Cost of manufacturing skates

[djinferno 2]

If the prices of skates were somehow "capped" at $300, the performance of skates would falter. In a true free market, we shouldn't be capping any goods or services because the market's invisible hand determines prices. Also, if prices were capped, there would be no incentive to innovate. The Soviet Union tried to set prices for goods without market influences, and it failed.

You guys make all good points, I agree with all your arguments, I really do...

I guess I'm just upset that the prices are so high because I could remember when the Vapor 10's where out, they where the best things yet and I don't see how whats out there today warrants those prices...

I suppose you have a point, if you really think that lowering the profit margins down to very very small percentages would draw in enough new players to the game and or win enough market share to generate enough sales to make it worthwhile. Would that happen? No I do not think it would.

Finally someone who gets my point....

I think it could grow, this is the best time for it too, the NHL is growing in popularity because the cup travels south of the border, I just think that price point can get people to try it instead of just watching, it's not a circus, it's a great sport...

[Chadd 916]

You want more people to get involved in hockey? Find a way to reduce the cost of ice time. That's still the single largest barrier to entry into the sport. You can find cheap or used equipment, the same can't be said for ice in most the US.

[djinferno 2]

dealers get a raw deal, no doult about that

You want more people to get involved in hockey? Find a way to reduce the cost of ice time. That's still the single largest barrier to entry into the sport. You can find cheap or used equipment, the same can't be said for ice in most the US.

that too but it does dot hit me as hard here i must admit, i think 8 to 10 for 1 hour is good...

[Chadd 916]

dealers get a raw deal, no doult about that

You want more people to get involved in hockey? Find a way to reduce the cost of ice time. That's still the single largest barrier to entry into the sport. You can find cheap or used equipment, the same can't be said for ice in most the US.

that too but it does dot hit me as hard here i must admit, i think 8 to 10 for 1 hour is good...

How much is it to rent the ice for an hour? Minimum around here is $250-$275 an hour.

[sabre09923 0]

Here, if you're lucky, it's $225. At the New England Sports Center, I'm pretty sure it can cost up to $300 and a whole lot more if you want 2 hours of ice. Couple those already high prices with more and more rinks around here switching to 50 minutes of ice per hour (most rinks USED to give you the full hour), and the price per minute on the ice gets to $5.

[pmr149 0]

actually djinferno that idea that u stated in your second post (initial argument) makes alot of sense to me i know what your saying...i don't think that would be a bad idea...everyone could be in the best stuff...and the company's would sell alot more at 400 apose to 600....but also there would be no 200....so it seems like it would work out...im not a skate expeert but it doesnt seem like it costs alot more money to make high end skates then low end, i dunno though

[Jarick 5]

Before this gets locked, I just want to say that the economic understanding of many members here is actually very impressive! It's always been common sense to me that the cost of a good is more than just the raw materials. You also have that little thing called labor, not to mention the rent for the building it's produced in, R&D, marketing, and salaries for everyone who runs the company. PLUS transportation and dealer profit.

Long story short, DJ, there are two factors to determine the price of a product. How much you are willing to pay and how much a supplier is willing to sell at. It just so happens a ton of people are willing to pay what the supplier is willing to sell, and you are not willing to pay. So instead of wanting the supplier to lower prices specifically for you, just don't buy them.

Now if you think $500 skates at $300 is going to make you or anyone else a better hockey player...well that's why this thread is going to get locked.

[sabre09923 0]

actually djinferno that idea that u stated in your second post (initial argument) makes alot of sense to me i know what your saying...i don't think that would be a bad idea...everyone could be in the best stuff...and the company's would sell alot more at 400 apose to 600....but also there would be no 200....so it seems like it would work out...im not a skate expeert but it doesnt seem like it costs alot more money to make high end skates then low end, i dunno though

And then, what happens to the product that gets produced after it, when it's made of more expensive materials? What about when the factory workers get higher wages or more researchers get hired for R&D? Of course the price will go up.

