Why The Price Of Skateboards Has Never Changed In Over 20 Years? Will It ever?

Heath Brinkley discusses why the skate industry hasn't raised the prices of skateboards in over 20 years.. Will skate companies have to soon?
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[@NevadaSmith2]

Who would’ve guessed Anderson Cooper knew so much about the skateboard industry...

[@NevadaSmith2]

i kindly advise you to research the concept of humor

[@TomTomTom87]

lmao

[@BrettOPediaTV]

DUDE i thought it was him at first too! But then I was like, “ooh” haha

[@godricgryffindor5421]

He doesn't have the same twinkle in his eye like Anderson

[@gageadams8864]

It looked like Henry Rollins from the thumbnail. Either way hilarious.

[@haaake]

The market is way over saturated. Skateboard brands are no longer iconic when every 30 year old pro starts their own company. Shout out to companies like Element, Flip, Girl, Blind, etc. who have stuck around for the long haul.

[@josephpossanza5022]

I'm sure those started out from 30 year old pros too.

[@Henners]

This is true. I can’t even keep up with all the new brands that keep popping up. That happened before too (speed demon bearings, monster trucks, etc) I work at a shop and I still have a hard time keeping up. Over the last 20 years I’ve seen decks slightly go up from 49.99 that just about every brand was back then

[@MIKE2111ful]

@@josephpossanza5022 actually they were started by 18 year old pros a lot of them at least

[@Austinn801]

All the companies you mention have been sold multiple times. With the exception of Girl, who is notorious for having the worst quality wood in all of skateboarding. I love hearing people say the market is over saturated, when the same 8 wood shops produce EVERY deck...

[@HARDL3FT]

Dumb, uniformed comment. Sorry

[@mon0theist_tv]

Pretty sure prices have gone up. I used to be able to build a complete on CCS back in the 2000's era for like $100 MAX $120, now a decent complete costs like $150+

[@mon0theist_tv]

@@lukemate2783 cuz you need a whole board to skate? Lol

[@blackandy973]

Luke mate I think he meant it cost a lot more as a whole to get a board

[@derlycalza5949]

I'm sorry did he say builds? Or is he specifically talking about a board which means BOARD not trucks and wheels. Dumbass

[@Bravo-Too-Much]

Yeah to but actual board prices haven’t changed much, it’s the rest of the hardware that’s raised the prices of the overall build.

[@ilikeicecream321]

Yeah trucks are killing me these days

[@jakegreer8237]

Hah inflation has definitely played a part in skating since this podcast. Boards have gone up 10-15$ easily.

[@ldred2604]

What about the last 5 months

[@kernelxsanders]

I'm sure that's mostly due to covid related inflation, that's just been unavoidable everywhere.

[@user-hi2vk7hb8k]

Over 30 years bud. gas has gone from 99cents to 5 dollars. Your $50 board could be $250. Your $1 famous star cheese burger is 5 bucks now. Be glad this industry is built by skaters. Also 2x4s are 4x more than just a couple years ago

[@gavinex]

Here in brazil since 2016 the price of boards are 3.5x times higher (went from 150 to 500+[90dols] imported ones)

[@TheDreadedRaider]

@@kernelxsanders nah this shit happens every time a liberal is around. Buy gold during Republicans sell during Democrats. Easy money

[@petercalvinmadore6571]

I live in Ontario Canada. I had my son registered in a local hockey league. At 5 years of age We were paying 650 just to join the league another 600 for equipment. A hockey stick alone can run you 250. Imagine snapping 2-3 sticks a year?? My kid discovered skateboarding a few months ago. The financial entry point of skateboarding is so cheap. The world is his playground. I built a 2’ mini pipe in the garage for $300 with plans to build a 4-6 ‘ in the yard next year. I’m happy to pay $80 for a deck for my kid.

[@hyzerfl1p]

You're a good father. Well done you have no clue on how much this will pay off in the future. Whatever you can do to stimulate your child's interests do it

[@gavinex]

W

[@jefferymiller3588]

Right on. Hell yeah, dude

[@SDubU416]

Same here. I’m in Whitby Ontario.. grew up skateboarding actually with TJ rogers who’s Pro for Blind. I always paid $80 on a deck when I’d have to buy one or sometimes less when you find a good deal from the right shop. Here our best 2 shops have always been Switch & Scotties.

