Whether you know it or not, it’s a safe bet that your favorite butt plugs, dildos and vibrators are either made or assembled in China. A safe bet because as Carolyn Eagle, owner of the online sex-toy shop Betty's Toy Box, told Mashable, “Pretty much all toys are made in China.” (Most estimates put the percentage of sex toys produced in China at 70 to 90.)

In fairness, there is a growing Chinese domestic sex toy market, too, as the country’s younger generations appear more interested in sex toys than their predecessors. And Chinese brands are tinkering with A.I. to bring innovation as well; their expos are filled with everything from “technicolor tentacle dildos to hyperrealistic personalized silicone dolls,” according to the Straits Times. But again, the vast majority of the sex toys made in China are destined for international bedrooms — and American bedrooms in particular.

I visited a sex doll factory in China yesterday and this is what it looked like
byu/iambriansloan inThatsInsane

Which, obviously, these days isn’t great for the wallet (or libido) of the American consumer. As of May 1st, American trade levies on most goods from China have reached 145 percent, and economists predict that the increased cost of shipping items from China to the U.S. will be passed on to consumers. (It takes a worldwide supply chain to bring the weird and wonderful ideas of pleasure-focused designers to life; various parts have to be sourced and shipped before the construction can even start, and companies often spend years building these relationships to establish a steady supply chain.)

In short, toy-assisted orgasms could soon become a lot more expensive.

Sex toy entrepreneurs are already sounding the alarm. Case in point: Autoblow founder Brian Sloan has predicted a “pleasure apocalypse.” His Autoblow, which uses suction technology to create a more realistic re-creation of an IRL blow job, has changed the Fleshlight game. There’s even the option to sync the toy up to a VR video library for those who like their dick-sucking with a little visual stimulation.

You guys asked for it.... this is the inspection room of the sex doll factory I visited yesterday in Dongguan, China.
byu/iambriansloan inThatsInsane

Autoblow might be an American company, but as Sloan explains, “I lived in China for 10 years and developed my American brand with the help of Chinese engineers and business partners who are simply irreplaceable.”

President Trump has claimed to care about American manufacturing, but Sloan doesn’t see it. “It defies logic that reviving American manufacturing requires bankrupting American entrepreneurs and their Chinese business partners,” he says. “I’m hoping that cooler heads prevail as soon as possible.”

In the meantime, Americans may just have to get better acquainted with their hands and a whole lot of lube — provided, of course, that the lube isn’t made in China, too.