Your Favorite Sex Toy Brand Might Go Under

WIRED15-04-2025

There's still a 145 percent tariff on China, and sex toys aren't part of the electronics exemption.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
It's hard to make sense of tariffs because things are changing day by day. The only constant seems to be the exorbitantly high 145 percent tariff on China. While President Donald Trump may have exempted tariffs on a handful of electronics over the weekend, like smartphones, laptops, and TVs (though maybe not for long), that doesn't apply to other gadgets from China, even if there's a printed circuit board inside, like sex toys.
Sex toy manufacturers are generally bucketed under the 'massagers' or 'adult' product category when it comes to imports and exports, meaning these companies have been forced to pay a hefty tariff on their goods since April 9. Brands, like Dame, Unbound, and Vibratex, are already feeling the effects, and if things don't change, there's a chance some may have to close up shop.
Alex Fine, CEO of Dame, was among the first to publicly address the impact on Instagram. 'So far we've already had shipments that incurred a 20 percent increase,' Fine tells WIRED. She says the company has been working to minimize how much extra customers pay, but had to implement a $5 'Trump tariff surcharge' on all orders. 'A 54 percent increase in cost of goods sold would have put Dame in the red last year, and at 125 percent, I'm not going to even do that math.' That was before Trump raised the tariff to 145 percent.
Polly Rodriguez, CEO of sex toy brand Unbound, says a vibrator that previously cost the company $30 now has a tariff cost of $44, bringing the total to $74. Tariffs are now Unbound's largest expense as a business, higher than payroll or manufacturing.
Some companies are playing it cool for now. 'At Le Wand and b-Vibe, we're taking a measured approach to the tariff situation,' says Alicia Sinclair, CEO of COTR Inc., the parent company behind both brands. 'While our products are manufactured in China, meaning tariffs will certainly impact our cost structure, we've deliberately maintained sufficient inventory to give ourselves time to evaluate the situation properly.'
The consensus from many of the companies I spoke with was that there's a lot of uncertainty in the air, and prices are already up. Samantha Marshall, head of brand and marketing at Smile Makers, says the company has already raised prices, as the tariffs are too high to be fully absorbed by retailers. Vibratex, the parent company that distributes the iconic Magic Wand, deals with retailers more than direct customers, and Ken Herskovitz, the company's CEO, says it plans to absorb portions of the increased wholesale cost.
If these tariffs remain, it won't just mean spending more money on sex toys, but possibly seeing your favorite sex toy company go out of business. 'There are two things that will happen without question,' says Rodriguez. 'Small businesses will go under, as many of us cannot bear a cost increase this large. The businesses that can endure will have no choice but to increase prices, which we're already seeing.'
Like Le Wand, Rodriguez says Unbound has inventory in stock, but tens of thousands more are on their way to its warehouse in the US. She says the company will do everything it can to limit the impact on pricing. 'Unbound was built on the belief that sexual wellness products should be accessible for all, and we have always defined that as being well below $100. It is still our goal to maintain that threshold.'
Both Fine and Rodriguez pointed out how the tariffs will affect small businesses the hardest, as they do not have the resources of big tech corporations to get exemptions, even if they're temporary. 'From where I'm sitting, it will come down harder on female-founded businesses, because so many of them are beauty and wellness-related,' Fine says.

Hashtags

Business

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Podcast Bro Theo Von Questions How 'America First' Trump Really Is Amid Potential Iran War

Yahoo

36 minutes ago

Yahoo

Podcast Bro Theo Von Questions How 'America First' Trump Really Is Amid Potential Iran War

Popular podcast host Theo Von joined Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) Friday in taking a hard stance against potential U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Khanna appeared on Von's podcast 'This Past Weekend' to discuss several topics, from foreign affairs to AI. At one point in the segment, Khanna promoted the War Powers Resolution, a bipartisan bill he introduced with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) aimed at prohibiting U.S. armed forces from unauthorized hostilities in Iran. During his discussion with Von, Khanna noted several people in MAGA's base who have been vocal about the U.S. not going to war with Iran, including Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.). Von agreed with the two conservatives, stating, 'this is a horrible idea.' 'Yeah, people say, 'Well, you don't know a ton about the Middle East.' Like, that's fine. I don't want people I know, my friends, getting called up. I don't want the children of my friends getting called over to die,' Von said. 'I don't even understand how it's an option.' Von, who had Donald Trump on his podcast last year, helped the president reach younger male voters during the 2024 presidential election. Khanna remarked on the influence of Von's interview with Trump, stating the podcaster made the president 'the most human that I've actually seen him,' after the two opened up about the president's brother, alcoholism and cocaine. Last month, Von performed a controversial comedy act at a military base in Qatar before Trump addressed U.S. and Qatari troops. The podcast host has seemingly gotten closer to the Trump family, even having dinner with Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, after they attended his comedy show in Miami. Miami looked good on you @TheoVon ! Come back and visit us soon !😎 — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 14, 2025 Now, however, Von is beginning to question the 'America First' claims that Trump made during his campaign. When Khanna asked Von if he knew anyone who was supporting the idea of the U.S. going to war with Iran, Von responded, 'Nobody.' I asked @TheoVon if he knows anyone who says we should go to war with Nobody. I feel like it was supposed to be America first. — Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) June 20, 2025 Von went on to tell Khanna that 'it feels like we are just working for Israel,' and that he believes a lot of Americans are beginning to feel 'disillusioned' by U.S. leaders. 'I felt like it was supposed to be America first, like, we're focusing on, like, 'What are we doing to get things back into America,' right? To like, increase like the purpose of being an American, to refill our hearts with blood and ... make us feel something again here, and make us be excited about being an American,' Von said. JD Vance Tells Theo Von Musk Made A 'Huge Mistake' Going After Trump Exclusive: Israel Seeks Swift Action On Iran, Sources Say, With A Split U.S. Administration Trump Says He Should've Gotten 5 Nobel Peace Prizes While Continuing To Weigh Iran Strikes