Update: Shortly after publishing this post the higher tariffs on most countries were paused and set at 10%. China was increased to 125% further increasing costs on many goods.
A sweeping global trade-war has been is taking place and we’re expecting to feel some pain. This topic is political in nature and while we have no-political stance we are going to try and discuss the effects that this may have on 2D Con as agnostically as possible. No one at 2D Con is an economist, but we have done our best to verify everything in this post.
This post is long, and it doesn’t even begin to cover the full impact this trade war will have on everything that we love, but we’ll do our best to share what we know.
Many conventions around the United States are small businesses. Nearly every small business in the country will feel the burden of these tariffs.
2D Con already runs on a very slim budget. We work hard to keep our costs as low as possible while still providing the same quality content you’d expect from larger events and experiences. Our ticket price is calculated in a way that will safely cover our costs while still remaining affordable for lower income attendees. That’s always been our goal, and that goal just became much more difficult.
We were already expecting some negative impact when the initial tariffs were announced, but continual changes and much higher rates than originally planned have greatly heightened our concern.
We’ve been through a lot. The loss of our venue in 2016, The pandemic in 2020. We’ve always continued to push forward and provide a great event and a welcoming community. We’re hopeful that this is just another bump in the road.
Starting today, April 9, 2025 the import tariff for China has been set to 104% which more than doubles the cost. The de minimus exemption has also been removed via executive order. This exemption removed the duty rate on any package under $800 shipped from China. All packages sent from China will now be subject to an additional fee of $50 until June 1st, after June 1st that fee will go up to $150.
The Gaming Industry as a Whole
The gaming industry as a whole is going to see a massive increase in prices, lower production runs, and will become less accessible as a result. We are already seeing this with the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date being delayed. Analysts are expecting the price of the console to increase to $600 from the initially announced price of $449.
Most physical video game hardware and software is manufactured overseas in China, Vietnam or Taiwan. Disk based media such as Xbox or PlayStation games are manufactured in Mexico and Germany. As of this post there are no US based manufacturers of Blu-Ray disks that we were able to find.
Pinball parts are mainly produced in China with the final manufacturing taking place in the US. The price of parts will increase and that price will be passed to the consumer. Some Pinball machines are manufactured overseas including titles from Dutch Pinball who recently announced that sales and shipments to the United States have been halted. Dutch Pinball is based out of the Netherlands and expects a $2500 increase for their upcoming game Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Imported arcade machines which includes nearly every modern rhythm game title are imported from Japan. One of our vendors had their most recent shipment held.
The tabletop industry will be hit the hardest. Most tabletop games are manufactured in China. Major publishers such as Cephalofair(Gloomhaven), Stonemaier Games(Wingspan) and Steve Jackson Games(Munchkin) have written about their fears and expectations.
It’s estimated that the cost of tabletop games manufactured in China, which is around 70% of all games (including the 2D Con Trading Card Game) will double in price.
Most games and products that are crowdfunded are shipped directly from the manufacturer to the consumer. With the removal of the de minimus exemption items coming from China will now be subject to the aforementioned fee of $50 ($150 starting on June 1st, 2025).
With price increases across the board the industry is going to see a slow down in sales which will cause shockwaves in the next 90 days.
How does this affect 2D Con?
Our printing is done in China. We’ve extensively researched the more affordable and highest quality places to get our items printed and overseas plants have always come out on top. Some of the items that will be affected are our trading card game, signs, banners and apparel. We’re expecting each of these items to more than double in price.
Our online merch store utilized print on demand services. Our bomber jacket which is one of our top sellers is printed in China through a United States company. Currently our cost for an individual bomber jacket is around $50. We charge $55 and make $5 per sale. With the tariff and removal of the de minimus exemption this price is set to go up to around $200 after shipping within the next two months.
One of our main experiences at 2D Con is our arcade. With the price increase and issues that are vendors are facing we are expecting that our cost will also increase. Many of our machines come from private vendors. These vendors may be less likely to loan us their machine for the weekend.
We are expecting that many people will be carefully choosing where to spend their money. When money is tight it’s difficult to justify spending on entertainment and luxuries.
Overall we are expecting that the cost to run 2D Con is going to exponentially increase and that our attendance, which is our main source of income will decrease.
We are comfortable making adjustments to make sure that 2D Con continues to run, and we’re already discussing our plan to ensure that our quality doesn’t suffer as a result. We will not be increasing any previously announced prices, but we may have to temporarily lose some of the flair that makes 2D Con shine.
How can I help?
There are a lot of ways that you can help.
Pre-register for 2D Con – Pre-registering for a convention is one of the most important ways to help. By getting your tickets in advance you’re helping us plan for accurate attendance numbers and make sure we have enough money for pre-convention expenses.
Donate to 2D Con – If you have the means, donating to 2D Con helps us keep our costs low.
Sponsor 2D Con – Businesses and organizations looking to directly reach a group of dedicated gaming fans can monetarily sponsor 2D Con.
Every dollar donated goes directly into the event to help offset the increasing costs of infrastructure and equipment needs, while allowing us to remain at an affordable rate for attendees.
Support small businesses and artists, support game publishers, local game stores, indie publishers. Just like us, they will have a difficult path forward.
Contact your elected officials and let them know your thoughts.
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to read this long post that we hope sheds a light on a large obstacle we are all about to face. While it’s difficult to understand the depth of this economic nightmare, we’ll get through it, together.
Contact 2D Con
We value discussion. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns contact us.
