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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Can this game maker figure out Trump's China tariffs before they sink him?
Dan Linden likes games. He likes trying to figure out the answers. But one tricky puzzle has him stumped: What is the actual percentage he now owes for tariffs on toys and games imported from China? Linden, a 38-year-old Seattle resident, told NBC News he still doesn't know how much he'll have to pay to import the game he created and has staked his financial future on. 'I'm not a millionaire or anything,' Linden said. 'These $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 tariff hits are going to take a significant chunk out of my own pocket.' As it turns out, the entire toy industry is confronting the same problem. A representative for The Toy Association, the industry's chief trade and lobbying group, told NBC News it could not comment on the current tariff level because it was 'gathering new data about tariff impact on toy companies.' Linden estimates he's invested some $25,000 from his own savings to develop the game, Offshoots, a tabletop contest to see who can build out a 'tree' using wood-based, branchlike pieces without toppling the trunk. Think Jenga meets K'nex. He said he has plenty of orders lined up — and is racing to get more shipped across the sea before President Donald Trump changes his mind and increases the duty level. After two years and two dozen iterations, Linden developed Offshoots into what he felt was a potential smash. He said it received rave reviews at a game expo in March and has won praise from other industry pros. Thanks to contacts made through his full-time job at a larger toy developer, Linden was able to work closely with Chinese manufacturers to produce an initial prototype of the game that worked out to a $29.99 retail price. Toy fair contacts said if he could get that down to $24.99 per game, he had a 'slam dunk,' Linden said. His first official sale came last July. Since then, he's sold about 2,200 — and has placed an order for another 2,500 that he hopes will not be fully subject to Trump's import duties. But the price point is hanging in the balance. Already, it's gone back up to $29.99 to cushion the potential tariff blow. 'My game is getting a really good response by the public so I have to stay the course and try to grow it,' he wrote in an email. 'However I feel like I am continuing to invest significant money and all it would take is another tariff increase to tank the whole thing.' Toys and games had previously been exempt from tariffs altogether. In his most recent social media post on the subject, Trump said duties on Chinese-made goods would be as high as 55%. In theory, that calculation incorporates the 30% in new tariffs Trump has imposed in his second term: 20% for fentanyl-related issues, plus the president's new 10% baseline. That 30% is added to the existing average tariff level of 25% on Chinese goods that was in place when Trump took office. But if toys and games faced zero tariffs before, what do they face now? Linden said he remains in the dark — but that the final answer could clobber his income from the game. Before Trump announced his China tariffs, Linden was seeing a 23% profit margin on Offshoots games sold through a distributor, and about 50% when they were sold directly to a retail shop. With 30% tariffs, that fell to 6% profit through the distributor and 39% through the retail shop. If he ends up having to pay a 55% duty, he said, he will have to rethink his entire distribution strategy. Linden's concerns ultimately go beyond getting his game off the ground. The company where he works his day job is also facing headwinds from the tariffs. Should something happen to it or his role there, Linden fears he won't be able to successfully transition into another field in what has been a gradually weakening labor market. 'I don't have the work experience to change careers very easily, so I've had a lot of fear over what happens if these tariffs put the toy company out of business,' he said. 'And then if they put the new game out of business, I don't have a lot of marketable skills outside of the toy industry, and I can't imagine people are going to be hiring like crazy anytime soon.' Linden said he has no objection to making the game in the United States and has even begun taking orders for a version that is American-made — though at a $5 higher price point. Linden said matching Chinese quality is significantly more expensive and more logistically complicated. He said he must string together disparate parts of the manufacturing process in the U.S. that, in China, tend to be under the same roof, or at least closely coordinated. In Linden's experience, consumers who like to talk about 'buying American' tend to ultimately choose the option that provides the most bang for their buck, wherever it happens to be made. Linden said a recent visit to another specialty toy fair showed his concerns about the state of the overall industry are widespread. 'It felt kind of spooky,' he said in a follow-up email. 