Shipping & Duties

TL;DR

All purchase prices on this site are listed pre-import-tariff. SVRC-built products (OpenArm, DK1, Robotic Center own-brand items) ship duty-paid from our Mountain View, CA or Allston, MA warehouses. China-origin and other imported products are subject to applicable US Section 301 / reciprocal / Section 232 tariffs at the time of import, typically 25-50% depending on classification. Where a tariff applies, product pages show the rate and the math.

Who pays the tariff

US customers buying from svrc-website: SVRC handles import (DDP — Delivered Duty Paid) and the price you see at checkout includes our cost of duties pass-through. You will not be billed separately by customs.

International customers shipping outside the US: customs duties at the destination country are your responsibility. We ship DAP (Delivered at Place) by default. Your local broker or carrier will assess VAT/GST and any applicable duties.

Common tariff classifications for our products

Informational, not legal or tariff advice. Final classification is determined at port of entry.

• Industrial robots (HTS 8479.50.00): Section 301 List 1 — 25%.
• Humanoid robots: classified case-by-case; usually fall under HTS 8479.50 or 9031 depending on configuration.
• Robotic arms / manipulators: Section 301 List 1 — 25%.
• Dexterous hands & teleoperation gloves: classified as parts/accessories of robotic systems; typical effective rate 25-28% depending on subheading.
• Sensors & cameras (HTS 9031.80, 8525.80): variable, often 0-5%.
• Quadruped robots: typically HTS 8479.50 + Section 301 List 1; effective rate ~25%.

Sales tax

We collect sales tax only in US states where SVRC has established physical or economic nexus. Today that is California (HQ + warehouse, Mountain View) and Massachusetts (East Coast facility, Allston). Economic-nexus thresholds in other states are reviewed annually with our tax advisor.

California customers: we collect California sales tax of 9.25% on all CA shipments. Some California ZIPs are higher (Los Angeles 10.25%, Alameda County 10.75%, San Francisco 8.75%) — the final rate is determined at checkout by your shipping ZIP.

Massachusetts customers: we collect Massachusetts sales tax of 6.25% (flat statewide rate) on all MA shipments.

Other US states: we do not currently collect sales tax. The checkout line item will show "Sales tax: not collected (no SVRC nexus in your state)." You may owe use tax to your home state on this purchase — please consult your tax advisor. We will add collection in any state where we cross the economic-nexus threshold (typically $100k revenue or 200 transactions/year) and update this page.

International customers: VAT, GST, or equivalent destination-country consumption tax is calculated at import by your customs broker. SVRC does not collect or remit it. Not included in our checkout.

Shipping zones & transit time

All robots ship in custom Pelican-style cases with foam inserts. Shipping insurance is included for orders over $5,000. East Coast customers can also pick up from our Allston, MA facility.

Country of origin labeling

Each product page in our merchant feed declares country_of_origin. SVRC-built items are US. Imported items show the country of manufacture (most commonly CN for our China-based suppliers, plus KR, DE, DK, NL, NO, and others for specific brands).

Questions

Tariff classification, custom freight, DDP/DAP, export-control, or a quote for a large order: contact@roboticscenter.ai. We will route to our trade compliance contact and reply within 1-2 business days.