Will Trump’s Actions Make Skateboards More Expensive?

The last thing you want creeping into discussions about skateboarding is geopolitics. We often use skating as an escape from the world around us, and many of us will be sick to death of hearing about Trump. But sadly, our beloved pastime doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and we should pay some attention to developments that could drive up the price of boards.

An example is Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on various countries that produce decks. So, what is a tariff? I’ll keep it brief to avoid anyone dosing off. In short, a tariff is a tax on goods being imported from another country. Trump recently announced tariffs of 25% on both Canada and Mexico, whilst adding an additional 10% tariff on goods coming in from China. The idea is that this will encourage companies to produce items in the USA instead. This could have dire consequences for both skaters and the industry. For example, we all know that Canadian maple wood is widely used to make decks. If a company decides to make them in the USA, it often still chooses to use Canadian maple wood, which will be subject to a hefty tax when crossing the border.

There’s also the fact that so many of the biggest brands use wood shops in the countries mentioned above. PS Stix and BBS have wood shops in Mexico, which means a tax will be charged to get some Baker, FA, and Welcome decks into the USA, to name a few. A similar situation will apply to decks made in China in wood shops such as DSM which produces decks for brands such as Anti Hero, Krooked and Enjoi.

The increased cost of importing or producing a board will have to be passed on to skaters at the point of sale, or companies will make significantly less profit. This will affect small skate shops more because larger online stores can afford to offer lower prices by purchasing decks in bulk. We all like to support our local shop, but it’s hard to blame skaters for looking online when there’s a big difference in price. 

Lots of us need all the money we can get for things like rent and bills.
 A glimmer of hope lies in the fact that in early February, tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods were paused for one month. The best thing American skaters can hope for is that a deal is reached very soon to avoid this mess.

What about Europe?

Trump has said that the European Union is next on the list of countries that will face tariffs. This would drive up the price of American decks for skaters in Europe. However, the EU may choose to introduce its own tariffs on American goods, which could mean that decks made in Europe become increasingly cheaper than American ones. Brands such as Flip and Plan B that have European producers and distributors would likely become even more attractive for European skaters.