At risk of sounding like I am politicizing an issue unnecessarily, I think tariff talk is important. At first glance, the topic of how tariffs might affect hobbyists seems like a very first-world problem. But it’s bigger than that. This is an industry many depend on to put expensive groceries on the table. Regardless of your politics or opinions on tariffs, there will be concrete effects on the industry. How might tariffs affect the sports card industry? PSA’s recent statement on how tariffs are affecting their business can give some insights.

What Are Tariffs And (How) Do They Work?

In layperson’s terms, tariffs are “taxes imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries,” according to Oxford Economics. There’s not much argument that tariffs raise revenue for governments (that’s the point of taxes). And in this case, the tariff “tax” is ultimately paid by the consumer in the form of higher prices. I don’t expect corporations to pick up the tab. Domestic industries can thrive due to less global competition. But the general consensus from most economists is that there are also negative effects. Some typical exporters to the U.S. will simply seek to expand markets in other countries. And some American companies, like Nike, have stated that instead of paying steep tariffs (most of their product is made in Vietman) or moving manufacturing to the U.S., they will also simple look to expand into other markets.

PSA Statement on Tariff Effects

Recently, PSA  put out a statement titled “How New Tariff Regulations are Affecting PSA.” The short of it is that as of April 2 2025, PSA is “temporarily pausing the acceptance of PSA grading submissions directly to its U.S. facilities, including through PSAcard.com, from customers located in all countries outside of the United States.” The release continues, “This is an expansion on previously announced restrictions on direct submissions coming from Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Mexico.” The earlier pause was announced in March ahead of the first tariff threat.

How Will Tariffs Affect Other Grading Companies

Some customers still have the option of submitting cards to PSA facilities local to them. “For customers in Japan, all submissions to PSA must be submitted to our full-scale grading operation in Tokyo, which is not currently impacted,” the statement indicates. But this is a luxury that other grading companies do not have, since they do not have the global reach of PSA. It will be interesting to see if SGC or CGC follow suit with restricting business due to tariff charges.

How Tariffs Could Affect The Hobby

Beyond just grading, it’s worth reflecting on the many other aspects of the hobby that rely on import / export that could be affected by prolonged high tariffs:

• Supplies: most sleeves and toploaders are made in China (BCW for example). Some are made in the U.S.of A. (Pro-Mold) but even in that case they could see a burst of increased demand that causes price hikes.
• Shops: LCS sell said hobby supplies and could be affected by a shortage.
• Modern cards: Topps and Panini make cards here, but of course sell many products to a global audience. Other countries respond in a way that causes a protracted tariff war. If so, the results could be an over supply and falling prices for American manufacturers.

Hopefully, the tariff tiff will be short-lived. If not, it will be interesting to see how tariffs affect not just individual collectors, but folks who make their living in the hobby.