before the tariffs. And I completely disagree that everyone deserves to be able to play videogames and be able to buy whatever they want in this country. Videogames are a want, not a need. The workers in China, Vietnam, Mexico, etc. Often cannot afford food and decent housing and clothes because they work for pennies all so greedy corporations can make obscene profits and we can play video games cheaply. It’s not right. I would gladly give up the hobby and my entire collection if it would mean a Chinese or Mexican family can have all of their needs met.
I have a feeling you are much younger than me. I remember the 70s and early 80s. We didn’t have all of these unnecessary electronics. I was raised in poverty, but definitely in a lower than middle class family. We had a 13″ tv for. years. I grew up living with my mother and grandmother. We all shared that we” tv when I turned 15, I started working. My mom and I split a 19″ tv. It was a Sharp 19″ cry tv. On sale for $459. And then I got the 13″ for my room and nes I had . This was typical for a family between 1979-1985. We didn’t have separate TVs in every room. No handheld game systems except like the old football one. And you know what…we survived. I had exactly 2 games for Nes for the first year. Then I got Zelda. After I started working more, I was able to get more. But no one I knew had multiple game systems..ever. my point is, we have way too much. And I feel so guilty for what I have (the newest game system I own now is a PS3..had an Xbox, but we needed money so I sold it after a few months) that I have difficulty enjoying it. I read articles and see others living in mud homes, stick homes, cardboard homes, drinking polluted water. Clean water and decent housing are things I believe everyone has a right to ..not every electronic gadget that comes out.
By that logic, you should be donating almost all of your money to said third-world countries, keeping only enough to survive. It wouldn’t make much of a dent in the grand scheme of things, but it would certainly be enough to ensure “a Chinese or Mexican family can have all of their needs met.” Which you claim you would be willing to give up your entire collection and hobby for.
Heck, you just need to give up said collection and any money you’d normally spend on said hobby, to achieve the same result. But I’m willing to guess that you aren’t going to do that.
I suspect you aren’t actually as altruistic as you claim to be. But rather instead virtue signalling. Probably in attempt to make you feel better about yourself. I mean, if you claim you would do something, then in your own mind, that’s the same as doing it. And it’s not hard to come up with an excuse as to why you can’t.
In other words, you’re suffering from cognitive dissonance. You want to be selfish, but that makes you feel bad, so you pretend you’re selfless, despite being nothing of the sort. I honestly can’t stand those kinds of people, but unfortunately it describes the vast majority of people.
Either be a good person or a bad person. But don’t be a bad person who’s fooled themselves into thinking they’re a good person.
All I can say is, try to be a better person. And read some sociology and/or philosophy text books.
Also, look up what second world and third world actually means. It’s not actually related to how rich the country is.
Wow a bleeding heart Trumptard, that’s a first. Right trash with a social conscience, yeah really believable 🤡
U still have no clue how tariffs actually work though 🙄🤣
Shut up dude You don’t get to tell nobody where they’re welcome!
Funny how fools like you try to speak for the hope country! Fuk outta here son!
Im sorry yall, but no amount of cope about America getting robbed, and how we need to start investing here is gonna change how batshit crazy this all is.
This is supposed to be a relatively cheap hobby, with high to low end options..Ive already seen the Trim UI Smart Pro go for 100 on AliExpress and that thing isn’t worth more than 55. Im all for reducing the e-waste that this hobby does produce (looking at you guys who buy 5 of these things just to not play them), but c’mon this is just ridiculous.
Its too much too fast, and these tariffs arent gonna affect just these either. Its gonna anything we import, jus cuz we decided to basically tariff the world, and the number presented about us getting robbed were shown in bad faith. Maybe this will bring back jobs. But can anyone tell me what the government has done to fund any of this domestic infrastructure? Lets also not forget, this won’t make things cheaper just bc they were manufactured here if anything, they could become a premium. That’ll be due to companies having to actually follow regulations and pay workers but do you guys actually think the rich want to do that for any of us??
These tariffs may not actually be the worst idea, but the implementation is downright horrid, and its too much, too fast with not enough being done to actually see the plan through. Things like this take time and within the first 6 months of this administration, we are already in a recession, not all due to Trump but he sure as hell isnt makin it better.
Well…the silver lining is now that my retrogaming hobby is over, I can spend more time outdoors 😅
Put your money where your mouth is. Sell your collection and donate the money to a family in need, since you’re so virtuous, as you have so plainly let everyone know.
