Canada’s Retaliatory Tariffs Hitting ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Players

By Liz Lanier

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – As a result of the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada, playing cards are now imposed with a 10% tariff in Canada, according to CBC News .

Among those impacted most are retailers which carry trading card games and their customers. One of the primary concerns among Canadian gamers is the 10% increase on “Magic: The Gathering” card packs.

The retaliatory tariffs are a response to the tariffs imposed by the US on Canada’s steel and aluminum imports. Playing cards are one of 229 US products which have newly imposed tariffs as of July 1, and were one of the products chosen to “inflict the most pain on the US, while not hurting [Canadian] consumers,” according to Quartz .

However, specialty shops which carry gaming items are definitely feeling the impact, as trading card games such as “Magic: The Gathering,” “Yu-Gi-Oh,” and “Pokemon” are a source of income for hobby shops that cater to tabletop and card gamers.

Dave Teller, the owner of Wizard’s Tower, an Ottawa shop which sells trading cards, spoke to CBC News about his concerns of how the tariff could affect his business.

“Our prices may be 10% higher, but we’re not making 10% more, and then if our sales drop, obviously that’s a concern,” said Teller, who primarily sells “Magic: The Gathering” sets and regularly holds events for the game’s fanbase at his shop. “We kind of stockpiled the new [Magic] set a bit— more so than usual because we know… the tariffs are going to hit us,” he said. “Once that runs out, the 10% — we will see the increase immediately.”