just me? or does it seem prices for gear are out of control

J.M.B

is it just me or does it seem that wakeboarding gear prices have gone sky high in the last 2 years.. i understand to take into acount advances in the technology but i have a hard time dropping almost 600 bucks canadian for a pair of bindings!!

wentto my local store the other day with the intention of buying new bindings and couldnt believe my eyes! $570 bucks for the new shanes!! geeze thats an entire months rent for me!!!

not to mention the outragous prices on boards now!!

could everyone agreee it only going to get worse or do you think its capped in price? at what point does it become equitment for the riders vs. just making a product for profit!

95% of the average rider out there cant afford to drop 1800 bucks on a good solid set up (board bindings, rope)

i guess same could be said for snowboarding, back in 93 when i started i bought a burton board and bindings for 160 bucks and i still have that set up today (my slider set up now) but its still in perfect working order no chips or damage other then wear and tear!

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

It looks like your boardshop is the one raping you, boardstop has the Shanes for $399 not to mention 08 gear is just around the corner.

There's a lot that goes into gear, more R&D, higher product costs, higher shipping costs, higher contract costs. That's why I've always felt there is little reason to pay full price for anything whether it's wakeboarding gear, or clothes for work. A little effort can save you significantly.

Also $1,800 will get you a top of the line set up not a good solid one.

tpj · Outlaw Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 158

J.M.B's talking canadian dollars

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

Okay then at a .94308 fx that's still $537USD, the shop is ripping him off.

nickl011 · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 2:00 pm Post subject:

My shop has 07 transits for $299, thirty bucks cheaper than online stores.

FLWake · Soul Rider Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 274

Just buy last year's stuff. Besides the asymmetrical vault and the slingshot boards that flex, there really are no big changes from the 06-07 lines that I know of. I got an 06 3DS with 05 parks bindings for about 400 USD, thats about half the price of them new and they were both "cutting edge" the year the came out. Cutting edge doesn't seem to advance all that quickly here, so you'd be safe going for last year's stuff or even older.

devon · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject:

i agree that the prices of wakeboarding gear has gone up and is gennerally to expensive but 1800 bucks, i havent seen that yet, i could get the ronix one with one bindings for $1100 cdn
and thats why if you dont have that kind of money buy the 06 gear or 05
i just got an 06 obrien player with radon bindings for $559
_________________
green economy

waketek516 · Criminal Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 58 City: Long Island

QNev · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 3:13 pm Post subject:

J.M.B, are you Canadian? I was looking at a $1200 set up a while ago and even that seemed cheap.

My Ronix Vault and Cabals after everything were about $850, but that was with the discount rope.

jryoung, Shipping is like 20 bucks to the US but up here, you have to pay to get that bessy across the border and pay a hell of a lot for shipping. It's not just the exchange rate you have to pay. Robbery is what it is.

Now, if there were manufacturers IN Canada, gear prices would get SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Just my 1/50th of a loonie.

Tyler T · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 3:58 pm Post subject:

The market determines what wakeboard gear is worth. By not buying new gear, you're telling the shops and manufacturers that their prices are too high and you have better things to spend that amount of money on. Apparently, not enough other people are doing that, so the prices are what they are. If enough people will pay $600 for a pair of bindings, you better believe everyone is gonna sell em for $600.

J.M.B · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 4:42 pm Post subject:

Waking up the World · Outlaw Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 164 City: Olathe

Go bargain hunting, thats what i do. Most people dont belive me but i got a pair of brand new 06 CWB Fuse bindings for $120 and a brand new 06 CWb transcend platinum board for $106. Around $230 TOTAL for a very nice setup. ive bought numerous other items as well.

All of this being online, not from some giveaway, garage sale or gift cards. If u look hard enough ull find something.

J.M.B · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:03 pm Post subject:

hco · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:06 pm Post subject:

Yeah, it sucks. So, for my newest setup, I bought a board that was the display for the shop (just didnt have box and crap) for 150$ cheaper than Brand New, I bought my bindings used with brand new overlays. Also, you don't have to look to company's like Hyperlite and Ronix for the best stuff. O'brien's prices are significantly cheaper than other company's, and I can guarantee that boards like the Natural and the Valhalla etc... will compete with the other high end boards, at a bit cheaper of a price.

colefooter · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:13 pm Post subject:

Wakeboard companies have to pay for gas too.

