Sexual Wellness Brand Reimburses Customers After Tariff Ruling and Seeks Refund

Alexandra Fine, cofounder of Dame Products, a sexual wellness brand, added a surcharge last year to cover increased tariff costs on imports from China. In 2026, after the Supreme Court ruled against certain tariffs, she reimbursed customers who had paid the fee.

The business is now seeking a refund of approximately $90,000 through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection portal, which opened in April. Dame Products, founded by Fine and Janet Lieberman in 2014, began as a female-founded vibrator brand. The company raised $575,000 through an Indiegogo campaign in 45 days and sells products directly on its website and at retailers including Walmart and Target.

Production was moved to China due to expertise in silicon molds, despite high import costs.

This affected sales and relationships with retailers, many of which require 90 days to change prices. The surcharge, ranging from $5 to $15, was added to website orders but resulted in high cart abandonment rates. After two weeks, the company updated the display to show the surcharge crossed out, meaning customers did not pay it.

Fine stated that raising prices without highlighting the surcharge might have reduced abandonment, but the goal was to educate consumers about tariff impacts. The total reimbursed to customers was less than $10,000, processed automatically within weeks of the court decision.

is encountering difficulties with the refund portal, including login issues. The company's operations team spent over five hours on hold with tech support on one day and three and a half hours on another, both ending in disconnections. m. on Friday did not resolve the problem.

A U.S. Customs spokesperson stated they were looking into the login issue but did not provide an immediate comment. Fine noted that the $90,000 refund is significant for the small team, as tariffs had offset prior efforts to reduce overhead. The company continues operations, focusing on improving sexual well-being.