[@snubdawg1386]

i stopped skateboarding because i couldn't afford it anymore

[@ryanboshell6124]

One of the biggest issues is surely companies sponsoring waaay more people than they can afford to. If the owner isn’t making money (which I don’t believe) cut your team down.

[@blainesworld6404]

If the prices of a skate decks go from 55 dollars to a 100 dollars a deck im just going to chop my own dam tree and make my own boards

[@AngelHernandez-sj4nk]

Blaines World Yeah bro, I'm new to skateboarding, & having a family to take care of, buying a board for $55 is a delicacy for me. If the price would rise, I'd be looking for the cheapest priced one & I wouldn't care from where.

[@gnarlytothemax]

forreal - I started skating on a toy store board. If it wernt for that, I would have never got into skating. When I got my 1st 100$ complete setup it was a big deal to me. $100 is still a lot of money to some people.

[@skateysteve4202]

I dont understand yall. Skateboarding is the cheapest hobby on the face of the planet. Video games cost more than decks. A date to Olive Garden costs more than a deck. If you are older than 20 and complaining about the price of skateboards, you need to take your ass to a financial planner.

[@blainesworld6404]

@@AngelHernandez-sj4nk hey man sorry I didnt get back to you. I would say get local skate shop skate decks because there a little cheaper and might be better wood depending who supplies them. If you dont have a skate shop near you but have a zumiez they have decks for 30 but they normally break if your doing heavy tricks. I wouldn't want you to go there mainly because you should shop local skate shops but I know that sometimes If u dont have a local it's ok to go to zumiez.

[@blainesworld6404]

@@gnarlytothemax hey man when I was a kid I would have to beg my dad or mom to get me a real board as well. I think once you get good tricks and wheels it gets cheaper kinda. Trust me I'm 28 and still skate and I feel like now that I am older and still skate I hate going through shoes more than decks.

[@theamazingrobin927]

•"Skateboards aren't making us rich.." °"What is, coffee mugs?" •"......"

[@seanruona8543]

It's really easy for someone who probably hasn't paid for a skateboard in decades to complain about them not costing enough. The reason manufacturing prices are going up is because the market is WAY over saturated. And the reason the market is over saturated is because there are way too many skateboard companies that, frankly, we probably don't need. Everyone and their mother are trying to make skateboards, and when everyone has a special cool new company, nobody does. Hell, now even Shane O'Neil is leaving to start ANOTHER company. There's too many brands and way too many pros; to put that blame onto the consumer is asinine.

[@jeffreysrnec]

Sean Ruona get your money up player

[@MrKylederp]

Competition keeps prices low

[@tylerwilkerson8188]

Same reason board costs are so low. A $60 board is gonna sit on the wall for 7 months. Theres so many options.

[@skateysteve4202]

Its really easy for someone with a job to NOT complain about the cost of participation in a fairly low lost activity.

[@Sean151991]

skatey steve So since the majority of skateboarders have such poor business sense, I shouldn’t be critical of who gets the money I work for? What a ridiculous take. Jeff Lenoce spouted the same nonsense about times being tough, and I refuse to take it seriously given that they choose to cut a portion of their budget to a guy whose most recent clips are just boardslides and rock to fakies at skateparks. Their team is unnecessarily big. And if they want to cut that many paychecks, fine. But don’t complain to your consumers that they should be paying more when you’re mismanaging your business.

[@SkatEarthProductions]

Would have never expected Revive to be mentioned on 9 club ever

[@matttorres5510]

brand connected to Braille and John Hill etc.

[@stevied2733]

SkatEarthProductions shout out Andrew Schrock

[@SkatEarthProductions]

Ignacio Nuñez Castro Independent skate company ran by a KZbinr

[@placeholdername3206]

It's a brand made by a KZbin skater/vlogger. Hes independant and basically runs a webshop that sells his own branded boards and gear. Search for Andrew Schrock. Hes a good dude, used to watch his videos a lot a few years ago, just kind of grew out of it.

