Michigan specialty store worries about tariffs for Canadian-printed items

Fox47-New10 tells of a specialty store in Lansing, MI whose manager is worried about a subject previously spoken about by NPR for an Ohio shop:

Flowers said they are concerned the U.S.-Canada trade war will drive up the price of comic books. Almost all of the comic books are printed and imported from Canada.

“The idea of comics increasing in price to me is just... would be ridiculous,” Flowers said.

Comic books are not currently included in Canada’s tariffs. Marcus Embry, manager at Summit Comics and Games in Lansing, said he knows that could change at any time.

“In the meantime, we’re just keeping our fingers crossed, hoping we’ll be able to continue providing that service for our guests without, you know, without having to up the price on them,” Embry said.

Embry said Summit’s comic distributor has not yet increased the price for Canadian-made books. He said the trade war is one of several factors he is watching that could affect prices.

“There are so many elements out there that affects, you know, how things have to be priced that this is kind of just another one of those. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on,” Embry said.

Embry said Summit is committed to keeping its books as affordable as possible for customers so more people can enjoy their stories.

Once again, I just don't understand why these same merchants don't argue whether trying to get comics printed and delivered cheaper in the USA proper is something the publishers could work upon. Not a word to that effect. And that's a problem. If we keep relying on "foreign" services, it's always bound to get out of hand at some point anyhow. One more reason it's disappointing any complaints about the costs of printing and distribution in the USA do not show up in these discussions. Why won't specialty store managers ever raise the issues? It's completely valid, and if they want to, they can argue in favor of getting domestic printers to start offering less expensive alternatives. The time has come, and I hope some store proprietors will begin to talk about it.