(This news update was first emailed on May 13th, 2025 to fans who had registered an interest in finding out more about our Tricorder.)
Captain’s Log supplemental, star date 0512.25
“Spock has discovered the Bessent-Lifeng protocol which we understand has significantly diminished the subspace tariff anomaly. We don’t know exactly how long the reprieve will last, but our information suggests that there is a 90 day window of opportunity. Scotty is preparing to beam down supplies to the desperate inhabitants of the planet below.”
Scott, four (master cartons) to beam down
Back on planet Earth once again
What a difference a weekend can make.
I have a question that is not answered here, should I email you?
Err… please try not to, we are a small team and working hard to bring this gorgeous product to you. I understand that you are desperate for more information, but please carefully read all the emails that we have sent and hopefully the picture will be clear as to what we are doing.
What does the reduced tariff on bulk imports mean to me?
If you live in the US, quite a lot. The 145% tariff on goods manufactured in China imported to the US has been temporarily reduced to 30%. This means we can start shipping in bulk to the US immediately and, as soon as we are able, make the product available to our US customers through Amazon US.
If I live in the US, can I still buy the Tricorder from Amazon UK?
No, at the moment none of our products are available for US customers from our Amazon UK listing. While the de minimis tariffs for shipments under $800 in value has reduced to 54%, Amazon UK has currently paused shipments to the US. Due to the fact that it will not be possible for Amazon UK to ship our products to the US, when we send out our next “invite to purchase” email, we will not be sending it out to any of our US customers.
I live in the US – when will I be able to get my Tricorder?
The reduced bulk tariffs come into force tomorrow [Wednesday 14th May]. As you can imagine, companies worldwide have had their shipments on hold since the tariffs were increased and are now all going to want to ship to the US at the same time. We will do our best to start airfreighting Tricorders to the US as soon as possible. Once they arrive there will be a wait while the stock is loaded into Amazon US.
I live in the US – will I actually ever be able to buy a Tricorder?
YES. We will be diverting the next few shipments to the US and we believe that there will be enough Tricorders for everyone that wants one to buy one. All our customers are important to us and we are doing our best to ensure that everyone gets their chance to purchase a Tricorder at the best price we can offer.
With the reduced tariff how much will my Tricorder cost?
The margins we have on the Tricorder manufacture are already thin and so we are not able to absorb the entire cost of the 30% tariff. As a result the cost of the Tricorders in the US will rise to $415.
But I don’t live in the US – when can I get my Tricorder?
We have now loaded the first wave of Tricorders into stock in Amazon UK and are ready to turn on the listing again for all our non-US customers worldwide. Please stand by for the next “invite to purchase” email, which we will be sending out later today. As mentioned above, since Amazon UK is not able to send our products to the US at the moment, we will not be sending out the invitation to any of our US customers.
I don’t live in the US – how much will my Tricorder cost?
If you are buying a Tricorder from Amazon UK, the price remains the same at £270, plus taxes (such as VAT), shipping and any relevant import duties if you live outside the UK.
What can I do while I wait?
Well, if you missed it last time, the Captain’s Log archive is still waiting for you to browse.
Also, why not look back at the Tricorder Blog which started way back in 2021?
Until the next email, live long and prosper.
Thx
Chris
Fans who register with us will be the first to read our news and the progress of this exciting Tricorder development and, later, where and when to purchase it. You can catch up with the story so far here on this blog, but if you haven’t already done so, why not register your interest in the Tricorder – you’ll then receive a personalised registration certificate and early access to these updates (before we publish them on our website).
Thank you for keeping us informed.
Got the email and was sold out when I went to site. Notice a lot on ebay. On Amazon is there something in place to stop people buying more than one per person.
We are loading more stock into Amazon. There are a few on eBay. Don’t buy one from eBay, wait for our stock to be ready to purchase again
Chris,
I really appreciate all the time you put in keeping us informed. Thank you, sir!
Eric.
Hi, I live in Canada. Will I be able to order the Tricorder from Amazon UK?
Thanks
goJetsgo
Yes, you will. Please ignore any nonsense from Amazon claiming otherwise, it’s just lack of stock that is causing those slightly unhelpful auto replies… we have had many units ship to Canada from Amazon UK
When I got my email to purchase the tricorder, I was very excited but I was unable to order to canada from the site, will this be rectified? how will this work?
