Two weeks ago, Star Trek action figure company EXO-6 announced that shipments to US-based customers would be placed on hold due to the new tariff structure implemented by the Trump Administration. Now, three other major Trek licensees are starting to talk about the tariff situation as the new import rules go into effect.
 

High-end replica company Factory Entertainment — who we’ve talked about quite often here at TrekCore — have fans waiting with bated breath for their Star Trek: The Next Generation medical tricorder and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds phaser replicas, after their exciting debuts at San Diego Comic Con and Star Trek: Las Vegas last summer.

While a small number of early tricorder preorders were fulfilled this spring, the majority of preorders are still waiting for delivery (along with all SNW phasers). Yesterday, the company announced via email that the wait will continue, in a message sent to preorder customers.

“We’ve (understandably) received a number of inquiries recently asking for an update on the status of the second batch of our Star Trek: The Next Generation Medical Tricorder prop replicas and our Strange New Worlds Phaser prop replicas.

 

In short, we are continuing full steam ahead on production of both replicas, with the expectation that they will be completed by our factories in the next 30 to 60 days. Under normal circumstances, that means they would arrive in our warehouse and ship out to customers by mid-summer. While we still hope that will be the case, as you know, the current administration has placed a tariff rate of 145% on imports from China.

 

While we fully expect that the tariff rate will be lowered to something more manageable through negotiations between the United States and China, or that an exemption will be granted to our types of products in recognition of the lack of realistic manufacturing opportunities domestically, the timing of that is uncertain and we simply cannot afford to pay the current tariff, nor are we willing to ask our customers fully absorb it, since it would amount to several hundred dollars on each of these items.

 

Therefore, it is entirely possible that these products will be a further delayed beyond the expected ship date. We wish we could be more definitive about timing, but this is a political matter that is entirely beyond our control.

 

We know you are anxious to receive your replicas, and we are equally eager to get them into your hands. In the meantime, please know that we are 100% committed to getting these products to you. As to other Star Trek replicas you may have seen on display at San Diego Comic-Con or Star Trek Las Vegas or on social media, in order to avoid creating similar timing unpredictability going forward, we have elected to delay launching them for preorder until they are actually on the water to us or in our warehouse.

 

We will continue to keep you updated as the tariff situation evolves.”

Additionally, today retailer Master Replicas — who sell not only Star Trek products, but also items from Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, and more — shared two updates about how the new tariffs will impact customers based in the United States, in a pair of emails which arrived in fan inboxes earlier this afternoon.

“As we are sure you know, the tariffs imposed by the USA are making things difficult for collectibles companies. Until now we’ve been able to ship goods to the US from Europe without incurring extra charges. That will change on May 2nd, and this means we will have to change how we do things.

 

We don’t expect the tariffs to stay at this level, so until we have clarity, we are going to hold any preorders that are destined for the US in our international warehouses. This means they won’t be sold to anyone else and will be reserved for the person who ordered them. Whenever preorders arrive, we will be in touch to keep you up to date and offer you a range of choices about what to do.

 

As it happens, very few products were due to ship out in May, so this is unlikely to impact you. All being well, the situation will have improved by June. In the meantime, we are looking at the best way to bring products into the US. We are aware that after May 2nd, customers may be charged by US customs and we want to avoid this. We will update you shortly and we will add information to the website to make it clear where the US government may charge extra import duties.

 

Outside of the USA everything will continue as normal. We are working on lots of exciting products, including some based on brands we haven’t announced yet, and we can’t wait to share with you. Watch this space!”

Master Replicas’ second message today addressed their new line of Star Trek action figures, which were expected to be announced in a two-figures-per-month schedule — now delayed because of the new tariff situation. They did however confirm that the next figures to be up for preorder — whenever that be comes possible — will be the previously-announced Picard Season 3 Will Riker, and Lower Decks’ Brad Boimler.

“You may have noticed that we didn’t announce any new Star Trek action figures last month. It’s nothing to worry about — we’re still working on them and, in fact, we thought you might like to see a few pictures of what’s coming up. It’s just that there are a lot of unknowns because of the US tariffs. We don’t want to offer too many things for preorder when we don’t know whether people would get charged extra by US customs.”

Finally, we checked in with our friends over at FanSets, who told us that they’ve done what they can to be ready for domestic orders before the tariffs kick in this month — which at present does NOT include price increases or fulfillment delays on in-stock items.

In a statement provided to TrekCore, the company said:

“FanSets stocked up on as much merchandise as possible — including existing products, future releases, and planned Star Trek: Las Vegas debut items — ahead of the impending tariffs, which we expect to last through at least the end of this summer. Some pieces may go out-of-stock and may not be replenished until the tariff situation is resolved.

 

Pricing will not change on the existing products in our catalog or affect our planned summer releases, but new products debuting after this summer may see cost increases.”

We’ll continue to share updates on how the new US tariffs impact the state of Star Trek collectibles as we learn more.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in Star Trek collectibles news!