[jmiro 55]

Ice cost in this area is around two hundred an hour. Only available times are from 1am to 4am (if your lucky)

[djinferno 2]

Before this gets locked, I just want to say that the economic understanding of many members here is actually very impressive! It's always been common sense to me that the cost of a good is more than just the raw materials. You also have that little thing called labor, not to mention the rent for the building it's produced in, R&D, marketing, and salaries for everyone who runs the company. PLUS transportation and dealer profit.

Long story short, DJ, there are two factors to determine the price of a product. How much you are willing to pay and how much a supplier is willing to sell at. It just so happens a ton of people are willing to pay what the supplier is willing to sell, and you are not willing to pay. So instead of wanting the supplier to lower prices specifically for you, just don't buy them.

Now if you think $500 skates at $300 is going to make you or anyone else a better hockey player...well that's why this thread is going to get locked.

Again I never said that beter gear makes you a good player, I said better performance gear makes you perform better then lesser gear, you still have to have skill...

It's like cars, A ferrari will be a faster car then a Honda Civic, this being said, a less skilled driver will still wrap it around a tree

[jmiro 55]

could some one tell me when skates started getting this expensive? When i was playing as a kid i dont remember my dad having to skip a couple car payments just for skates. Now for league fees maybe.

[TheBert 0]

Relative to ice time, gear is a pretty fixed cost.

Ice time is definitely the biggest obstacle. Think of baseball, football and basketball where you can just hit the field or court and play to improve.

Ice hockey? Maybe it's plausible to have free ice if you're well north of the 49th parallel.

[Griff 2]

I agree with everyone who said that it's the cost of ice and not the gear that holds people back. If someone comes into my shop with an 8 year old who wants to play we can get him/her suited up for under $200 dollars in most cases and that's with a $70 helmet combo. The cost of gear will stop very few people from playing, there is always used stuff you can pick up especially for younger kids where they outgrow equipment before they break it. I didn't have a new pair of skates growing up until Sr. year when I left for juniors. However we had to fundraise like hell to make sure that my brother and I could play on the travel teams instead of house hockey. Your local shop will always make sure that anyone who wants to play will get gear, it might not be the best or the newest but it'll be enough to get any kid who wants to play on the ice. League fees and travel expenses are another matter entirely. The cost of skates will never keep anyone from playing but the cost of ice will

[djinferno 2]

I agree with everyone who said that it's the cost of ice and not the gear that holds people back. If someone comes into my shop with an 8 year old who wants to play we can get him/her suited up for under $200 dollars in most cases and that's with a $70 helmet combo. The cost of gear will stop very few people from playing, there is always used stuff you can pick up especially for younger kids where they outgrow equipment before they break it. I didn't have a new pair of skates growing up until Sr. year when I left for juniors. However we had to fundraise like hell to make sure that my brother and I could play on the travel teams instead of house hockey. Your local shop will always make sure that anyone who wants to play will get gear, it might not be the best or the newest but it'll be enough to get any kid who wants to play on the ice. League fees and travel expenses are another matter entirely. The cost of skates will never keep anyone from playing but the cost of ice will

I agree with that but at one point you need the better stuff, at a certain level you just do...

[Griff 2]

Yes at a certain level you do but that level is where you stop having to pay for stuff. Nobody below jr's needs one90's, there are plenty of good skates that while still expensive aren't nearly so. The supreme 70's won't hold a player back but here in the US they are $200 cheaper... for what a few grams of weight.

[T-Dot. 0]

ok so i disagree with the "shitville" comment

bit of drama but this thread ended up being pretty good and yet again another example of one persons opinion getting trampled all over because someone else didnt agree with it

so instead of open calm convo, bickering insued and everything has been said so it worked itself out

im not sure how much i learned im still processing

but i know one thing...........................................................

DarkStar is nobodies "dude". B)

oh and ice in vancouver is pretty expensive

Prime time 4 pm -midnight over 200$$$

all other time under 200$$$

[djinferno 2]

anyways, i have 400$ Canadian and I need some 9K's in a 7D, if anyone can accommodate, thats what I'm willing to pay...

Holla at yo boy!

[sabre09923 0]

Yes at a certain level you do but that level is where you stop having to pay for stuff. Nobody below jr's needs one90's, there are plenty of good skates that while still expensive aren't nearly so. The supreme 70's won't hold a player back but here in the US they are $200 cheaper... for what a few grams of weight.

