The CEO of Steve Jackson Games, which makes board games and card games, says that the 54 percent tariff on goods imported from China that will go into effect on April 5th is a seismic shift for the board game industry and that prices are going up.At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans, CEO Meredith Placko says in a post. We do know that we cant absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. Weve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely.In the post, Placko spells out an example of how the tariff could affect costs. A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean, she says. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. Thats not a luxury upcharge; its survival math.RelatedPlacko adds that the company doesnt manufacture in the US because the infrastructure doesnt meaningfully exist here yet. She acknowledges that tariffs can be an effective tool when they are part of a long-term strategy to bolster domestic manufacturing. But she says that there is no national plan in place to support manufacturing for the types of products we make.If youre frustrated with the tariffs, Placko suggests writing to your elected officials. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses, she says. Because right now, it feels like they dont.The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has also issued a grim warning. The latest imposition of a 54% tariff on products from China by the administration is dire news for the tabletop industry and the broader US economy, GAMA said, according to Polygon. Card-grading company PSA has released a statement about the new tariffs, too, saying that the company has paused direct card grading submissions from outside the US.In March, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks told Yahoo Finance that when youre talking about tariffs in the neighborhood of 20 percent plus, thats a cost that we cant fully accommodate. It will have to be passed on.See More: