business
U.S. Board Game Maker Produces Custom Monopoly Domestically After Tariff Bill but Imports Dice
WS Game Company shifted production of a custom Monopoly game to domestic suppliers following a large tariff bill on its China-made products. The effort required over a year to assemble U.S. partners and resulted in at least double the manufacturing cost.
Jul 12, 5:00 AM·1m read1 source
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WS Game Company produced a custom Monopoly game in the United States after receiving a seven-figure tariff bill last year on its China-made products, Npr reported. The company, which makes most of its high-end board games in China, selected a version tied to the country's 250th birthday.
CEO Jonathan Silva said the firm turned over every leaf to locate a domestic maker for 10,000 dice but found none with the required machinery and investment capacity.
The company imported the dice while sourcing other components from U.S. suppliers. A former Hasbro factory in Massachusetts prints the game board. Pioneer Packaging produces the tray for the Monopoly money.
A small business in Indiana manufactured custom metal tokens shaped as a cowboy hat, covered wagon and apple pie. Assembling these domestic suppliers took more than a year, causing the company to miss the first half of the 250th birthday selling season. The cost to manufacture games that retail for $80 was at least double the cost of production in China, Silva said.
Nearly 80 percent of toys and games sold in the U.S. are made in China, Npr reported. -China Board of Trade is considering tariff-free entry for up to $30 billion in Chinese products. WS Game Company is awaiting a shipment from China valued at about $6 million for the upcoming holiday season and has no estimate yet for the associated tariff bill.
