Today, Wahoo Fitness opened up shipping on their three newest products: The Wahoo BOLT 3, Wahoo ROAM 3, and Wahoo TRACKR Radar. The BOLT 3 and ROAM 3 are meant to offer smaller-sized and more budget friendly versions of their top-end Wahoo ACE, complete with the revamped operating system, display, and more.
Meanwhile, the TRACKR Radar is Wahoo’s first cycling radar (and light), though, the company has extensive experience with other sensors (in fact, the very first Wahoo product 15 years ago – literally 15 years ago today – was an adapter to connect external ANT+ fitness sensors to your iPhone). Of course, the company also makes speed sensors, heart rate straps, cadence sensors, power meter pedals/sensors, and plenty more.
But when US customers went to purchase the Wahoo TRACKR Radar today, they found a bit of a surprise: Shipping was $50.
Specifically, the cheapest shipping option was $50USD, a far cry from the cheapest shipping option on the Wahoo BOLT 3, which was $15. Here’s what the page shows, when a US customer attempts to order the TRACKR Radar:
Now, what’s notable here is the same isn’t true for EU customers. In fact, there’s not any shipping charge at all. Simply free shipping:
So, what’s the difference? Well, given you read the title – it’s the manufacturing location: China.
The BOLT 3 & ROAM 3, like many of Wahoo’s products, are made in Taiwan. However, the TRACKR Radar is made in China, and thus subject to new US tariffs starting at 145%. While there are creative carveouts limiting tariffs for certain tech products coming from China, notably for phones and smartwatches, such exemptions don’t cover cycling radars.
Now, I don’t have a problem per se with Wahoo passing on the cost. After all, like it or not, that’s the reality of the US political landscape right now (because, let’s be clear, this is a political choice). However, what I do have a problem with, is not owning up to it. Instead, Wahoo lists this as a ‘service charge’ within the shipping line item, as you saw above.
If you click on the details about service charges, it brings you to another page with a heavily wishy-washy statement about global supply chains:
Pretending things are shipping charges isn’t consumer friendly (or honest), and frankly, more importantly – doesn’t actually apply any meaningful pressure to enact change. Further, when Wahoo communicates the price of the Wahoo TRACKR Radar to media outlets (or their own site), it’s listed at $199, when in reality, it’s actually $249. Thus, it’s factually dishonest.
And look, I get it, Wahoo is in a bind here. They got sideswiped by changing government policy (like thousands of other companies), and need to pass on the stupid-high fees to someone, as they should. I just want them to be honest about it. Other companies have simply increased the base price of the unit (temporarily or otherwise), or, they added a specific tariff line-item. But calling it a shipping charge just isn’t the way to do it.
In fact, if we look at REI’s listing of the TRACKR RADAR, they simply increased the cost accordingly to show the real price: $250
In any event, don’t worry, soon I’ll release my full in-depth reviews of all these units. The thing is, the TRACKR is a good product thus far in my testing, but, at $249, it’s not very competitive with the options in the market (based on either specs, or actual real-world testing scenarios).
With that, thanks for reading!
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US is getting what they chose.
I just wish they would Label it the trump tax as it is.
Good on Wahoo here. Some manufacturers have sadly decided to spread the cost to Europe, which is a joke. I will do my best to avoid buying from companies that do that, whereas this is a good and fair move from Wahoo.
What companies have you seen do that? I believe you, just curious.
So it suggests it cost them $34 ish for the unit (if tariffs add 50). They sell this for $200 retail (before tariffs), which is a good margin. Is this normal markup for consumer electronics?
Or just the components inside it actually made in China
it may well be that wahoo are helping the US out of their own hole and only passing on part of the tariff cost, cutting into their own margins
have a look at this article which includes a detailed breakdown of the margins and tariffs on one product (noting that ever company and product has different circumstances)
link to escapecollective.com
Are we winning yet?
He and his family are. All that crypto and Emoluments Clause violations. They are breaking rules like they get points for doing it. Saw a sticker: ‘Make America Embarrassed Again’.
i think thats a really good way of doing it.
ideally there would be a separate line item for the tariff cost but thats not a standard thing for sales platforms to support so instead you add it to the shipping cost which is valid – tariffs are a part of the overall shipping cost. meanwhile, the actual item price is still accurately shown so consumers don’t think wahoo is ripping them off and wiht a little intelligence it is obvious where the cost comes from.
the “imported product” note even highlights this, though it could be more explicit but would then probably attract the ire of the idiot responsible for this mess
I had the same experience ordering a mini deskpi rack (a little 10″ rack for computers, switches, and such).
$60 rack with a $50 shipping charge. It took me a few minutes to figure out that was likely due to tariffs; I wish they’d just said as much.
That said, unfortunately it makes it too expensive. I’m really sympathetic to the companies having to deal with this crap. They’re losing sales and I expect quite a few will go out of business, or reshape their businesses to avoid any reliance on the US.
It’s not clear to me why a company in, say, Taiwan can’t buy these items and resell them. I listened to a PinkBike podcast with the CEO of Outbound Lights who was explaining how, even though he assembles in the US, he’s at a big disadvantage to light makers overseas who are using Chinese components, and then paying a 10% tariff to ship into the US. He has some CHinese components on which he pays the 145% tariffs, so the impact to a US-based company is much larger than the impact to an overseas (non-Chinese) company.