How a comic book store got swept into the tariff storm

Marc Bowker, owner of Alter Ego Comics in Lima, Ohio, says tariffs have created stress and uncertainty for his small business. Maddie McGarvey for NPR hide caption

Marc Bowker in Lima, Ohio wants his comic book store, Alter Ego Comics, to be an alternate reality escape from real world troubles, just as the name says.

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Life-size models of Darth Vader and R2-D2 stand at the entrance ahead of a wall of more than 200 comics.

But these days, the reality of tariffs has encroached into that escape that Bowker seeks to offer.

"It's become a challenge to try and remain stoic and focus on the four walls of my shop when it seems like the world is on fire," he says.

For nearly a year and a half, small business owners like Bowker have dealt with both the financial cost and uncertainty caused by tariffs.

Bowker is concerned about an escalating trade war with Canada increasing tariff costs. Maddie McGarvey for NPR hide caption

And now, Bowker is also dealing with how to seek tariff refunds after some of the import taxes he paid were struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year – and facing the prospect that an escalating trade war with Canada could soon drag him into another tariff storm.

"It unfortunately could be a major issue to an industry that has really been firing on almost all cylinders for the last couple of years," Bowker said.

It's an illustration of how tariff walls around countries continue to put pressure on main street American businesses more than a year after President Trump first unveiled them in a White House ceremony.

Bowker and his customers paid the cost of tariffs

For Bowker, those initial "Liberation Day" tariffs meant paying more for the action figures that drive about 70% of his revenue. Think highly detailed foot-tall statues of Wolverine or Spider-Man made in China. At one point, Chinese goods were tariffed at 145%, though they've since fluctuated lower.

Since "Liberation Day," Bowker has paid his supplier more than $16,000 in tariffs. For a while he passed some of that along to his customers as a 3% tariff fee. Recently though, Bowker decided to get rid of the fee and just eat that extra cost himself because it was costing him business.

A Darth Vader figurine is on display. Foot-tall action figures were tariffed at 145% one point. Maddie McGarvey for NPR hide caption

"The reality is our action figure business was down 50% last year," Bowker said. "And I have a feeling a lot of that had to do with tariffs."

Then the Supreme court struck down many of the tariffs

Companies did eventually receive some tariff relief in February. The Supreme Court ruled Trump's use of The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to enact many of his tariffs was illegal .

Although the president quickly used other laws and justifications to throw other tariff walls back up, the government also started the process of refunding more than $160 billion in IEEPA-based tariff revenue that the federal government collected.

Bowker, though, is doubtful he'll get any of the tariffs he paid back. That leaves him unable to reimburse his customers for the extra 3% fee they paid.

Wholesalers have passed increased tariff costs on to Bowker, so he has had to raise prices for customers, which he says has hurt sales. Maddie McGarvey for NPR hide caption

Bowker's distributor, Sideshow Collectibles, is the company actually being refunded the tariff since it directly paid U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The distributor could then share some of that refund with Bowker, just as it shared the cost.

But so far Sideshow told Bowker it hasn't received any refund. The company did not respond to NPR's request for comment.

Bowker has accepted he likely won't be getting his more than $16,000 back.

I'm not expecting anything," Bowker said. "I don't want to keep bugging this company. It's a company that we've had a good relationship for over 20 years with."

Now Bowker faces other tariffs threats

Customers walk by lifesize models of R2-D2 and a Stormtrooper from Star Wars as they exit the store. Maddie McGarvey for NPR hide caption

Today there are still other tariffs raising the cost of his action figures. And there's another possible tariff threat down the line – the growing trade war between the U.S. and Canada. Comics – including the ones Bowker sells – are primarily imported from Canada.

They are not included in this round of tariffs, but that could change if the trade war keeps escalating.

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At least Bowker is seeing a break from the tariff storm. Despite all these headwinds, Bowker says business this year is up. There's a comic book renaissance right now boosting his sales, driven by popular titles like Absolute Batman .

But while many customers are still buying, others are tightening their budget because of rising prices, caused in part by tariffs.

"Everything I sell is not necessary, you know? But it is an escape,'" Bowker said. "But at the end of the day they have to have money in their bank account in order to pay for this stuff."

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