Donald Trump and skateboarding
Gday my Boardworld friends.
Matt from Manton Skateboards here to discuss a little bit of politics but what it means for skateboarding.
Cutting through all the crap i am going to go into the main issues that could rock the skateboard industry in America to its core. Donald Trumps trade policies.
He has been chest beating about ripping up NATFA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which offers free trade between Canada, Mexico and America and also imposing 35% import duties on Mexico and 45% import duties on China inbound into the United States.
So what you ask?
Where do you think your skateboard is made?
ps stix (Mexico)
bbs (Mexico)
dsm (China) Dwindle Distribution
These factories account for most skateboards being made from the larger more well known brands utilizing cheaper labor and to be honest costing Americans some manufacturing jobs. If these duties are introduced you are going to see the biggest price rises in the skateboard industry we have ever seen. Say goodbye to the pro deck being ($49.99 USD, $99 AUD) forever. These wholesale costs are going to be passed on to the retail level and the skate shops profit margins are not going to be any higher. Price rises in an industry where participation levels have been on the slide for sometime now paints an ugly picture for our industry.
Keep an eye out on the news and if you hear any of these policies i mentioned getting passed by congress i suggest you stock up on decks and trucks sooner rather than later. Even if some of the board companies bring production back to America to avoid these tarrifs you are going to still get increased costs due to the age old problem of expensive labor and overheads.
Food for thought!
Interesting post, @butcher2230. For sure it could have impacts on the skateboarding industry. To me, Donald Trump is unpredictable. He says a lot of things; who knows what he’ll follow through with and what he’ll fold on. I will be watching with interest, however.
I hope things are going well at Manton! Keep me posted.
Yes butcher,
Everyone seems to have forgotten the days of American made boards and the price to reflect this. I remember when a blank deck would cost you $80 and not like the quality of blanks that are available these days and a pro board was between $140 and $160 depending if it was a slick or not. When I left Oz I couldn’t believe how much a deck was, it is literally as cheap as chips. The irony was that people still complained about how much a deck was.
Be very interesting to see what Trump does, whether he follows through with these industry screwing ideas or let the world continue.
When the vote went through for England to leave the EU, somethings were immediately bumped up in price in prediction of the forth coming “possible” price increases. Amazing how little it takes to trigger a panic.
Let’s keep a finger on the pulse for this one.
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Very interesting post. This can really have a big impact on the skateboarding industry. For me, Donald Trump is a very interesting person. He does a lot of obscure actions that have a negative follow-up effect. I read a lot of essays about him at https://studydriver.com/donald-trump/. Here you can find an essay on any topic or just order an essay. It is very simple and convenient.
Let’s hope that the future of the skateboarding industry will not be as sad as you wrote. After all, then many will have difficulties and many will simply give up skateboarding.
Well politics as always is influencing every corner of life.Thats is great observations you made. If boards gonna cost to much recommend to trade them for different type of exiting pastime online slot games. But before diving in please get familiar with terms and conditions to feel informed and protected.