How the Shipping Crisis Is Crippling the Board Game Industry

Games became an entertainment lifeline for many people hunkered down at home amid the pandemic, and many board game business owners found success pursuing their passion. But now, the board game industry is feeling the disastrous effects of the ongoing global shipping crisis, with some hurting more because demand has risen so high.

As prices skyrocket for both shipping containers and space onboard overseas cargo ships, shipping delays and freight cost increases are hitting board game publishers, and particularly smaller companies, hard. Despite the fact that consumers are buying games, there’s no way for publishers to get products to their customers, says Maggie Clayton, the director of sales and marketing for Greater Than Games.

“We’ve had a container of our most popular game sitting in China since May of this year,” she tells TIME. “We’ve taken pre-orders for it so all of that product is technically sold—except for the fact that we don’t have the games or the money yet. So we’re in this weird situation where there’s high demand for our products because of the increase in people playing games during the pand…

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