Handheld console maker Panic has announced it will be refunding customers who were charged additional fees due to US tariffs. The company had previously implemented these tariff charges as a line item during checkout for affected customers when absorbing the costs became financially unfeasible for the small business.
Cabel Sasser, co-founder of Panic, explained that while the tariff charges were clearly marked, the decision to refund was driven by the principle that "It's just not our money to keep." He noted that securing the tariff refund from the US government involved significant administrative work for Panic, including filing extensive paperwork and developing a system for processing the reimbursements. Sasser expressed that this process sometimes felt disproportionately burdensome for a small company compared to larger corporations, but acknowledged that smaller businesses are often more directly impacted by such tariffs.
The US tariffs have had a broad impact, affecting various physical goods including hardware like the Playdate, as well as tabletop and board games, by increasing costs for products manufactured outside the United States. Companies like PC cooling firm Arctic have also reportedly received tariff refunds.
Sasser indicated that the time spent navigating the tariff issue and refund process detracted from potential development on new projects. However, the initiative ensures that customers who incurred these additional costs will receive their money back following the tariff imposition.