[@ColonelFlickage]

Placeholder Name no it's lame because the videos contain more corny nonsense than skating. I watch a few things here and there but always get turned off

[@galagajunkie]

Back when I was a freshman in high school '89-'90 some classmates called up H-Street and convinced them they owned a local skate shop and ordered a bunch of boards and gear at wholesale prices with one of their parents credit cards. They got busted after one shipment, but it was hilarious they even got away with that.

[@coopertrost3816]

if the supply had stayed the same then price could go up with inflation. Skateboarding has gotten so much more popular and available that so many people are making them. its unreasonable to assume that something will hold or increase in value when the supply has gone up so much greater than demand. ESPECIALLY since the technology hasnt changed, and the product is the exact same quality. Too many hands are involved and too many mouths to feed in traditional skate brands decks.

[@justinwil4365]

Excellent analysis. Its just a piece of wood. You could get a Chinese factory to make them for like $1 a piece.

[@jamesmbs1]

Decks were silk screened back in the day. Not like today they just have a big giant sticker printed on the board. The quality was better.

[@jibcano1777]

This is why zumies and industrial do well, they locate in the malls and sell mostly clothing. The skateboards become a lossleader almost; which is great for kids who have to spend their money on boards and don't care about clothes or the parents buy clothes elsewhere.

[@bobbyrussell90]

Gonz Wouldgo the top shapers do very well. But surfing is different there's a big difference in an good quality board and a great quality board

[@nyeusiknowledge4873]

Gonz Wouldgo well that I am, not 30 but a reasonable living wage not the b******* it currently is while all else is Raising. Matter fact we should be lucky skateboarding isn't raising ridiculously like all else us. Fuggg outta here. Plus nothing he said implies such, in fact it is the opposite for he doesn't seem to give a damn and wants it to raise as is...

[@slidezone9056]

There used to be a skatepark in Anaheim, CA. Russ Howell was the resident pro. It was called The Concrete Wave. My friends and I were there a lot. One day in the parking lot there was this guy selling boards out of the trunk of his car. Kryptonics boards. Complete and brand new. I didn't think twice. I bought a board for $20. I later found out that the guy was Shogo Kubo. He was probably in the area because The Fruit Bowl in Garden Grove was just a few miles away. Around 40 yrs. later and I still have the complete set up. Although, well used. This story isn't relevant to this discussion. But it seemed like as good a place as any to tell it. I'm 60 now. I haven't gotten on a board in at least 20 yrs. And that was just to putt putt in the street. For the most part skating has a limit on age. Some keep at it. But most of us drift away. I was as skinny as a rail back then. I could fall and roll out of it. But today I could break a wrist. Or worse. It would seem that skating is for younger people. And with my reasoning younger people are eventually gonna' move away from doing it. Unlike something like vid games. You can play them until you drop dead. So the makers are able to charge those incredibly high prices. It would seem that in order to sustain itself skateboarding can't afford to go the way of vid games. The prices need to remain low in relation to the target age of the user. I would say that because of age the market is much more limited. The people doing the purchasing are generally young. I would say that the skateboarding industry can't expect a lot of 60 yr. old former skaters like me to be going out and getting back into the sport. In my mind I can still do it. But in all those yrs. when I did skate I never got hurt seriously. It would be kinda' funny for me to go out there now and break something. Just not worth it.

[@mikeylikey3374]

You should go get yourself a board, old man. A nice fat cruiser board. Skating has no age limit, your mind is your limiter. Fuck it. I'm 36 and still skating as best I can. I hope I'm still pushing at 60!

[@Patrick_Andrews917]

Get you a board and some pads, just go easy at it. Skateboarding doesn't require balls to the wall, just having fun.

[@thestonedandstripped]

I am 53 and skated today at my local skatepark, transition. Back in 1979 I skated Del Mar ranch and then ramps/pools/ditches/hills. Still going...😮

[@trickswithjp]

pay a little extra and buy one of those Powell Flight decks that are harder to snap. Thats what i do, been riding one for a while, hasn't chipped and the pop is still decent. More companies should copy that kind of quality if they want to charge more

[@Lostforgottenstudios]

The problem people have with those types of boards is people like change, it’s nice having a fresh board every few months and it’s something to look forward to I guess.

