OPS Prices Out Of Control?

[Ogie 0]

" try to go to open hockey as much as i can but my rink is 20 and 30 min away

its not like minnesota and canada where theres a rink every 5 miles"

So that justifies a $200 OPS over more time at the rink? Come on.

Someone earlier was right, btw, when they pointed out that as long as people keep buying these things--which are a waste of money for all but the top level players--they will keep princing them high.

[DavisP 0]

but one good thing is that in a few years we can buy some stealths or whatever for pretty cheap when something 20 grams lighter comes out.

By the time stealths get that cheap there's a horrible selection for curves and flexes. Just look at practically all of last year's eastons and the only curves offered is usually gaborik or lindstrom. Both are hooks. It is pretty sweet when you find a closeout w/ your curve and flex though. :D

agreed... which is another reason why I like shaft/blade combos over OPS.

I'm starting to lean towards that setup because, like most people, I break blades faster than shafts. Not to mention its fun to try new curves in a cheaper fashion. :D

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Someone earlier was right, btw, when they pointed out that as long as people keep buying these things--which are a waste of money for all but the top level players--they will keep princing them high.

"Waste of money" is a subjective term. They may be a waste of money if a mediocre player expects an OPS to make their game drastically better. But it's not a waste of money if someone makes/has enough money that they don't need to waste time thinking about the purchase. It's not a waste of money if the buyer has reasonable expectations about what the OPS will and will not do for him, but enjoys having nice things to screw around with, for screwing around's sake.

It's like saying a high-end German automobile is a waste of money because it will never be used at high speeds on the Autobahn. It all depends on what you're buying the car for.

[echi24 1]

ive had sucess with pro stock sticks, and i have been able to find them in suitable curves at reasonable prices (~$100 CDN). with the increase of popularity of OPS, i find more stores are carry pro returns, and considering shafts often cost $150+, i can certainley justify purchasing a one piece. my latest pickup was an adrenaline control for $120, compared to its regular price of $300. i use the sticks regularly, but i dont have problems breaking sticks every month, so i feel that they are a good investment.

[xMenace 0]

Omeone once told me it costs less to make a OPS than id does a wooden stick. Does anyone know what it actually does cost to make these? I'm sure it's not for pennies, but I can't see it being that much that they have to charge $200 plus for them.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Whoever told you that is an idiot - it's simply not true.

[xMenace 0]

Whoever told you that is an idiot - it's simply not true.

Why? How much does it cost to make these things?

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Seriously, you believed that person?

[xMenace 0]

No. I'm an accountant and a former auditor. I don't believe anything I hear and only half of what I see. I'm just phishing for some 2nd hand inside info on actual costs.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Gotcha...

[DarkStar50 679]

Hopefully OPS's will top out soon. I know it's not really feasible, but wouldn't it be nice if you could now get an '04 model Synergy for like $80 brand new? Instead they make the newer/better crazy priced top-end sticks, but the "price point" sticks aren't as good as the best ones from a couple years ago that were the same price then.

EDIT: I don't mean last year's models as sale priced closeouts, I mean regular stock of older model top-of-the-line sticks, rather than the "price point" sticks

Sorry this reply is a bit old but the vendors don't make enough OPS to have stock of 04 models still in the marketplace. The vendors would be out of business then. Its a nice idea but would never happen in real world situations. Easton NEVER has enough OPS in the marketplace. My shop did not have an Easton OPS from January to May for sale. Easton had no product and this allowed me to bring in more OPS from other vendors. I have constantly mentioned to reps that they need more OPS at lower price points, not higher. Let consumers try the $100 OPS first. So far the $100 OPS have been checking out.

I also agree that there are consumers with money to burn. They will buy the top end OPS because they can simply afford it. Some players will be able to take advantage of the best OPS while for others it is just "nice to have." Sorry if that sounds crass but this happens in all different consumer products and choices.

The point about warranty issues is valid. The pro stock OPS with no warranty is less at wholesale than the retail OPS with a warranty. So, the vendors plan on X amount of retail OPS being replaced. Meanwhile, the pro stock OPS is made to different specs than retail OPS(i.e. better) yet costs less without the warranty. The LHS though has a bigger risk with pro stock OPS. Some patterns are dogs and then the LHS is stuck.

[Chadd 916]

No. I'm an accountant and a former auditor. I don't believe anything I hear and only half of what I see. I'm just phishing for some 2nd hand inside info on actual costs.

