Equestrian Companies announcing Tariff Hikes/changes

[enjoytheride]

I thought we could make a thread with equestrian companies that have announced a official plan of action for tarrifs. Keep in mind that the countries tarrifed and the amount seems to change weekly.

Solo Equine - located in Canada 52% tarrif, which they will add onto the base price of their bridles so the tarrif business gets handled on their end.

The Brave Pants Company - Located in NZ, halting shipments to the US for the foreseeable future.

Dark Jewel Designs - located in US but source materials overseas, halting all sales for the foreseeable future

Bemer - located in Switzerland 39.5% increase in all products once US stock is out.

[Against_All_Odds2]

@enjoytheride

Solo Equine - located in Canada 52% tarrif, which they will add onto the base price of their bridles so the tarrif business gets handled on their end.

This is not how tariffs work. Your federal government collects the tariffs from you on your purchases. So this company is just increasing their pricing and then you’ll get a duty bill for the new increased price. Also FWIW Can-US has stuck a trade deal to eliminate the counter tariff/retaliatory tariffs as of Sept 1.

-Signed a Canadian retailer

[enjoytheride]

I am quoting from the email I got. If you feel like they are incorrect then you can reach out to them.

Important Information For US Customers:

(None of this applies to our Canadian customers)

Starting August 29th , Uncle Sam decided that every bridle crossing the border into the USA needs to pay a 52% tariff. (Apparently, he’s not a horse person.)

Here’s the good news: Solo is covering that fee for you.

That means the price you see on our site is the real price. No surprise bills from customs, no knock on your door from the post office.

For example: If a bridle is listed on our site for $380 USD, the base price is $250, and the other $130 goes straight to the US government.

You’ll never have to mess with that paperwork, Solo already handled it.

But, if you want to cover the tariff yourself, we can adjust the pricing and send your bridle so that you can pay USPS the tariff directly. Just message me prior to ordering.

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A couple of important caveats (said with love):

Returns: If you send a bridle back, we can refund the $250 product cost, but not the $130 tariff. (Sorry, Uncle Sam doesn’t do refunds.)

Exchanges: Every new shipment gets tariffed again . Solo won’t be covering the tariffs on exchanges, so please double-check your size chart like your horse’s comfort depends on it (because it does).

If you have questions about sizing, please contact Stephen via text at 780-903-7129 or at swag@soloequine.com prior to ordering. I’m always happy to help!

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And here’s the heart of it…

It saddens us to see these divisions appear between borders. But if dressage has taught me anything, it’s this: sit tall, stay centered, and stay quiet while chaos ensues around you. The horse doesn’t care about tariffs or politics. The horse only asks that we stay present, balanced, and kind.

That’s how we’ll navigate this too. By staying grounded, doing our part, and keeping your ride as smooth as possible.

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We’ll keep doing the heavy lifting on our side so you can ride stress-free on yours.

To AVOID all of this, you can purchase your bridle today before the tariff increase.

[Against_All_Odds2]

@enjoytheride

But, if you want to cover the tariff yourself, we can adjust the pricing and send your bridle so that you can pay USPS the tariff directly. Just message me prior to ordering.

I am Canadian so it really doesn’t matter to me. But US friends should take them up on this. Bridles should fall under the CUSMA compliant list.

[Amberley]

@Against_All_Odds2

This is not how tariffs work. Your federal government collects the tariffs from you on your purchases.

In theory but in reality the US govt is not set up to collect the tariffs on the small packages, so is telling other other counties to do it for them.

Lots of streamlining systems are set up to try to capture that tax money- like for example the EU VAT MOSS scheme which allows a business to submit a single VAT document to their home government instead of one to each country they have customers in. The US hasn’t even bothered looking into joining those. They haven’t even told anyone where to send payment once collected.

Since there is no process many countries are suspending package service until one is established. So far this is Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Kingdom.

[FjordBCRF]

@enjoytheride

Bemer - located in Switzerland 39.5% increase in all products once US stock is out.

Ouch. Thankful I got mine last year

[greenviewfarms_md]

BowHorse sent an email last week that they will not be stocking blankets in the US for 2025/2026 winter season. A shame since I really like their blanket design!

[ParadoxFarm]

This whole subject is a bummer.

[Posting_Trot]

I believe that the postal services in several EU countries and in Britain have opted to stop sending packages to the U.S. because of concerns about tariffs, paperwork hassles relating to tariffs, and collection of the money.

CBS news story about suspension of package shipping from several countries to the U.S.

[enjoytheride]

Yes, that is the case with Brave Pants.

[FitToBeTied]

It will be interesting to see if that holds. A lot will have to do with what percentage of their business is with US countries. There are always work arounds.

For example, shipping alcohol from state to state in the US. To ship wine to virginia seller can only go direct if they are on Virginia’s approved list. We had some problems getting shipments from California and Oregon direct from the wineries. Then someone started a company that acts as the middleman. So the winery “sells” the wine to middleman who then ships it to us.

To get around the tariff problem, companies will just have to sell to a wholesaler in a non-tariffed country who then sells to the US customer.

[clanter]

@FitToBeTied

To get around the tariff problem, companies will just have to sell to a wholesaler in a non-tariffed country who then sells to the US customer.

not to burst your hope but the tariffs rates are based on a product’s country of origin, not the country from which it is shipped

[EmilyM]

@FitToBeTied

To get around the tariff problem, companies will just have to sell to a wholesaler in a non-tariffed country who then sells to the US customer.

This doesn’t work either because the goods are tracked by country of origin / manufacture. Signed someone who imports goods for a living.

[poltroon]

eBay is apparently trying to do a middleman thing where they group multiple packages from a country together into a single shipment and get the group through together, which at least solves the $80 minimum per package problem. I can see something like that happening, but as noted, it’s the country of origin that matters, not the country of return address.

Trump Tariffs Cause Chaos on Ebay as Every Hobby Becomes Logistical Minefield

[EmilyM]

@poltroon

but as noted, it’s the country of origin that matters, not the country of return address.

there would have to be some modifications for it to be considered another country and some attempts are borderline illegal.
I’ve had vendors offer to invoice us at a reduced price and charge document or franchise fees to compensate them for the discount. Definitely pushes the legal boundaries, and I am not doing that.