J.M.B · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject:

nickl011 · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:35 pm Post subject:

colefooter, Laughing

Tyler T · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:41 pm Post subject:

J.M.B · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 5:53 pm Post subject:

compainies are so buisy thinking if they can but they didnt stop to think if they should!!!!

rockstar with voda FTW!!!

rukuswake · Outlaw Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Posts: 105 City: Lafayette

i think the prices are bad but..u can find good deals if u look in the right places...i just got a pair of alpha bindings and a trip BRAND NEW..for 400.

Aksarben1050 · Newbie Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 41 City: Lincoln

i have a friend who works at a sports store and he says the mark up on wakeboards is just insane

matt1808 · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2004 Posts: 1981

J.M.B, I would like to see an example (other than liquid force) of this "inflation" in the last couple years. The only company that has had prices go up is LF from what I can tell.

The prices are certainly higher than what the gear is worth, but a lot of that can probably be due to the small size of the market compared to the amount of r&d they need to do to compete with the competition and other costs of running a business. With such a small market they can't afford to fall behind in technology and lose sales to other companies. It isn't like other industries where they sell several million of their product, so they can get away with a smaller profit on each unit. I doubt these companies turn much of a profit at all.

hco · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject:

I think the prices are so high because of the advertising. The multiple full-page color glossy ads in waterski magazine and stuff like that has got to put them behind quite a bit. Then again, that could be the reason why company's like LF, Ronix, and Hyperlite get more customers than O'brien, Gator Boards, etc..

matt1808 · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2004 Posts: 1981

hco, Obrien seems to sell pretty good in Australia, just not in North America. So I think for them their team affects their sales. Kind of a shame though, because they put out great gear.

For Gator I think it is probably availability and their bindings that affect their sales. Love their boards, but for the most part their bindings didn't seem to be on the same level as others. It looks like they have their bindings heading in the right direction now though.

hco · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I think since O'brien is relatively smaller and still family owned and they are comfortable with where they are in the industry they don't feel the need to pump out tons of advertisements, sponsoring their own huge tournaments, etc... I personally will probably never ride anything but an O'brien board again, since I have been nothing but satisfied with my purchase. However, I feel their bindings may be a bit sub-par, but different strokes for different folks.

I agree with you about gator boards, I love their boards, and probably would have one (in addition to my obrien) if I had the cash, but I do agree that they ahve been lagging a bit in the binding 'trends'.

macdaddy07 · Criminal Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 57 City: houston

guys its common sense..... supply and demand. the product is only worth what the buyer is willing to pay. if everyone is buying gear for 400 bucks they may raise the price up to 420 and so on. if no one buys it demand goes down and there will be a surplus in the product and prices will go down. everyone should just not buy for a whole year, just (excuse my word) n-word rig the gear if it breaks and hold out 1 season.

J.M.B · Posted: Jun 03, 2007 8:52 pm Post subject:

Bambamski · Posted: Jun 04, 2007 5:03 am Post subject:

I've always said to support your local shop. Most of them throw some money back into the sport and support a local contest or two or provide the odd lesson as well. However with that being said. With the dollar where it is these days, we are getting screwed. Board prices should have come down the past couple of years with the dollar getting stronger.

The dollar is trading 1.065, I'm looking at buying my daughter a new LF Jett board which the local shop has it @ 550 bucks cdn. Online it's 359.00 u.s. with free shipping. That's works out to be 372 bucks cdn 177 bucks cheaper... With the bindings she wants the set up here is 950 bucks, the package online is 500 u.s. which is 532 bucks cdn, a difference of 417 bucks.

Too me, that's way too much of a difference and most everyone that i know and board with shops online in the states these days. They keep telling me I'm an idiot for paying these prices. I'm starting to believe they may be right?? The deal I made was my daughter pays for half the board, she really doesn't have the dough to pay the extra premium.

What do you guys think?

QNev · Posted: Jun 04, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject:

Bambamski, Made the same deal with my dad for the board being a birthday present. I paid shipping and duties and half the cost of the board with taxes.

The real reason gear up north here is so expensive is because it IS NOT MADE IN CANADA! If Toyota had no factories in NA, their car costs would be ridiculous, let alone if they were outside Canada.

scott a · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 9810

creepingcharlie · Newbie Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 1 City: Plymouth

I feel fortunate to live within 20 miles of the store front for the-house.com. Often more reasonable rices there.