We have a confession to make… 

We’re Canadian. 

(Sorry!)

And because much of the TCG world happens outside our frozen borders, we must negotiate, navigate and acquiesce to the varied customs, taxes and electrical requirements of the countries we currently (and wish to) do business with!

We (subject to the dictates of the powers that be) can only do our best and (knock on wood) hope the terrain remains favorable. 

With that in mind, we must address the topic of the day: 

## Enter: CUSMA

The CUSMA Agreement (also known as **USMCA:** U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement in the U.S. and **T-MEC** in Mexico) is a free trade agreement that eliminates most tariffs and trade barriers between the three countries. As a Canadian robotics company, CUSMA ensures that **eligible products** can cross the border tariff-free, reducing costs and avoiding disruptions tied to recent U.S. expansions!

### 📜 **History & Background**

- CUSMA replaced the **North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)**, which had been in effect since January 1, 1994.
- In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump initiated renegotiations of NAFTA, citing trade imbalances and outdated provisions.
- The CUSMA Agreement was proposed and signed in 2018 by leaders of all three countries at the G20 Summit.
    - **Mexico:** Ratified on **June 19, 2019**
    - **United States:** Ratified on **January 29, 2020**
    - **Canada:** Ratified on **March 13, 2020**
- CUSMA entered into force on **July 1, 2020**
- Despite recent U.S. tariff hikes under Trump’s second term, _CUSMA-compliant goods remain exempt_, preserving critical trade flow between the three nations.

Sounds great, right? 

And the good news is thus: **the PhyzBatch-9000 is covered under the CUSMA agreement** (knocks on wood). 

Sources: 

- **USMCA‑compliant (CUSMA‑compliant) goods remain exempt** from President Trump’s sweeping new reciprocal tariffs — a key protection for Canadian and Mexican exports. [Politico+11Wikipedia+11The Western Producer+11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_trade_war_with_Canada_and_Mexico?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- As a result, **over 85% of Canada-U.S. trade** and **84% of Mexico-U.S. trade** continues tariff‑free in August 2025. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_trade_war_with_Canada_and_Mexico?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

## The Rub

While this means that there are no tariffs (knocks on wood) on the PhyzBatch at present - there are a few considerations to keep in mind: 

1 - Nothing is certain and all agreements can be unmade, at least in theory. So, if you are thinking about getting the the build queue for a PhyzBatch-9000, the only advice we can give is: _the sooner the better_. Please ask us about the lead time at the time of your order. We’re increasing our production capacity and we want to ensure that our timelines meet your expectations. 

2 - As there has been increased pressure on the border, customs can be more… thorough in their inspections of our machine. If this causes any damage or wear on your machine, please note: 

- a) Let us know immediately and provide images of any damage. This is crucial as it might be required that we seek compensation from our shipping provider.

- b) We will not penalize you upon machine return for any damage caused by customs or damage during shipping.

- c) We will work with you to remedy, fix or replace any parts damaged by the shipping process.

Lastly - TCG Machines is committed to all of our customers, regardless of country or political beliefs. We’ve come to the U.S. for GAMA and Origins and we had an absolute blast. We look forward to attending MagicCon and GenCon next year.  TCGs know no borders!

Please let us know if you ever have any questions regarding anything shipping or customs related and we’ll always to our best to answer honestly and quickly. 

Let’s. Friggin’. Go.

-The TCGM Team

In the light of the state of the US/Canada border being what it is, we've decided to help shed some light on some misconceptions. 

thumbnail_Artboard 3 copy 3.png

Artboard 3 copy 3.png

Tariffs? Trump? Turmoil??

TCG Machines’ PhyzBatch-9000 recognizes and categorizes cards by nearly any metric, including price, card type, and foil determination.