At Slabmags, we’ve always been committed to providing collectors with the highest quality aluminum card protection, ensuring that your prized trading cards remain safe and secure. However, recent changes in tariff policies have created new challenges for us—ones that impact not just our business, but also the entire community of collectors who rely on premium graded card protection.
The Impact of Tariffs on Slabmags
The newly imposed tariffs on imported goods have significantly increased the costs of manufacturing Slabmags. Depending on the SKU, production costs have risen between 25% and 50%. The biggest challenge comes from the fact that aluminum alloy—an essential component of our protective cases—has been hit with multiple layers of tariffs, making it one of the hardest-hit materials. These changes put pressure on our ability to keep prices stable while maintaining the premium quality that our customers expect and deserve.
Our Commitment to Collectors: Strategic Planning for 2025 and Beyond
We understand that cost increases are never ideal, which is why we took proactive steps to prepare for these changes. Thanks to careful planning, we’ve been able to stock enough inventory to meet demand throughout 2025, ensuring that collectors can continue to access the same trusted protection without disruption to our most popular colorways. This foresight gives us valuable time to develop solutions that allow us to maintain the affordability and excellence of our products.
In the long term, we are exploring several ways to minimize the impact of these tariffs on our customers:
• Focusing on Our Most Popular SKUs: By streamlining production and prioritizing the most in-demand colorways, we can help keep costs under control.
• Exploring Alternative Materials: While aluminum alloy has long been our preferred choice due to its strength and UV protection, we are researching alternative materials that can maintain our high standards while reducing costs.
• Introducing a Budget-Friendly Option: We are considering launching a more affordable graded card protector made from TPU or rubber, providing collectors with an economical choice that still offers solid protection for their valuable cards.
A Silver Lining: Protecting Collectors from Counterfeit Products
One unexpected upside of these tariffs is that they may slow down the spread of counterfeit Slabmags products on platforms like TEMU, eBay, and Alibaba. Many unsuspecting collectors have unknowingly purchased fake graded card protectors, thinking they were getting the same quality and UV protection as a genuine Slabmags case—only to find out later that their valuable cards were left unprotected. These counterfeit products have no standard or quality requirements, and their manufacturers do not care about the consumer’s best interests. They can ultimately cause significant damage to prized collections.
That being said, rather than rushing into production and compromising on quality, we are taking the time necessary to find the best path forward. As a result, we will be temporarily pausing the production of many SKUs while we get our supply chain and pricing in order. This ensures that when we do resume full-scale production, we can continue to uphold the high standards that Slabmags is known for, without sacrificing quality or reliability.
A Message to Our Customers: We’re in This Together
We know that collectors depend on Slabmags to safeguard their most treasured cards, and we take that responsibility seriously. While these tariffs present a difficult challenge, we remain committed to transparency, innovation, and delivering the best possible protection for your collection. We will continue to explore solutions that balance affordability with the premium quality you expect.
Your support means everything to us. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we’ll navigate these changes and emerge stronger than ever, ensuring that Slabmags remains the gold standard in aluminum card protection for years to come. Thank you for being a part of our journey!