🙁
I’m sorry about this. When Amazon says it can’t deliver to your country, what it really means is that it is our of stock. Amazon has delivered plenty of Tricorders to Canada and as soon as there is enough stock in Amazon, we will turn the listing back on and send another email out. Sorry you’re having to wait, I know that it is frustrating but we are moving more stock in as it is being made.
Thanks again Chris for your & your teams tireless effort. I was lucky enough to be sitting at my computer when the invite email popped up on Tuesday morning (May 13th). To my surprise, there was still stock and I promptly placed the order. My wife however not as lucky with the timing as 10 minutes later they were sold out so she will have to wait till the next batch. I suppose if I was a good husband, I would let her have mine 🙂
I just got the DHL confirmation it has shipped from the UK with an estimated delivery date to BC Canada of May 30th.
For any other Canadians who are interested in the final cost in CND dollars, here was the break down on my specific order:
Order Summary
Item(s) Subtotal:GBP 270.00
Postage & Packing: GBP 25.18
Total Before VAT:GBP 295.18
VAT: GBP 0.00
Total: GBP 295.18
Import Fees Deposit GBP 32.40
Grand Total: GBP 327.58
Payment Grand Total: CAD 619.78
Go up tho the bathroom now and take a long look at yourself in the mirror and repeat after me… “I am a good husband, I am a good husband”… you know it makes sense, you really do.
It’s not working Chris. When I look in the mirror, the guy looking back has manifested a tricorder, slung over his shoulder with a big stupid grin on his face. I’ll keep practicing, but Tricorder mania knows very little husbandly generosity thus far.
I ordered my Tricorder immediately I received the email and I’m glad to say I was able to purchase a Tricorder from Amazon UK. I’m based in the UK and it arrived the next day so I’m over the moon – what a fantastic collectable and I can see there has obviously been a lot of work put into the development of this fine piece of Star Trek history. I think I’ve pretty much managed to work out what does what and find all the hidden Gems lurking under the hood. However I have one small comment and that is the hood. There is a ratchet system employed to allow the hood to click open and close. Unfortunately what I’ve found is the hood doesn’t appear to fully close all the time and tends to pop open by a few millimetres. A gentle push down eventually holds it closed but this issue is more pronounced when inserting the Tricorder into the case and then it pops up when trying to close the flap. I’m very happy with my purchase but thought I’d just mention the above as it might perhaps just be a slight fault that is specific to my unit. Finally, it might be worth putting some information in the manual about the USB update in the service section. Was this included as future proofing for possible updates? It would be nice to understand what this feature is and whether it should be avoided at the moment – to avoid any unnecessary curious clicks! Many thanks Chris & the team for all your efforts of the last few months & years!
Thank you Chris. Do you have a rough time frame for US availability?
Please, please, please get someone to Shatner’s voice for “Captain’s Log supplemental, star date 0512.25” I could just hear the Captain’s voice in my ear as I read that up top. Thanks guys.
V/R
Dan
Canadian customer:
“This item cannot be dispatched to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location.” from Amazon UK
:'(
I though non-US customers was ok to go….
I am also really sorry that Amazon has confused the situation by rather unhelpfully telling you that they can’t ship to you. Amazon UK has shipped plenty of Tricorders to Canada and many other non-UK countries that are getting the same response, so that comment from Amazon is not accurate – it just means that the Tricorder is out of stock at the moment. We are loading more stock into Amazon UK to refill their warehouses and will be emailing you once again when the stock is ready for you to make your purchase at that time. I am really sorry for this added delay in your Tricorder ownership.
Thanks Chris it’s always difficult dealing with Amazon as a vendor. Great job with the updates to keep us informed
Hi Marin, fellow Canadian here who was able to place an order for the short time they were in stock on Tuesday (see comment above). Just another little tip when they are back in stock shortly and you try to place your order again; if you happen to have a PO box as your default shipping address in your Amazon account, that same “item cannot be dispatched to your selected delivery location” will pop up.
I got that message too originally and only once I changed my shipping address to my physical home address did the order go through. Amazon UK are sending it with DHL to my location in BC so I suspect that is the same for all Canadian addresses? Good thing since there is another Canada post strike looming next week.
