An August 2026 post on Marginal Revolution, the economics blog written by George Mason University economists Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok, highlights a list of “things you cannot buy in America” assembled by Daniel Frank — the full piece — and surfaced via Anecdotal.

One entry singled out in the post concerns exterior roller shutters (Rollladen). In much of Europe — they are a standard fitting on new homes in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and elsewhere — homes feature heavy shutters integrated into the exterior of the window, enabling total blackout and better insulation, along with sun shading and security. Sleeping in true, complete darkness — not “blackout curtain” darkness, but can’t-see-your-hand darkness — is described as an experience most Americans will never have. These shutters are nearly impossible to get in the United States because they are built directly into the home during its construction. They are fundamentally incompatible with standard American wood-frame, siding, and drywall construction, meaning there is no domestic supply chain to support them, even if you built a house to fit them. The nearest US equivalent, roll-down hurricane shutters sold in storm-prone coastal states such as Florida, is marketed for storm protection rather than as an everyday blackout and insulation fixture.

The post’s author is not persuaded that every item on the list is truly unobtainable, noting, “I am not convinced you cannot get a ‘grass roof,’” among other items mentioned. In any case, the author calls it “an interesting list” and files it under “possibly thwarted markets in everything,” a play on the blog’s long-running “Markets in Everything” feature. The roller-shutter entry fits that theme: a product that a large, wealthy consumer market does not supply because of entrenched building conventions and a missing supply chain.