Actual cost of materials is a little misleading.

[Old Goalie 0]

It does not cost less to make to make an ops then it does a wood stick. For starters look at petroleum costs. In most cases, assume if you pay 99 at retail the dealer got it for 60 and the cost was about 35.

If you pay 149 the dealer pays a 100 and the cost is roughly 60. So everyone makes their margin. No one is getting filthy rich as a hockey retailer.

Another comment i read that is untrue is an internet dealer not having overhead. Actually this is untrue. This is not totally true. They have more people on the phone. But they also spend alot on search engines. They big on key words. You can actually go to overture.com to find out what they are bidding on key words. So if you use a search engine it is not an accident who comes up first on your google or yahoo page. You click on the site and you cost them what ever that key word is going for that day.

Dont expect ops to disappear or for wood to make a comeback. Ask the tennis players if they will go back to wood. What you will see is more price points as sticks go to asia. There will be ops on the market in the US ops for $49 in the fall.

[jimmy 194]

No one is getting filthy rich as a hockey retailer. 

Another comment i read that is untrue is an internet dealer not having overhead.  Actually this is untrue.  This is not totally true.  They have more people on the phone.  But they also spend alot on search engines.  They big on key words.  You can actually go to overture.com to find out what they are bidding on key words.  So if you use a search engine it is not an accident who comes up first on your google or yahoo page.  You click on the site and you cost them what ever that key word is going for that day. 

Dont expect ops to disappear or for wood to make a comeback.  Ask the tennis players if they will go back to wood.  What you will see is more price points as sticks go to asia.  There will be ops on the market in the US ops for $49 in the fall.

I agree , no one is getting rich as a retailer.

Internet sites generally have lower overhead, not no overhead unless it's some yahoo selling out of his garage.. The biggest advantage is usually the warehouse rent is way less than prime retail. In my area that's about $10 per square foot less for warehouse. Second, warehouse utilities are way lower. I have to heat retail space in winter and air condition in summer. I have to run full lighting all day. Most warehouses do not worry about customer comfort. Retail displays and fixtures are way more expensive than warehouse racks. Retail also has way more liability insurance costs. I also have to pay for snow plowing and sanding all winter so my customers can access the parking lot, and grass cutting in the summer. The list goes on and on. Carpet cleaning, phone book adds in 15 different phone books, etc, etc.

BTW, I'm #1 on Google and pay nothing.

[chippa13 1844]

Omeone once told me it costs less to make a OPS than id does a wooden stick. Does anyone know what it actually does cost to make these? I'm sure it's not for pennies, but I can't see it being that much that they have to charge $200 plus for them.

*cough* research and development *cough*

[Old Goalie 0]

jimmy i dont think you realize how much these guys spend on internet advertising. Some spend as much as 25 to 40K a month. Now unless your one of the three biggest dealers in the country i just googoled and came up with giant , great skate and monkey using key word hockey equipment. Also none of the big companies easton nike, rbk sell stores for internet only. they have brick and mortar too. The three I just mentioned all have brick and mortar stores too.

[bigd19 0]

Here is a thought:  how much better would everyone be at playing hockey if they simply took the 200+ dollars they were going to spend on a stick, and bought 20 sessions of stick and puck, or put that money into a couple of power skating sessions?

Here in California hockey is growing for sure. But we still have to drive 1.30 mins to get to a game.I really wish hockey was as big as it is there.

[jimmy 194]

jimmy i dont think you realize how much these guys spend on internet advertising. Some spend as much as 25 to 40K a month. Now unless your one of the three biggest dealers in the country i just googoled and came up with giant , great skate and monkey using key word hockey equipment. Also none of the big companies easton nike, rbk sell stores for internet only. they have brick and mortar too. The three I just mentioned all have brick and mortar stores too.

There are a LOT of internet hockey equipment stores and not all are as big as the top 3 you mentioned. Advertising is proportunate to company size, so if you're a 10+ mil a year company, 25K a month would be reasonable expense.

As for google, I'm not #1 for keywords - hockey equipment, but I will say this, you move up in rankings by how many hits you get, more popular means higher rankings. I've had folks try to get me to pay fees to up my ranking and I refuse because I'm already ranked high for free, either #1 or in the top few when my keywords are googled. Granted I'n not up to speed on what people will pay for keywords, I just never had to pay anything, that's all I know.