[@danmunhoz1714]

This is basic economics, we have too many deck companies (i could probably name like 100). Saw him throwing shade at revive, its simple (its a free market) meaning if i started a company and was able to make $20 decent quality boards, im taking most your customers

[@Reedlbrace]

Because fuck local skate shops, right? Lets all order cheap boards from a scientologist clickbait moron

[@MrHowardMoon]

@@Reedlbrace I heard the scientology stuff and didn't believe it. After a quick google search, I thought "damn..."

[@gabrielsoto7993]

A good book on this type of marketing is called zag. When your industry is all doing the same thing you make a sharp turn away from the current. Revive did it. Primitive did it with the deck a month offer. Tbh skateshops do not make sense in any other industry. You can buy a complete online but for some reason I got a deal with a “locals only” dude that hates kids and looks like he was on drugs for most of his life and gives me grief if I pick the wrong board or trucks.

[@jonds8284]

the shade he was throwing wasnt shade. he was saying its fucked up revive sells to these shops (aka revives customers), while simultaneously selling online (being a competitor to their own customers). that is fucked up.

[@MrHowardMoon]

@@jonds8284 It is how the world works now. Back when I used to skate, a new skate shop wouldn't last more than 2 years. That left people struggling to find new boards and literally have to take a road trip just to buy a deck. When the internet became huge and online shopping became the standard, people in my area were able to get decks easily again and support the brand directly instead of a shop where they might not like the owner. I'm talking from a UK point of view. Might be much different in the US.

[@KodyWalker]

how do companies not make more durable boards? i have had so many boards just break in a single session. 55$ is a lot for one skate session. I am very thankful for companies that keep decks at low prices for guys like me.

[@ivaerak]

Kody Walker You need to land on trucks more :)

[@stevengregory3991]

Learn to skate properly

[@KodyWalker]

only takes one time not landing on the trucks then your board breaks

[@KodyWalker]

Steven Gregory you must not skateboard or your slow in the head

[@theharvardyard2356]

You don't have to be fat to be heavy. Also how are you supposed to learn tricks without messing up? Usually hundreds of times, even? No one lands bolts the first time they try a trick.

[@Painless1992]

That will result in less people skateboarding. Less people getting into skateboarding. If now skateboarding was pretty much for all "social classes" and backgrounds, then with the price increases on skateboarding hardgoods it is going to become the rich privilege. And to be real, maybe not in the US, the stuff ain't cheap in the rest of the world as it is now. You all know how hard it is to convince a parent to spend more money than a Wallmart or Target complete costs. And on a product which because of skateboarding's destructive usage still ain't gonna last. Add the frequent shoe rotation. In Europe we pay around 80 bucks for a deck. Me and my friends ain't gonna pay that price. Not because we wouldn't like to, but because we can't afford that. Still with our daily jobs and if we pursue skateboarding actively. And you all know most of the skaters aren't paid high-end salaries and if they are, it's pretty safe to say they ain't skating actively no more. If that happens I can picture us skating garbage boards, forget about premium brands and pro models and secondhand boards being go-to. I hope not because I support core, skater owned product.

[@tylersmith9868]

I went into a skate shop to look around, possible get a board to put together. I'm 28 now haven't skated in 12+ years. The staff looked at me like I was from space, there was like maybe 5 decks to choose from. They were shocked I wasn't getting some longboard hipster thing. Nobody actually skates anymore.

[@nigelgeiger6020]

You should do a little research. Maybe people don’t skate where you live but more people skate today than any other time in the history of skateboarding minus maybe the skateboard booms of the 70s 80s 90s and early 00s but those booms are short lived. Nike and Adidas don’t dump money into things they can’t make billions from. There are plenty of skaters, just too many companies, too many sponsored skaters and not enough shops because of online commerce.

[@standingpineapple6651]

skateboarding started as a niche activity with a cost of entry, this might be the second wave of that.

[@Minotauro_di_Chieti]

@@nigelgeiger6020 "more people skate today than any other time in the history of skateboarding" #ytmostidioticcomments

[@JesusFriedChrist]

We pay $80🇨🇦/board up here in the Great White North. Shit ain’t cheap.

[@lunar3129]

That would be stupid if you raise prices to $80-$100 just for the board. They compare hockey to a skateboard deck lol hockey gear lasts a lot longer. Skateboards can break within a day... I used to pay like 250 a month on boards because I would break them quickly.

