When Silca entered the electric tire inflator game in late April with its two-model Elettrico Mini line, the news was overshadowed by a complication: draconian US tariffs on imports from China would essentially make it impossible for the brand to sell them in its home market – its largest – as the cost of the units would nearly double.
Josh Weinberg
But the Trump administration’s recent decision to lower “reciprocal” tariffs on China to 30% (still high and on top of the existing 25% tariff imposed in 2018, but a far cry from the original planned level of 145%) has created a window for Silca to bring in the inflators. They’ll be marginally more expensive than originally planned, with the Elettrico Micro retailing for US$129 and the Ultimate for $159. “In the end, we decided to add $10 to the wholesale and the retail cost of the inflators which allows both SILCA and the bike shop to hold 32-33% gross margin, not ideal but workable in the short term, and fingers crossed that they can strike a deal which will allow for continued sales going forward,” Silca president Josh Poertner told Escape Collective in an email.
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