Funstock, the online store run by Evercade maker Blaze, has announced that it is suspending US orders "until further notice."
The decision has been made due to "recent changes in the suspension of the De Minimis exemption for commercial shipments globally," according to the retailer. "Effective immediately, US customers will be able to visit the website but will no longer be able to complete a purchase. This will not affect customers in Canada and all other territories."
In an email sent to all Funstock customers, the retailer explains why this has happened:
A fee of 30% now applies to all Funstock imports into the US. This is based on the country of production, which for Evercade/HyperMegaTech products is China. It is not possible for us as a retailer to absorb these costs in the long term. At this time, we cannot offer the service for customers to pay this cost to us ahead of shipment. This is something we will investigate further and monitor the ongoing situation.
However, Funstock has confirmed that, "as a gesture of goodwill and appreciation" to its "dedicated US customers", it will honour all existing pre-orders at no additional cost. "These will be fulfilled directly by Funstock, with Blaze absorbing the costs on this occasion only."
Funstock adds that it does "not foresee any further requests from couriers or local governments for extra payment for duties or tariffs in relation to these order shipments", but "once dispatched, we have no control and are not responsible for any further charges if they apply - as per our Shipping Terms & Conditions."
As well as carrying the full Evercade range of hardware and cartridges, Funstock also sells Super Pocket systems and will be selling the recently announced Super Micro range.