There's a different fit between the One90 and Supreme70s. The One90's wrap around your foot, creating a near-custom fit. And if the parent (or kid) can afford the top-end skate, then why can't they have it?

[djinferno 2]

Yes at a certain level you do but that level is where you stop having to pay for stuff. Nobody below jr's needs one90's, there are plenty of good skates that while still expensive aren't nearly so. The supreme 70's won't hold a player back but here in the US they are $200 cheaper... for what a few grams of weight.

There's a different fit between the One90 and Supreme70s. The One90's wrap around your foot, creating a near-custom fit. And if the parent (or kid) can afford the top-end skate, then why can't they have it?

amen

[Jarick 5]

Yes at a certain level you do but that level is where you stop having to pay for stuff. Nobody below jr's needs one90's, there are plenty of good skates that while still expensive aren't nearly so. The supreme 70's won't hold a player back but here in the US they are $200 cheaper... for what a few grams of weight.

There's a different fit between the One90 and Supreme70s. The One90's wrap around your foot, creating a near-custom fit. And if the parent (or kid) can afford the top-end skate, then why can't they have it?

He didn't say the kid couldn't have it. His point was that the difference between mid and high level gear isn't going to make or break a kid. I doubt anyone's going to not be drafted because he didn't have top of the line equipment every year.

Watching and reading stories about the draft, there are two things that stand out to me:

1. The kid went out every single day to play hockey, before school, after school, early on the weekend mornings

2. The kid was almost always a great hockey player for his level

Assuming (2) is fixed, (1) is the issue that most people are talking about in this thread: ice time.

[mew1838 0]

could some one tell me when skates started getting this expensive? When i was playing as a kid i dont remember my dad having to skip a couple car payments just for skates. Now for league fees maybe.

I really agree with this. Skates cost as much as TVs, more than iPods, same as the PS3. Seriously, do you think people put more research into skates than the PS3??

[blues_91 0]

ok so i disagree with the "shitville" comment

bit of drama but this thread ended up being pretty good and yet again another example of one persons opinion getting trampled all over because someone else didnt agree with it

so instead of open calm convo, bickering insued and everything has been said so it worked itself out

im not sure how much i learned im still processing

but i know one thing...........................................................

DarkStar is nobodies "dude". B)

oh and ice in vancouver is pretty expensive

Prime time 4 pm -midnight over 200$$$

all other time under 200$$$

You can get it (ice time) for WAY cheaper if you drive liek 20 mins into Richmond or Delta. You can rent half sheets of ice in Richmond for as low as $50ish and no one ends up renting the other half anyway, so you have a full sheet for around $50. I know it's cheap at the GPF in Delta too, my friends and I will usually rent ice in the summer at either of these places.

[djinferno 2]

could some one tell me when skates started getting this expensive? When i was playing as a kid i dont remember my dad having to skip a couple car payments just for skates. Now for league fees maybe.

I really agree with this. Skates cost as much as TVs, more than iPods, same as the PS3. Seriously, do you think people put more research into skates than the PS3??

these guys get my point

[TBLfan 25]

could some one tell me when skates started getting this expensive? When i was playing as a kid i dont remember my dad having to skip a couple car payments just for skates. Now for league fees maybe.

I really agree with this. Skates cost as much as TVs, more than iPods, same as the PS3. Seriously, do you think people put more research into skates than the PS3??

Gaming systems don't make money on the console, the money is on the games. You can't accurately compare skates to anything electronical because add-ons and volume help pay for R&D and other misc expenses. What is there to buy for skates? Laces, replacement blades? All the misc costs from making and designing the skates need to be paid for by the initial cost of the purchase.

Why did Sega nearly go bankrupt? Because people were copying games like crazy for the dreamcast. If people don't buy games, they don't make money. I believe that both Microsoft and Sony actually lose money on every console sold. This money is made up by game, services(xboxlive) and accessory purchases. You really think it costs even close to $50 to make a 360 controller?

[mew1838 0]

the manu cost of x360 controller is way less than $50. Just look at the fake controllers, dirt cheap.