[@tommycrasher4136]

Bahahaha...... jack it to 80 bucks and I ll just buy 5 blank decks for 100.

[@MilkSteak23]

Yeah I remember buying Moosewood blanks online for somewhere around 10 bucks at one point. I'm sure they're are more now but still cheap as shit, you could sell them to others kids at the park and paint your own graphics if you wanted to.

[@yeaitsmemikec.2018]

yea in my teens I lived by madrids house...I would get a blank popsicle for 10 bucks every week...as good as any board just was blank...which I could care less LOL..

[@JG-fp7hm]

My whole teen skate life consisted of Powell mini logo blanks with one graphic board a year for Xmas. But still rather skate a Powell mini logo all day

[@chadboon6757]

Maple blanks

[@johnferreira9857]

go way to go bro!....me too. Some people can't even afford them but still love to skate. I would even make my own borders

[@chefboyoassugly8118]

Why is everyone so daym soft spoken on this podcast lol

[@6AM_YT]

At the end of the day, we're talking about a small piece of plywood. There's only so much a market will pay for it.

[@tommycrasher4136]

6AM amen brother

[@outonbail355]

Plywood would drop the cost, but you would break it every second flat ground kickflip. Skateboards are made with Canadian Maple mate

[@nofxorbust]

its still plywood no matter what wood you make it with, ply wood is just layers of thin wood with glue inbetween that are set in opposite directions for strength, and these canadian maple or japanese maple or bamboo boards are normally 7-9 ply.

[@Phil.Anthropy]

Its plys of Canadian rock maple... still plywood dude.

[@cj3007]

I heard Chinese made boards are weaker than Canadian Maple, that’s why I wouldn’t buy skateboards from Almost.

[@ScottyArnold]

Prices of skateboards have gone up a ton in 20 years. I just paid 75 dollars for a deck and grip. I’ve never paid that in 30 years of skating.

[@risharddaniels1762]

Griptape is $10, $15 max, and really, most board shops sell free grip and the grip is perfectly fine. There are plenty of good skate decks under 60 dollars, plus you can find good sales. This year, for $75 i put a complete together, trucks and all.

[@richardwalley2862]

In short... nobody will buy a skateboard if prices go up

[@inmybhole6874]

I am a millennial

[@chuy8356]

Skateboards were already overpriced to begin with, of course you can't raise the prices.

[@Bumbaclot213]

Chuy83 smaller market back then

[@leviathanrising9763]

no new tech, no price raise, thats how i look at it.

[@Dan16673]

@@leviathanrising9763 yup. if they dont last longer etc.. why pay more

[@AnttiBrax]

@@Dan16673 What about those Flight Decks?

[@Dan16673]

@@AnttiBrax never tried.. can anyone comment?

[@darkmagus419]

I remember when I got my first “real” skateboard somewhere around 90-91 it was at least $150 for a complete board. It was a Mike McGill deck, gullwing sidewinder trucks, and OJ street razor wheels. Bought it from Sartorius skate shop that advertised in either thrasher or trans world. Still have it too.

[@mcgriddle552]

So cool! That's really awesome dude. Keep it forever

[@thestonedandstripped]

Sweet. It is valued over $3000.00 easy

[@thestonedandstripped]

Keep it

[@moonsmonsters]

When he says "board" he means the wood itself right? Later he says "overall cost of the board", i take it as he means including trucks, wheels, etc. Because i cant imagine paying 55 for a complete board.

[@misguidedangel9183]

Right. A complete board where I am in manitoba Canada is $190 for a plan b complete. You want anything higher tier you're looking $250 +

[@FlippinMatt]

Walmart complete bro.

[@jacksonunrau3700]

Misguided Angel you from peg?

[@misguidedangel9183]

@@jacksonunrau3700 sure am

[@lMrFresno559l]

There hasnt been inflation on video game either. In fact in some cases they have went down. So it is a thing. Also, hate the break it. But 7 ply maple should not cost over $50.

[@thechemi5083]

Huh?? Bruhh these new games coat like $100 bucks it's insane now

[@OGCQC]

I like how he said I'm not going to name drop anyone but then he name drops revive a second before

[@Imjakejones2322]

Pay more for Chinese wood. No thank you

[@JeffyPDiddy]

How can you raise prices with blanks around?

