As thousands prepare to descend on San Diego this July for San Diego Comic-Con, the excitement of exclusive merch drops, artist alley treasures, and one-of-a-kind collectibles is shadowed by a growing concern among the creators and small businesses that bring the magic to life: tariffs.
In 2025, new rounds of proposed and implemented tariffs on imported goods have been sending ripples through the creative economy. From apparel and enamel pins to stickers, plush, and printing materials, many of the items that line the shelves at San Diego Comic-Con booths are now facing steep import duties. Though tariffs are commonly discussed in political terms, their real-world impact hits small vendors first — and hardest.
Tariffs are taxes imposed on imported goods. In this case, the U.S. government applies the tariff to products as they enter the country. But contrary to popular belief, the cost isn’t paid by the overseas manufacturers — it’s paid by the U.S.-based importers. For small businesses trying to navigate international supply chains and razor-thin profit margins, that can mean price hikes of 25% or more on everyday inventory.
In a recent newsletter to subscribers, L.A.-based apparel brand Fat Rabbit Farm explained they estimate a 25% increase in t-shirt production costs, a 50% jump for plush and pins, and a 20% increase for stickers. “Many inks used to print on apparel are now almost double the cost,” they wrote. “Overall, we anticipate seeing an average increase of our cost to continue our legacy with Fat Rabbit Farm of nearly 35%.”
Even U.S.-based production isn’t a guaranteed safe zone.
“Even when products are made here, which we try to aim for, the materials to make the products are still imported which have tariffs,” Fat Rabbit Farm said in their newsletter. “Everything is affected some way or the other. We have our t-shirts printed in Los Angeles, but blank t-shirts and other apparel are ALL imported. We know of even some blanks that are constructed in the U.S, but still from imported materials. It’s almost unavoidable.”
And with San Diego Comic-Con on the horizon, that puts many small vendors in a bind: absorb the costs, raise prices, or reduce inventory altogether.
A moving target
For Suman Chatterjee, Co-Owner and Art Director of Yesterdays LLC, known for their popular enamel pins and pop-culture designs, the challenge isn’t just about rising costs — it’s about unpredictability. And with San Diego Comic-Con just around the corner, these complications are hitting at a crucial time in their production calendar for many.
“We are treating our workflow like business as usual,” Chatterjee said. “Everything being in a constant flux makes shipping times very uncertain.”
Customs delays are a growing concern, especially for products like enamel pins that are often produced overseas. “We have to prepare for the worst, which in these circumstances means product arriving very late.”
To combat that, they’re simply planning ahead, and trying to ensure they stay ahead of any potential hiccups with delays. However, it’s difficult, as the situation — and rates — keep changing.
“Everyone is in constant confusion about what’s really going on,” Chatterjee said. “Our friends that make toys and plush have gotten bills from their factories that they did not anticipate. The price of paper nearly doubled overnight for our friends that are artists selling prints. This is definitely affecting the creator market around us in ways we did not expect.”
That sense of confusion is something artist Karen Hallion is seeing as well. Hallion produces monthly enamel pin rewards for her Patreon subscribers and typically unveils several SDCC-exclusive pins each year. Now, she’s unsure how — or even if — that will happen.
“We don’t exactly know yet [how tariffs will affect us], but that in itself is disruptive and stressful,” Hallion said. She works with a woman-owned small business in the U.S. that coordinates with factories in China, and even they are unsure how much more they’ll be asked to pay. “The information available to us is vague and confusing.”
And the timing couldn’t be worse. “Pins need 8–10 weeks to get to me. Maybe it will go smoothly? Maybe the tariffs will actually affect them and they won’t ship till June? Or, maybe they won’t get shipped at all,” Hallion said. “We are limited to what we can bring in the first place to SDCC, so the exclusive pins are huge for my ability to cover the costs of that show.”
Like many artists, Hallion has no domestic alternative for her pins — and rethinking product lines at this point is a major risk. “We’re having discussions about possibly going to a different product altogether, but again, everything is so unclear that it’s hard to know what to do and take a gamble on something that may not work out.”
At UDON Entertainment, which produces books, pins, and T-shirts, Chief of Operations Erik Ko said some categories have been spared — for now.
“Books seem to be OK for now as an exempted category,” Ko said. “Pins are made in China, so the cost will go up. Our shirts are printed locally, but the blank shirts are mostly imports to begin with. We’re still waiting for our vendor to tell us how that is affecting the cost.”
That uncertainty is affecting UDON’s approach to exclusives.
“We might have to stick with black and white base tees this year when designing our shirt offerings,” Ko said. “If we want to do something fancier, we might need to do a new order, and those shirt prices can go way up.”
Ko adds that vendors selling figures and statues — some of the most popular and expensive SDCC collectibles — are being hit especially hard. “At the end of the day, we (the importer who is in the U.S.) are the ones paying for the tariff, not the exporting country. That cost has to be recouped, either by passing that to the consumer, or we have to ‘eat’ it. It has to come from somewhere.”
Despite increased production costs due to the tariffs, many vendors are focused on ensuring that attendees don’t feel as much of the pain. For fans and attendees, the effects of tariffs may be invisible at first glance — but they’ll be there. You may see slightly higher prices on exclusives, fewer variants or SKUs, or a smaller range of inventory than in previous years.
Still, vendors are doing everything they can to keep the show feeling special. Yesterdays, for instance, won’t be raising their prices.
“We would rather take the hit on our end rather than punish our fans and friends that collect Yesterdays,” Chatterjee said.
Still, he expects that other creators may have no choice. “I anticipate some higher retail prices and fewer offerings overall, sadly.”
“We are trying to actually spread this cost between already made goods and new items,” Ko said of UDON’s offerings, “so we can absorb the extra tariff and not pass that to our fans. We are facing this challenge together.”
How to support the creators
For vendors and artists, community support makes a difference now more than ever.
“For any attendees of the show, I think it can stay business as usual,” Chatterjee said. “Get what you love and enjoy the con! All of this nonsense may complicate how we get things made, but they are still going to get made regardless of the fees that may be incurred on our end.”
Hallion adds that even if fans can’t buy, they can still help. “Just kind words of support are so appreciated right now. Sharing artists’ work online is so valuable. Getting the word out about what tariffs are actually doing, or reaching out to your representatives — that all supports our ability to keep moving forward,” she said.
And as Fat Rabbit Farm reminded fans: “We don’t believe in price gouging. We believe in creating and providing high-quality products at a fair market price… We are on the verge of sinking and we are not ready to let go of what we have built and created for nearly 20 years now.”
This summer, when you walk the exhibit floor at San Diego Comic-Con, it might look nearly the same — but know that behind the scenes, many of your favorite creators are working harder than ever just to be there. Buying a pin, sharing an artist’s post, or even offering a thank-you goes further than you might think.
