Razer has temporarily stopped selling its laptops directly in the United States. This decision comes after the many tariffs that affect countries that make hardware.

The Trump administration introduced new taxes on products imported from China, Taiwan, and other countries, which affects parts used to make laptops. Right now, Razer’s U.S. website doesn’t show any laptops for sale—only accessories and laptop skins are available. The tool that lets customers customize the new Blade 16 laptop, which was still working on April 1, has been taken down from the website and replaced with a “notify me” button.

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Tariffs Just Killed Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders

The Nintendo Switch 2 is better at everything compared to its predecessor, but it also has a notable price bump—it’s $449, compared to the original Switch’s $299 launch price. Now, this might be even more expensive, and it’s all thanks to tariffs.

This is similar to what happened with some cheaper models of the Framework Laptop 13, which were also removed from sale in the United States. Framework openly said on X (formerly Twitter) that the reason for this was the new taxes. Razer is likely pausing sales for the same reason, but the company did not outright confirm that detail. When asked by The Verge, Razer’s PR manager said, “We do not have a comment at this stage regarding tariffs.”

Another clue is that the new Razer laptop stand, which was advertised as “available now,” doesn’t have a price on the U.S. site—just a “notify me” option. However, the same stand is being sold on Razer’s Canadian website at a price that matches the exchange rate. The Blade 16 customization tool is also available in Canada, and other international Razer sites continue to sell laptops, making it clear that this sales pause only affects customers in the United States.

Unfortunately, because Razer hasn’t explained its decision, it’s hard to know what’s going on behind the scenes. Still, the timing and the fact that only U.S. sales are paused strongly point to the new taxes as the reason. Even Nintendo stopped its pre-orders for Switch 2 in the U.S. to see what would happen.

The effects of these taxes go beyond Razer. Micron Technology, a big manufacturer of memory chips, has reportedly said that extra charges will be added to its products once the taxes start. This means companies like Razer will probably have to pay more for the parts they use. The United States is expected to impose 104% tariffs across all imports from China starting on Wednesday, along with elevated tariffs on 85 other countries. Even if those plans change before the rollout, or soon after, companies like Razer probably need time to figure out how to cope with eleavted costs.

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Physical Video Games Might Be Hurt by Tariffs, Too

A proposed 25% tax on goods imported from Mexico was proposed in an executive order from the new president of the U.S. It is expected by some to have a significant effect on the video game market in the United States.

Now, Razer has a tough choice: either take on the extra costs themselves, which would cut into their profits, or raise laptop prices for customers, which could hurt sales. Whatever they decide will shape their future sales approach and possibly their ability to compete in the U.S. market. Not having a clear answer may be the reason the company took so many devices down.

The company’s silence leaves room for guesses, but it will likely charge more, just like other companies are doing now. Corporations won’t take the hit for the consumer—it’s just not a smart business move. It is highly doubtful the devices will come back at the same price. Those in the U.S. should get ready to pay more for their electronic devices.

Source: The Verge