I’ve never ordered anything from Amazon UK into Canada, so this is all new to me. I just hope DHL doesn’t also charge us some ridiculous import brokerage fee like it seems they always do on top of the Amazon UK Import Fees Deposit of 32.40 GBP (about $60 CND) that was automatically added onto the order?
Ok thanks for the info!… yeah I didn’t think about the customs brokerage fees…
Canada is notorious for charging consumers an import duty for the smallest item. I once ordered a book ($25 study guide for an exam) from the US (10 years ago) and I ended up paying 100% import tax…paying $50 total. Instead of concentrating on big ticket items Canada post will allocate resources to go after every day consumer on small products.
It’s worth the wait, I promise! And if you have an accurate McCoy scanner, it fits perfectly in the tricorder’s cradle, even with the door closed. This thing is amazing. Some of us have been using the barometer and humidity sensor to track local weather!
It’s also frustrating to see more of them (6-7 today) appearing on eBay ranging in price from $800 – $2,000. So some of the recent batch seem to be making their way there, if people are willing to pay the eBay “tariff”.
I agree – I think it’s appalling that stock is being syphoned off to make some people a little richer. As Chris has said before there will be enough for everyone – we just have to be patient. Perhaps if everyone holds off for a legitimate Tricorder the ebay sellars will struggle to sell there overinflated goods. It’s fair enough to pay over the odds when something is no longer manufactured as you have no choice but at this point we all have the opportunity to do the right thing and order through the appropriate channels.
Scalpers gonna scalp. And they never get my money.
Chris, it’s been 2 days since you stated above that you’d be sending airfreight to Amazon here in the US. I don’t know how long it takes once Amazon receives the tricorders until they post them for sell. I’ve been checking several times a day and, as of now, they still don’t have any listed. Do you have any insight as to a guess of when Amazon will have them for sell? I’m worried that all will get sold, either by scalpers or customers before I find out they’re for sell.
Well, airfreight is not like sending a FedEx parcel. It is bulk shipment of one or two thousand Tricorders at a time. Freight has to be booked and then unpacked at the port of entry transit through customs, then trucked to the different Amazon warehouses before being finally loaded into stock in each distribution centre. This is not something that happens in a couple of days. Please allow at least a couple of weeks, maybe more. After the disruption caused by the fluidity of the tariff situation it will likely be a few weeks before things get back to normal. Everyone is working as quickly as possible to get Tricorders shipped and into place so that we can sell them.
It will be worth the wait, it will be worth the wait, it will be…
Best. Mike.
Thank you so much for that information, and for keeping all of us updated.
I had order 2 from Amazon UK and the were refused entry in Ohio and returned. DHL changed the tracking # which I gave to Amazon but as of yet I still have not been refunded anything
Apparently this happened to a few who purchased from the US. I would wait for an official invite next time. I’m sure you will get your refund eventually.
Missed the first UK batch of Tricorders, as I didn’t see my email until 6 hours afterwards.
Waiting patiently for a new invite for the next UK batch.
Waiting. Waiting…
I know we here in the USA are supposed to be getting a chance to buy a Tricorder eventually. Its just deflating to see all of these Tricorders all over ebay. More and more every day….
I’m guessing it’s people ordering more than one I’m sure Amazon can put something in place to restrict to one per customer. But guess some think they have more right than others and profit from fellow trekkies.
We have restricted the purchases to two per person after fans asked us to do this as some fans want to legitimately buy two. In the end though it is impossible restrict purchases as there are a number of ways anyone can confound a restrictive policy; registering multiple times, using different email addresses or even different family members. In the end the only way to stop people buying products and reselling them at a higher price is not to purchase them from third party sellers while they are still being stocked by the original retailer or manufacturer. If there is no market for the third party sellers then that activity will stop. It looks like a lot of product, but compared with the stock we have sold and the stock we have coming that is being made and shipped as I writre, it is a tiny amount of product.
In my opinion, the entire shipment/release should be placed on hold, until this Trump Tariff roller coaster debacle settles down. We’ve waited 5 years…whats a few more months.
The world is (happily) not US centric. There’s a (bigger) wide world out here. Why should we (UK consumer here) be penalised for America’s bad decisions?
Ok…let me clarify…all shipments imported to the the US should be on hold penalizing US for their bad decisions. Happy?
Funny comment coming from a Brit. Rule Britannia….Britannia Rules the Waves.
