Pular para o conteúdo principal

FCS pauses sales in the United States

FCS: the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are hitting the surfboard fin company's supply chain | Photo: FCS

It sounds counterintuitive, but surf gear company FCS has hit the brakes on U.S. sales.

If you visit the American website of FCS at surffcs.com, these days you'll find a pop-up banner with a very straightforward message:

"We're taking a short break from sales in the USA while we carefully review the impact of the new import tariffs."

"We truly appreciate your patience and support during this time. Enter your email below to be notified when we are back trading."

The move comes after the Trump administration slapped new tariffs on imported goods that feed FCS's supply chain.

It's happening in May 2025 and affects all companies dependent on foreign imports, especially those produced in China, as 125 percent of tariffs are in effect for nearly all products.

So, with costs jumping overnight, the surf brand chose to pause both its wholesale orders and its online shop, though it will still send fin plugs to board builders.

The numbers aren't trivial.

Tariffs on key materials and finished parts have driven up import costs so much that FCS says it can't keep prices fair or stock levels healthy.

Absorbing the extra fees would eat into the quality and value surfers expect. So, the company is holding off until the dust settles.

FCS: the pop-up message on the company's website

Working on Backup Plans

Dealers across America got an emailed Q&A explaining the pause:

Why the pause? New import duties pushed costs too high for both wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales.

How bad is the impact? The tariffs hit raw materials and finished fins alike. Without a fix, the business can't stay sustainable.

What's next? FCS is eyeing supply-chain tweaks, new factory partners, supplier talks - and yes, even price bumps if needed.

Where else do they make gear? FCS already produces in Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and various other places in Asia.

Is this global? Nope - only U.S. sales are on pause. Everything else runs as usual.

Behind the scenes, FCS is working on backup plans.

They're hunting down new manufacturing partners and weighing a reshuffle of where boards and fins get built.

Negotiations with suppliers are in full swing, and executives haven't ruled out a small price increase to keep things rolling.

When they find a stable path, U.S. orders will flip back on.

Globally, FCS calls itself "strong and stable." It expects most of its surf-bound business to carry on undisturbed.

The world's leading surfboard fin company is confident that once it's navigated this tariff wave, American surfers will be able to grab their fins again without wiping out their wallets.

But FCS is only the tip of the iceberg.

The surf industry is likely to be affected by the new reality, as most of the products are outsourced from China and other foreign markets.


Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com



por Surfing | News, Headlines and Top Stories https://ift.tt/VNhAouz

Postagens mais visitadas deste blog

Duke Kahanamoku reflects on surfing, Olympics, and old Hawaii in 1966 interview

Duke Kahanamoku is the most influential surfer of all time and is often hailed as the father of modern surfing. There is nearly no one questioning these titles. Recently, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Hawaii unveiled a never-before-seen interview with the legendary surfer and Olympic swimmer. In the 1966 episode of Pau Hana Years, a seminal Hawaii television program that aired on KHET-TV (now PBS Hawaii) for 16 years, running from 1966 until 1982, Bob Barker chats with Duke Kahanamoku, then 76. The conversation drifts from royal ancestry to Olympic lanes, from Hollywood sets to a surfboard shaped by hand, tracing the outline of a life that helped define modern surfing and Hawaii's public image in the 20th century. And if you know little about the man who dreamed of getting surfing into the Olympic Games, this is a precious piece of history. A name with history, worn casually The interview starts with Kahanamoku explaining that "Duke" is not a title but his giv...
Leia mais

The hydrodynamics of surfboard fins

Have you ever wondered why a surfboard fin looks like that? It is a single or a set of fixed blades or keels located under a board, near the tail, often no bigger than a hand. Yet that small surface is where much of the surfboard's behavior takes place. Speed, hold, looseness, and the feeling of control all trace back to how water moves around fins. The physics of surfboard fins falls under hydrodynamics, the study of how fluids behave in motion. So, according to science, they feature a shape designed to turn flowing water into several forces. Let's take a look at what's at stake when fins and water interact. Lift and the feeling of control One of the key variables in hydrodynamic terms involving surfboard fins is lift. When a surfer leans into a turn, the board tilts and the fins meet the water at an angle. The angle is enough to create a pressure difference between the two sides of the fin. Water speeds up on one side and slows on the other. The result is a sidewa...
Leia mais

How paddleboarding transforms your body and mind

Adventure is on our doorstep. With so many different bodies of water available to paddleboarders, from city canals to coastal routes, we can find adventure in places much closer to home than people might initially expect. According to the Canal and River Trust, 50 percent of people in England and Wales live within just eight kilometers of a canal or river, and eight million people live less than one kilometer away. I had lived within just a few kilometers of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for years and never really explored it before stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) came into my life . The challenge created both a new perspective and a deeper love for where I lived and the areas which I passed through. On my coast-to-coast journey, I slept in my own bed for two nights as the route passed through my then hometown of Skipton, yet I felt I was on a grand journey of discovery. We are braver, stronger, and more resilient than we think. SUP not only helps us feel more connected to our va...
Leia mais