[@JordanIsBadAtGames]

Jeff Wright same with local brands. In Australia local boards are like $70aud.. overseas boards are $100-$120. If they raised the prices of the big brands everyone would buy the local boards cause they’d be half the price

[@Rachel-96]

Jordan O'Meara Skateboarding Except for Aus companies like Dynamite Forever (Owned by Kingpin) who sell decks for $55 and 24 skateboards who use to sell boards for $40

[@ScrappEfolkz]

That's like saying how can jordans charge so much with shaqs around. People are stupid.

[@altoid8450]

I ride blanks and I can afford graphic decks if I want em. It's like wearing your good clothes to work. You're just gonna mess em up. It's goodwill work pants for me.

[@fuckingcockslurper]

Altoid 84 know anywhere I can find some good, shaped blanks? I’m riding a 10” Santa Cruz winkowski deck rn and if I could get the cost down from 60-35 that would be dope

[@blazerdude89]

I hope a company like Walmart just consumes the market and sells quality boards at 25$. 50$ for a piece of plywood that I'll break in a few weeks is laughable. The problem is the market is way to saturated with board companies. We don't need this many board manufacturers if we're not gonna get competitive prices.

[@dogmosatchmo]

Since 1991, when I started skating, the price has doubled in every facet of the industry. Boards are nowhere near as affordable as they were just 5 or six years ago. Every year, there are new, more expensive parts as well. He has talked himself into a false memory.

[@jamesbaker1392]

Dogmo Satchmo I know right... in 2005 I could be a zero, almost, enjoi, or foundation board for 49.99. Plus 5.99 jessup grip. All said and done you're walking out of the shop with a new deck and grip tape for a dollar or 2 under 60 dollars. Now all brand name decks are at least 60. Even more for impact boards or limited prints. Not even including some grip. I'm glad I smarted up in my teenage years and stopped buying brand name decks 10 years ago. I just buy the shop decks I go to, 30 bucks. When you're a kid you think "if it's more expensive, it's better" though, that's why these kids will still get their parents to buy them the brand names

[@amdg01007]

Boards are a lead product : a product the company might lose on that gets people on the scene and keeps them there. Wray needs to find other channels of revenue to make money. Such as events, content in social media, donations for collaboration with influencers and causes, swag, and of course premium hardware and clothing etc. this fool will close the doors if he raises prices on boards. The solution is usually far from the problem. Remember that.

[@lets7121]

3:13 - He doesn't agree with cutting out the middle man. Fuck the middle man, go str8 to the source. "It doesn't make sense to "undercut" these partnerships I have" - It doesn't make sense to have partnerships that raise the price of the product. A brand should bring some awareness into the trees these boards are made from, show something positive about the production system, and then talk about why the board is priced higher.

[@Distanc3]

It's interesting that skateboards haven't gone up in price, but it's good because it makes this incredible sport more accessible. Definitely strange that the price is the same, but thousands of kids need skateboarding way more than any company needs and extra $10.

[@WhatisReal11]

unless the company supplying the boards to the kids, go away. Apparently you didn't hear the point. It is not EXTRA after certain point, its minimum to keep companies and skate shops even open.

[@Distanc3]

Skate shops aren't closing, lots of companies sell at a loss. Sony sells PlayStations at a loss, Microsoft sells consoles at a loss, phone manufacturers do the same. They make their money back selling software. Skate companies make their money back selling T-Shirts and stuff like that. I'd love to support skate companies by spending extra on a deck, but more than once in my life when I really needed it I was super grateful to be able to buy a $35 blank. There are too many skate companies for that to ever go away, and that's a good thing.

[@pepper10santos]

totally!

[@rcppop3090]

I use to buy the house board from the skate shop as a kid. $20 would get you a new deck.

[@AnttiBrax]

Did the shop do well? Are they still around?

[@ivaerak]

Disappointed cause he never got to talk about the costs of actual board production from phase zero. That is what the primal costs should be directing all the other margins.