I forgot US parted ways with Britain for their bad behavior.
guys, I thought we called time on this type of exchange. We are all working with very a difficult and fluid situation. No one here is punishing anyone else here. We are wrestling with the situation and working within the envelope we have available to us. Well all are
Typical comment from a Yank, though. Not surprising in the slightest.
Yes, but the U.S. and China are a couple of the biggest economies on the global scale. Are we forgetting the tariffs the Chinese government were imposing on American imports into China? Trump was able to get them from 125% down to 10%. Trump, in turn, reduced the tariff on Chinese imports into the U.S. from 145% down to 30%. The news is, this is only “temporary” for 90 days. So, no, I absolutely disagree anything should be put on hold “until this Trump Tariff roller coaster debacle settles down.” Well dude, it just settled down and it isn’t all Trump. Tariffs are a two way street and Xi Jingping had a hand in exacerbating this “debacle.” I think we’re in good shape now. Like Chris said, they are on a fast track to ship large amounts of inventory directly to the US. We just have to be patient while the current backlog works itself out.
There never was a 125% tarrif into China, until Trump put in a random 145% tariff. Trump didnt bring down anything. Now there is a 30% tax for “90 days”. Let see how long Donny can hold the 30% tax. In the US sales tax is measured in 1/10 of a percentage point. Pre trump if sales tax went up by a half percent, let alone by one percent Americans would be sh*itting their pants. But now Trump has suckered many into being grateful for only 30% tax…because it came down from 145%. Trump is playing you and you are falling for it. BTW…lets call it it a TAX instead of Tariffs…because a significant percentage of Americans still don’t know WTF a tariff is.
Yeah…trump always wanted Tricorders to be made in the US. That was the intent.
Tariff or manufacturing cost actually weirdly at a 145% tariff the tricorder would still be cheaper being made in the Far East than if it was made in the US. The issue is that living in the US or the UK for that matter, we are the people that would work in those factories… it’s not some magical other person… but us… we know how much we have to earn to live in the US or the UK, so in order to pay our salaries, the tricorder would have to be three possibly four times the cost at retail. This would actually be more than the current cost plus 145% tariff. but then that is maybe the real cost of the product and that is before we factor in the cost of recycling it at the end of its life, or the cost to the environment of the transport and disposing of the packaging. The truth is, we have become hooked on cheap products and not paying the full cost of buying and owing them.
This isn’t a zero-sum game. Trump didn’t impose the tariffs on China just because he’s an “evil capitalist.” His first administration conducted an investigation on Chinese trade policies and found they were costing the American economy hundreds of billions of $$$ due to unfair trade practices. The Chinese Communist government is far more complicit in this trade war than anyone cares to admit, or even educate themselves about. Trump is definitely “America First.” Don’t conflate that with the incorrect narrative of the uninformed that call it “America Only.” It’s just basic business. You want to maximize your profits and lower your bottom line, you go where the labor is cheap. Just don’t get in over your head or look the other way when that “cheap labor” is borderline illegal or outright oppressive to the poor workers pushing the buttons and pulling the levers on those machines. The high tariffs had the desired effect. It got the attention of the higher-ups running the Chinese economy and forced them to the negotiating table. That’s how business works.
We are certainly in better shape. The issues the administration and all the world’s governments are dealing with has taken multiple decades, I would say almost a generation to develop… personally I think it is beyond a human to solve it to short order
There is a big world out there, but unfortunately for this awesome group of fans, Star Trek is a heavily US biased IP. Every fan though is as important as every other fan and we will do our best to service the fans that want to buy a Tricorder… it’s just a little lumpy. I keep saying it but if nobody buys from eBay that issue will evaporate… it’s simple it will just get choked off, or the prices will come down to the retail price.
The interesting thing is, I just looked at ebay and a scalper located in Green Bay Wisconsin has one for bid.
eBay item number:335966431439
Wow, Its really the silly season. Yes, Im just feeling left out and envious of all the new Tricorder owners. The anti USA stuff seems out of place on this forum.
it is out of place. Actually we should take a moment to realise that “the US” gave us this wonderful adventure in the first place
The material used by Amazon for packaging is really similar to what one would use in an outhouse. When I saw my package, I was worried. However, thank you, thank you, for putting a proper box around the Tricorder. I have mine now, and it is exactly what you described it to be, and it’s awesome. It is so rare that a product description is exactly what you get. I live in NL and the Brexit tax hurts at checkout, but I don’t mind it now I have it. Thanks.