'I think everyone in the business is aware of impending price increases, but almost no one was willing to talk about it. This uncertainty has a lot of people stuck in limbo waiting to read what the morning news will bring.' Linden said he hopes that by the end of the summer, 'something will change,' or at least there will be clarity about the final tariff number. Linden said he did not support Trump in the presidential election for numerous reasons, and was not surprised that the president has made tariffs the primary tool of his economic policymaking, given his campaign rhetoric. Still, he said he has been taken aback by the toll Trump has allowed the process to take on the business community. 'He said he was going to do all this,' Linden said. 'I knew what he was going to do. I guess he kept that promise at the expense of the businesses I'm involved in.' This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elliot Page Debuts Romance With Overcompensating Star Julia Shiplett
Originally appeared on E! Online is celebrating Pride month in a big way. The Oscar-nominated actor made his new romance with Overcompensating star Julia Shiplett official as he shared a sweet photo of the two on social media June 28. In the pic posted on Elliot's Instagram page, the 38-year-old flashed a wide grin while leaning over Julia's shoulder as the comedian, also 38, snapped a selfie of the two standing on a rainbow-paved road. He appeared to let the image speak for itself, captioning the post with a rainbow emoji and a double-heart emoji. Hours earlier, Julia—who plays Mimi in the Prime Video series—shared her own social media post featuring the shirtless Umbrella Academy star relaxing in a hot spring. She also included an exhaling emoji and a water droplet emoji in the Instagram Stories post, along with the caption, 'Happy prideee.' Elliot, who came out as transgender in 2020, has been candid in the past about his relationships with the likes of and , which he described in his 2023 memoir Pageboy. The book also included his recollection of a private romance he once shared with an unnamed celebrity, whose sexuality was kept secret at the time. More from E! Online The "Poop Cruise" True Story: What Happened on the Carnival Triumph When the Toilets Stopped Working Anne Burrell's Death Being Investigated as a Possible Overdose Katie Couric Reacts to Vogue's 'Tacky' Lauren Sánchez Cover 'My partner was more closeted than me for a change,' Elliot wrote. 'We were together for almost two years, and even some of my closest friends were not aware I was in a relationship. Her parents did not know.' The Juno star, who was married to Emma Portner from 2018 to 2021, detailed how he and his mystery partner worked to keep their connection out of the spotlight before ultimately calling it quits. 'It was not a sustainable relationship, just like when I had kept people hidden," he continued. 'People didn't 'think she was queer,' but they definitely assumed I was, and I don't think she could handle the shame. Ultimately, she had to do what was best for her, and unfortunately it resulted in my heart being shattered.' Fortunately, Elliot seems to have had had better luck in love since his transition, telling the Los Angeles Times in June 2023 that he was having 'the most fun I've ever had dating.' 'Interacting with people feels so much easier and more connected,' he added, 'because I'm not feeling lost in myself and not seen in the right way.' To see how other stars are celebrating Pride, keep reading. Meredith Marks, Andy Cohen & Luann de LessepsJennifer LopezDoechiiChrishell Stause & G FlipLizzoMeredith MarksRaven-SymonéRuPaulDorinda Medley, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Meredith Marks & Cynthia BaileyAndrew RannellsParvati Shallow, Bob Harper, Bob The Drag Queen, Chrishell Stause & Sam AsghariMichael Kors & Bette MidlerPaula Abdul, Paris Hilton & Cara DelevingneCynthia NixonRita OraLukas GageMaren Morris & Ashlee SimpsonBetsey Johnson & GottmikLaverne CoxTina Zhu Xi Caruso & Pari KimMegan HiltyCara Delevingne & Nava MauParis HiltonLourdes Leon For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
CNET
a day ago
- CNET
Today's NYT Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 29, #1471
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today's Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles. Today's Wordle puzzle might trip you up, in part due to a double letter and a somewhat unusual starting letter. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on. Today's Wordle hints Before we show you today's Wordle answer, we'll give you some hints. If you don't want a spoiler, look away now. Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats Today's Wordle answer has one repeated letter. Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels There is one vowel and one sometimes vowel in today's Wordle answer. Wordle hint No. 3: First letter Today's Wordle answer begins with W. Wordle hint No. 4: Pete and repeat In today's Wordle answer, the repeated letter is in positions 3 and 4. Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning Today's Wordle answer can refer to someone who is verbally creative, smart and funny. TODAY'S WORDLE ANSWER Today's Wordle answer is WITTY. Yesterday's Wordle answer Yesterday's Wordle answer, June 28, No. 1470 was STUMP. Recent Wordle answers June 24, No. 1466: ELITE June 25, No. 1467: COMFY June 26, No. 1468: OFFER June 27, No. 1469: PLAIN