So don’t buy it.
I voted for Jill Stein.
I sure as hell wouldn’t be going around telling people that! 😂
And I sure as hell wouldn’t be proud of it either!
Amazing how many idiots are willing to let China ram it up their asses, breaking the law and NEVER paying their fair share, which is why Trump did what he did. The people in China are smart enough to realize its their president whos the asshole but of course the libs and their feelings cant see that from the outside looking in. Shocker. Wahhh, Mommy my games!!!!! I hate Trump!!!! Wahhh lmao
Why when I mentioned tariffs on Facebook you blocked me. I said much less than was said here.
It’s not the tariffs, it’s China not working out a deal. Other countries tariff us way more than we tariff them. America finally decides to play ball in the global economy and we get whiners. Look at the big picture. Stop worrying about the present prices. There’s a much bigger picture that we are working towards. Be brave and let the rest of the world adjust. They already make crap tons of money off of America while we sink further in debt. About time we start recouping. It will balance out. Give it time.
Thank you for saying this.
I like cheap fun gadgets too. But I like seeing Americans live decent lives more.
Okay cool, so its $600 now. Not a problem since Trump is going to let us all keep our federal income taxes now. Thats an easy $1000 a month back in my pocket. 🤣🤣🤣
Oh waaaait, ain’t nobody said shit about that deal since it fell out of his bullshit filled mouth. Just sayin, if tariffs are now in effect then I can stop paying my federal taxes, right? 🙄
I too would love a tax break. But you seem very convinced that you won’t get one. Let’s try this, if your federal taxes go down next year, will you come back here and admit you were quick to judge?
I can now hear you say “ok, my taxes went down, but everything I buy is more expensive because of tariffs”. Well that may be true, but it would only be the case if most things you buy come from China. You could choose not to do that. And now you say “everything is made in China! How can we not buy those things?!?”. If you did say all that, then I hope you’d have seen the problem you just identified. A problem someone is trying to fix.
Sure, CT. I’d be more than happy to come back here and admit I was wrong if my federal income taxes are eliminated, as promised.
Not reduced, eliminated.
Because that’s what was promised. Trump’s Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, literally said, “No tax for anybody who makes less than $150,000 a year.”
That wasn’t a vague “tax cut” promise. It was pitched as a complete replacement of income tax for middle-class Americans through tariffs. So if I’m paying one penny in federal income taxes next year, then the promise is broken. And no, I’m not expecting a miracle. I’ve simply had enough of political snake oil sold in soundbites.
Now let’s talk math.
My current federal tax liability is around 11.8%. But as we stand today, the average cost increase due to tariffs is now roughly 11.8% across all goods. That includes 3% general inflation, 17% more for textiles, around 30% more for home renovation materials, 20 to 40% increases on furniture and home decor, and steep hikes on tech and electronics like the 145% tariff on Chinese imports.
So unless Trump is cutting my taxes by at least 11.8%, then no, I’m not better off. I’m just paying more in a different direction, which isn’t freedom from taxation. It’s just repackaging it.
And let’s clear something else up while we’re at it. I don’t buy cheap junk from China. I actively avoid it. Case in point, I don’t shop at Walmart. Haven’t since the late 90s, when they strongarmed Rubbermaid, an American manufacturer for over 75 years, into offshoring to China with predatory pricing pressure. If you’ve never heard of that story, I suggest you look it up. It’s textbook corporate exploitation.
Walmart, by the way, was gifted a $9 billion tax break under Trump’s 2018 tax overhaul. You know what they did with it? Closed stores, cut jobs, and sent out press releases about “raising wages.” Net loss for working Americans.
So please don’t assume I’m whining because I want cheap gadgets. I made a conscious decision not to buy the Retroid Pocket Flip 2. Not because of some moral panic, but because it’s a want, not a need. And frankly, a $400 import duty on a $270 device is laughable policy execution.
If you’re comfortable getting squeezed on both ends, paying more and still footing the tax bill, good for you. But I’m simply asking for what was promised; NO federal income tax if tariffs are taking over that role.
Unlike some folks, I have no ego about this. I’ll absolutely come back and say I was wrong if I truly see that income tax ELIMINATED, not just reshuffled or shaved.
But until then? I’ll call it what it is. Smoke, mirrors, and a bill that somehow always ends up in our hands.