“Due to changes in U.S. tariff policies, we will be suspending all orders shipping from China to the United States starting today,” writes Anbernic. “We strongly recommend prioritizing products shipped from our U.S. warehouse, which are currently not affected by import duties and can be purchased with confidence.”
No, Anbernic didn’t set up a brand-new US warehouse in response to tariffs — it’s been an option on its storefront for some time. Generally, Anbernic begins by drop-shipping each new handheld from China directly to buyers’ homes after they’re introduced, then stockpiles additional units in US warehouses for faster ship times. Anbernic lets buyers pick which warehouse they prefer on its checkout page.
As of last week, Anbernic had already begun suggesting that US buyers pick its US warehouse because “orders shipped to the United States may be subject to high customs duties,” asking customers to “take this potential risk into account when making your purchase decisions.”
But now, the company is suspending those shipments entirely — similarly to how acclaimed retro game scaler maker RetroTINK suspended shipments not just because of tariffs, but “due to lack of guidance on how tariffs will be collected.” I checked: while you can still add a Anbernic handheld to your US cart from a Chinese warehouse, the company offers plenty of warnings and won’t let you purchase it from there.
One reason for Anbernic’s popularity is that its retro handhelds are cheap, typically around $70 for the newest models. (Some also do an excellent job emulating the look and feel of classic Nintendo handhelds, as you can see in my videos above and below.) But those low prices are now completely under threat by Trump’s tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption for cheap Chinese goods. It’s not clear if or how companies like Anbernic could afford to resume shipments, should those tariffs actually take hold.
For the time being, Anbernic handhelds are also still available in the US via third-party sellers like Amazon — which I’ve always found surprising given that those ones typically come with Nintendo, Sega and Sony ROMs.