[@BLVCKSEA]

Well its 2023 now, and since this episode I can safely say the price of boards has increased 10-20 bucks. The price of a standard board 5 years ago was 54.99..now theyre 65-75 bucks.

[@mdf198122]

It can’t cost more than $10 in raw material to produce a deck when working in the volumes that big companies do

[@theblackhundreds7124]

He literally mentioned chinese boards, meaning it would be around $3 at most for their "best quality". The dude thinks the internet doesn't exist anymore.

[@kairosenthal1607]

At my shop all deluxe boards went from $50 to $55 starting 2018 because deluxe started charging more wholesale. It’s starting...

[@carterkusilek]

Kai Rosenthal DLX makes good decks though

[@marissac870]

And that's why I d rather pay someone for stolen ones

[@bidipbo]

I find it ironic to hear the dude-speak bemoan the difficulty of extracting revenue from their customers for their 'product' through capitalism. "C'mon dudes, we have to ALL collectively raise our prices, man."

[@theblackhundreds7124]

What he is talking about is a cartel.

[@oB19o]

With board turnaround and market growth, in my opinion it's actually amazing that boards aren't cheaper. But! Even if you want to make it more expensive make an effort on graphics and shapes. Look at smaller companies like 917 an FA or a crazy creative company like welcome, their boards are more expensive and people are buying and loving them

[@seanburke28]

This didn’t age amazingly.

[@chrislemus9698]

Boards used to be $60 , now it’s $70

[@jasonwyles4762]

I haven't noticed prices going up but a name brands basic complete has always been $99.99 maybe a blank for $64.99 but there was a slightly noticeable difference. Last one I built custom was $150+

[@jcanuck163]

When I started skating in 2001. Decks were closed to 100 each Canadian. Now you can get them then from 49-69 dollars each. But I remember though there was only like 10-15 brands. Now there’s what? 50? Of course the price will go down over time rather than up.

[@jcanuck163]

The reason why the industry is failing is because of the Pros themselves. Everyone keeps leaving there sponsors to make a new one. By doing that every time you are watering down the revenue market for every skater and brand.

[@johnrizzo4383]

Not to diminish what Heath said but the video game industry also hasn't had a price increase in forever tonyhawks project wasteland was 60 when it came out 15 years ago Like a ps2 was 300 at its launch

Same with technology and music etc.

[@Womb2DaTomb]

This is flat out bull as far as the UK is concerned, THAM was only £29.99 RRP when it was new, video games are like £59.99 now.

[@Renwoxing13]

Someone else said it but that is because: years ago charging that price was way way expensive because they sold small volume but survived on a high price. Then the explosion of skaters/gamers happened and they started selling mass.volume, AND kept the over inflated small volume high turnover price!

[@cerealito]

In Mexico, is now technically impossible for skaters to afford an american company board, since the dollar inflation elevates the prices so much. 1 deck that costs $45 dls, 10 years ago, would costs around $500 pesos. Now, an american board it's the same price in US, but in Mexico, it will be near to $1,000 pesos!. I've been buying local brands for the last 8 years or so, the prices go from $15 to $20 dls. I guess it's good for the economy for board owners in Mexico.

[@Tanbandana]

I understand all of this. But at the same time, there are a lot of adults that don't make much money, have bills, and also skate and can't really afford to buy a board for $80 and that board might not even last a session. So you have to spend another $80 for a new board. That's $160 in one day. Before grip and taxes. But don't get me wrong, I completely understand everything Heath is saying, but not everyone has money to spend like that.

[@rrrooorrr]

Yeah exactly, I'm a college student, and while I wouldn't say i go through a board a day, id be lucky if one lasted a month. That's a lot of money.

[@gregmuska5807]

Hahahahaha I used to get shop decks from my local for 21.74 out the door including tax and grip, the first time I got rang up by a new employee and he didn't know to apply my discount I was legitimately stunned for a sec when I saw like 45 bucks.

[@rrrooorrr]

It's funny how easy it is for a table full of guys who have gotten free boards for the past 10 years to sit and say that 80 dollar boards seem "reasonable".

