AmiSight 10/14: Can you Make a Monopoly Set in America
We hear a lot about bringing manufacturing back to America, but this Wall Street Journal story about making Monopoly here shows how complicated that can actually be.
WS Game Company has been making games in China for years. With tariffs changing the economics, they decided to see if they could make a special version of Monopoly almost entirely in the U.S. They thought it might cost about 20% more. It ended up costing roughly twice as much, with the American-made version selling for $80 compared with $45 for a similar version made in China.
What I found most interesting wasn't really the cost. It was everything they discovered along the way. After decades of manufacturing moving overseas, China has built an entire ecosystem around making products like this. The factories, suppliers, skills and equipment are all there and close to each other. In the U.S., WS Game often had to change the product based on what manufacturers here were actually capable of producing. They couldn't even find an American company willing to make the 5,000 pairs of dice they needed, so the dice still come from China.
The first 2,500 games sold out, which suggests there are consumers willing to pay more for something made here. But the company says the project still wasn't profitable once all of the development costs and extra work were included.
There are obviously plenty of political debates around tariffs and bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. What this story reminded me is that you can't unwind 25 years of decisions overnight. Moving manufacturing isn't just about moving a factory. It's about rebuilding all of the suppliers, skills, relationships and infrastructure that grew up around it.
That takes a lot longer than changing a tariff.
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