About Tariffs and Our Pricing

There's been a great deal of talk about tariffs in the news lately, and for good reason. Donald Trump's tariffs have zero concern for American small businesses like Swirlo and tens of thousands of others.

When we first launched this business, we made the decision to price our polos at a reasonable price point.  They are made in a highly reputable factory in China on the same exact production line as several large golf and apparel companies that you've definitely heard of, with the identical high quality knits.  Literally the only difference is our logo and unique designs. But instead of charging $90 - $120 per shirt, we priced them much lower at $55 - $70 because the markup seemed unnecessary and unfair to consumers.

All of our existing stock will remain at the same fair price, including similar promotional discounts.  Our spring line we were able to get past customs only paying a 10% tariff just days before Trump's ridiculous increase, but we have priced them the same and will eat the difference.

If the current tariff rate of 125% (or even reverting back to 54%) is still in place later this year, sadly we will be forced to go out of business.  Many other companies and small businesses will have to do the same.  We do not have the resources to ride this out until cooler / smarter heads prevail.

So why don't we just have our polos manufactured in the US?  The answer is simple. There's not a single textile factory in the country that can produce the same quality knits at scale as you can find in China, South Korea and Vietnam.  Those countries made vast investments into the textile industry and actually supported businesses instead of destroying them.

While we would love to see the return of more domestic manufacturing, that is a process that requires vast investment, government subsidies and support, and most importantly time.  These tariffs will accomplish nothing and are only going to cause great harm to both businesses and consumers alike.

- Jay Tierney (Swirlo Founder & CEO)