Rosa, you are 100% right on all your points. Margins are very tight for Independent or boutique brands. We have already paused production of our next collection to figure this out. A 90-day pause on tariffs for EU imports does not help. Our production times are 4 months at the minimum. We could be facing higher tariffs after 90 days. But even a 10% tariff is substantial for us.
The other issue is that we pay for our puzzles in Euros. The value of the dollar dropped with the announcement of the tariffs, so now our dollar goes less far. I feel so badly for the companies that produce in China, but we also need to pause, pivot, and rethink everything.
When we started researching manufacturers in 2018, we tried and tried again to have our puzzles made in the USA. We would have paid a premium price for this. But no manufacturers were willing to make European-style (vs random cut) puzzles with the velvet touch, which was the foundation of our brand - ZERO GLARE is what we were after, smooth pieces and rich colors. Because we license predominately painters, we wanted every brushstroke seen in the art!
We tried Germany, and The Netherlands (where the word is out that Cobble Hill is going). Only our manufacturer in Poland was willing to work with us. The point is, that you can't just change manufacturing overnight to a new facility in a new country. Our manufacturers are our partners. However, because we have always wanted to make our puzzles in the US, we are researching it again. And to our surprise, a US manufacturer can now make our puzzle to spec. However, the price is high, maybe too high. US freight hauling is also very high. Our highways are already fraught with trucks because train freight is practically non-existent. Who wants truck traffic to triple on highways?
A great point you have made Rosa, is that manufacturing cost is based on the QTY of each title we produce. We are truly, small-batch makers. This is why our puzzles cost more in the first place. Could we charge more? Could we charge $35.95 instead of $32.95 for a 1000-pc puzzle? How many puzzles a year would your readers pay $35.95 for a 1000-pc puzzle? If puzzles made in China went up to $29.95, maybe we would be competitive with our prices. But the larger companies will probably move manufacturing before they try to get $10.00 more a puzzle. They know what price they need to sell their puzzles, to sell enough of them. That is why they are in China in the first place! They may have the purchasing power to have a manufacturer adapt to their needs anywhere in the world, but they know that US manufacturing prices will always be more.
Please keep supporting small puzzle companies as much as possible, no matter where they are made! Otherwise, the trend for boutique puzzles will be over. Thanks for listening! Marcia
Marcia, thank you so much for this heartfelt and transparent comment. Your insights mean a lot, not just to me, but to so many in the puzzle community who may not always see the full picture behind the scenes. At the moment we really need more open conversations like this!
You're absolutely right: a 90-day tariff pause doesn’t do much when your production timeline is 4+ months. I also really appreciate you raising the point about currency pressure with the weakening dollar, it’s a major factor I hadn’t considered, but one with very real consequences.
What struck me the most was your point about pricing. A few dollars makes a huge difference when you’re a small-batch maker. And yet the market is so anchored to price points that were only ever sustainable because of high-volume offshore production. That tension is real, and as you said, there’s no quick fix when supplier relationships have taken years to build.
I’m cheering for boutique brands like yours. I deeply appreciate companies that see manufacturing as a partnership and treat artistry as the heart of the product. So yes, let’s all keep supporting small puzzle companies wherever we can.
Hi Rosa,
Marcia from Art & Fable Puzzle Company here!
Rosa, you are 100% right on all your points. Margins are very tight for Independent or boutique brands. We have already paused production of our next collection to figure this out. A 90-day pause on tariffs for EU imports does not help. Our production times are 4 months at the minimum. We could be facing higher tariffs after 90 days. But even a 10% tariff is substantial for us.
The other issue is that we pay for our puzzles in Euros. The value of the dollar dropped with the announcement of the tariffs, so now our dollar goes less far. I feel so badly for the companies that produce in China, but we also need to pause, pivot, and rethink everything.
When we started researching manufacturers in 2018, we tried and tried again to have our puzzles made in the USA. We would have paid a premium price for this. But no manufacturers were willing to make European-style (vs random cut) puzzles with the velvet touch, which was the foundation of our brand - ZERO GLARE is what we were after, smooth pieces and rich colors. Because we license predominately painters, we wanted every brushstroke seen in the art!
We tried Germany, and The Netherlands (where the word is out that Cobble Hill is going). Only our manufacturer in Poland was willing to work with us. The point is, that you can't just change manufacturing overnight to a new facility in a new country. Our manufacturers are our partners. However, because we have always wanted to make our puzzles in the US, we are researching it again. And to our surprise, a US manufacturer can now make our puzzle to spec. However, the price is high, maybe too high. US freight hauling is also very high. Our highways are already fraught with trucks because train freight is practically non-existent. Who wants truck traffic to triple on highways?
A great point you have made Rosa, is that manufacturing cost is based on the QTY of each title we produce. We are truly, small-batch makers. This is why our puzzles cost more in the first place. Could we charge more? Could we charge $35.95 instead of $32.95 for a 1000-pc puzzle? How many puzzles a year would your readers pay $35.95 for a 1000-pc puzzle? If puzzles made in China went up to $29.95, maybe we would be competitive with our prices. But the larger companies will probably move manufacturing before they try to get $10.00 more a puzzle. They know what price they need to sell their puzzles, to sell enough of them. That is why they are in China in the first place! They may have the purchasing power to have a manufacturer adapt to their needs anywhere in the world, but they know that US manufacturing prices will always be more.
Please keep supporting small puzzle companies as much as possible, no matter where they are made! Otherwise, the trend for boutique puzzles will be over. Thanks for listening! Marcia
Marcia, thank you so much for this heartfelt and transparent comment. Your insights mean a lot, not just to me, but to so many in the puzzle community who may not always see the full picture behind the scenes. At the moment we really need more open conversations like this!
You're absolutely right: a 90-day tariff pause doesn’t do much when your production timeline is 4+ months. I also really appreciate you raising the point about currency pressure with the weakening dollar, it’s a major factor I hadn’t considered, but one with very real consequences.
What struck me the most was your point about pricing. A few dollars makes a huge difference when you’re a small-batch maker. And yet the market is so anchored to price points that were only ever sustainable because of high-volume offshore production. That tension is real, and as you said, there’s no quick fix when supplier relationships have taken years to build.
I’m cheering for boutique brands like yours. I deeply appreciate companies that see manufacturing as a partnership and treat artistry as the heart of the product. So yes, let’s all keep supporting small puzzle companies wherever we can.
-Rosa
Loved the sharp analysis! Keep it up 💪
Thanks for the feedback! 🧡