We designed that outer box as a mailing carton, but later decided on the additional protection of the Amazon box and its very little dunnage. Still the combo does its job as you have seen
I’ve seen multiple posts now of internationally shipped Amazon boxes arriving quite mangled, some with gaping rents in them, but the inner shipping boxes are invariably pristine. You guys absolutely made the right decision there.
Why wont Amazon UK let us here in the USA purchase a Tricorder from them? You guys said that the tariff thing was sort of settled and that getting them sent here from China will take more than weeks. I saw a report on the news here last night that it takes a container ship 45 days to get to NYC and 30 to LA from China. It sounds like we could be waiting for months??????????????
I do not know exactly, but I suspect it is to do with the way they have to collect and account for and then submit payment to the US government for the new tariffs. As that situation is very fluid and subject to massive shifts from one policy to another in some cases overnight, Amazon can’t be sure to adjust their policies and thus meet the latest current regulations quickly enough. A product sold at one price could easily be very much more expensive by the time it reaches the US.
We are shipping Tricorders in to the US by air, so it will not take months for the product to arrive. However, as airfreight is not instantaneous, it might take a few more weeks. As you can imagine, as the chaos of the last month or two of tariff escalation and then partial deescalation, every manufacturer and shipper is scrambling to get products from their factories to the US and thus the whole supply chain is very congested from the origin port right the way through to the actual retail sales channels. We are working as fast as we can to bring the product in and stock Amazon for you to buy it. And as that will sell through quickly, we have a number of shipments coming behind it to restock.
That was SO MUCH great info! Thank You…. And I think the retailers here are scrambling. In my area here in NY we are starting to see some empty shelves for things like garbage bags and other random stuff. Its NUTS!!
A shame that US customers that have been on the waiting list have no means to get first crack at purchase before the general US public does. Or am I missing something?
Firstly, really there has been no waiting list as such. Originally people signed up to be the first to know information about the Tricorder and then when it was going on sale. That will continue to happen. Currently the listing is turned off and when there is enough stock in place for a first batch email, we will send out the email to those people who registered to let them know that the stock will go live so that they can buy it.
So pretty much what I said in the previous blog. All we get is a notification that it is available. Once it is in stock at Amazon, it’s pretty much a free-for-all stampede like Walmart opening its doors on Black Friday.
Hey Hey Hey, Three Cheers to Chris !!!
Chris my Disc Override screen doesn’t stay on when i return to select different functions. I have to press disc override in settings every time to switch discs(pressing back first). Is this a bug? I’ve done a factory reset and it still happens.
I think that’s just the way it’s set up. You have to navigate back to Settings to access the Disk Override. Mine works that way too. It’s just two more clicks.
Yes in the Demo it wasnt happening though. I havent checked without the disks inserted though. I think if they are it resets so maybe thats why.
Hi Chris – do you know roughly when the next batch of Tricorders will be available on Amazon UK for non US buyers – many thanks
We were hoping to have the stock of the next 1000 units loaded in by this Friday, but it is taking longer than expected. Hopefully, we’ll be ready next week.
Many thanks for the update Chris – much appreciated
Hey,
I know you guys are extremely busy, any indication when you will restock on Amazon UK. I missed the sale last week and desperately trying to budget and keep the funds available to purchase one next restock.
Thanks
We were hoping to have the stock of the next 1000 units loaded in by this Friday, but it is taking longer than expected. Hopefully, we’ll be ready next week.
Hi Chris,
Not to beat a dead horse, but the next 1000 you are referring to are going to Amazon UK, not Amazon US?
Are we in the US are still looking at early/mid June?
Thanks
Mark
Yeah, Privately Im devastated. Sounds like its now not an *invitation to buy* but a *notice of stock availability*. The situation seems very fluid. This whole trade situation is absurd. Amazon UK wont sell to US customers. And yes, its frustrating to see literally everywhere on the planet able to purchase except for the USA.
Hi Chris. I apologize, this is off topic. Since I don’t see a place to ask questions about the Fallout Veribird, do you have a blog for that? Very curious (and excited) to hear more about its development.
OK… I won’t ask here again.
Thanks
jim