June shipping update

Spring has turned to summer here, and with it the summer thunderstorms and oppressive humidity have arrived. We sent another container to Seattle in the last week of June, and it's now en route across the Pacific with an estimated arrival at the end of July. The container was essentially completely filled with pre-sold inventory for customers who contacted us directly, which is why we haven't put up very many product pages or posted too many updates here or on our Discord since the last shipment went out.

The previous container was unloaded without incident, and most customers have already received their machines. It's a little surreal to see all the games that were once in our hands finally getting into game centers and homes halfway around the world. We aim to maintain the highest possible level of satisfaction and make it worth your time to deal with us, even if purchases take a while to arrive due to the nature of our business.

This one was a doozy since both of us caught colds right beforehand and the weather was alternating between swampy heat and downpours. Our warehouse was also so full of machines that it was difficult to complete the last few work items or get everything wrapped for shipment in advance, so we had no choice but to finish those tasks as we proceeded with container loading; in the end, we worked all night and through the following day and finished just as another thunderstorm hit, soaking me to the bone as I got the forklift out of the way and closed up the doors. Despite the setbacks, we did not skimp on making sure everything got tested, wrapped and packed securely.

We have been monitoring the news as it progresses with regards to the US tariffs on Japan. Donald Trump announced in April that the US would tax Japanese imports at 24%, then postponed that for 90 days leaving only a new 10% tariff until July 9th. This container made that deadline, so the duty should be 10%. After that, news broke that instead of July 9th, the raise wouldn't happen until August 1st, and the letter they sent to Japan said it would be 25%, so in the end we didn't need to rush to ship this container anyway. We are currently evaluating whether it still makes sense to send another container after this to America even should the higher tariff really take effect; most likely we shall, but the prices will have to take it into account. That said, we are also looking for opportunities to ship to other countries, both full container and LCL. If you are interested in being involved in this in your country or know someone who would be, feel free to get in touch!