[@Snardvark25]

ryan ocanna maybe you'll understand basic economics at some point. At some point brands will go out of business or prices will go up. They aren't saying to fuck anybody over, they want to stay in business. If they go, it's the massive companies who will stay around. Or online wholesalers will get more market share. It's not some cynical ploy, its standard business

[@stefanoturner7156]

yea. my big friend broke his board first day with it at the park. at that point skateboarding is a luxury. I deal by buying used boards and wearing them into the ground. better than nothing and i still skate almost everyday. land bolts friends.

[@m_ism]

HUGE shout out for giving Jeremy Klein the recognition he deserves, the dude is a MONSTER and I'll keep buying all my boards from him. I love the guy, love Hookups

[@gabrielruiz9540]

Well said, I just picked up 3 Hook Ups boards and they are a piece of art🎨🛹💨 Jeremy Klein is a legend.

[@profo4544]

word yeah

[@BRILL-vb1jy]

I could have sworn decks went up ten bucks a few years ago. I remember shop decks being 30 and pro decks being 50. Now they're 40 and 60 am I wrong?

[@mitchbailey3514]

I don't know about prices in other areas, but here in Ontario, Canada deck prices went up about $10 as well. I stopped skating for about 4 years, and when I picked it back up last year, decks went from a range of $60-$70 CAD to $70-$80 CAD. On the flip side, I swear trucks became like $5 cheaper, and wheels stayed the same price.

[@theblackhundreds7124]

Youre absolutely correct. The dude is bullshitting

[@kmrskates]

@@theblackhundreds7124 Heath is not bullshitting at all. Some pricing is Geographic. There's the recommended market value pricing and then there's what your local shops follow based on that. Shop decks were usually around $30-35 and brand team decks were about $40-45 in 2006-2009ish. Sometime after 2010, prices adjusted slightly and I recall seeing shop decks go for $35-$40 depending on graphic/shop and brand boards were $45 - $50. Currently brand boards are anywhere from $50 - $65, some above $65 but have more "tech" in them.

[@kmrskates]

@@mitchbailey3514 trucks have actually gone up the most in some brands. I remember Indy and Thunder sets being around $40 for a set since 2006. Some of the fancier trucks being slightly over $40 and the more basic just under $40. Now, indys are $46+ for a set and Thunder real close to them Wheels went from $25-$30 average to $30 - $40 average from what I've seen. All values are USD in my examples.

[@egibson2266]

When I started skating in the late 90’s I would buy used decks off the older kids at my high school. I then got my first pro model complete, red and white Muska, independent trucks, green pig wheels, speed demons and pig risers and I think it was like $240+ Canadian. Man, I remember the shit outta that skate... actually had it stolen but got it back, anyways, I would typically buy blanks for $65 and the odd sick pro deck for maybe $85 Canadian. Don’t think much has changed, even in the hardware costs.

[@-Anthracite]

Shops tend to get too wild with their prices especially here in europe I understand supporting local but only to a point if that point is crossed im buying online simple as that

[@ainsleyharriott2209]

I still think skateboards are expensive but whatever. Most people now seem to wipe their ass with hundred dollar bills.

[@kayvahn2141]

Lol the reason a skateboard deck in a lot of European countries can cost the equivalent to 100 US dollars is because in a place like Denmark, the minimum wage is around 22 USD, and that's the ABSOLUTE minimum. As in, a job that pays 7.50 here in the US. The difference is, they don't have to pay for things like university and healthcare and they can take paid sick days and shit. While things there ARE more expensive, someone making minimum wage in Denmark has to work fewer hours to afford a deck compared to someone making minimum wage in the US. Yes, that accounts for taxes taken out and everything. So, it's not really comparable. You can't raise the price of a deck to 80 dollars, or 100 dollars in the US because factually speaking, wages haven't kept up with inflation.Wages in the US are actually LOWER than they were when this dude bought his first board. They've been stagnant since the 1970s, alongside massive amounts of inflation, giving people much less spending power now than they used to have. So, saying the cost of labor is somehow cutting into your skateboarding profits just doesn't add up tbh. For example, what did a jar of Jif peanutbutter cost in 1971? A quick google search shows that it costed 59 cents (3.68 adjusted for inflation). The average income, when adjusted for inflation in 1970, was 53,000 dollars. In 2018, the average income is 50,000 dollars. 3,000 less, and a jar of peanutbutter costs roughly the same price.

[@0GJUJU1]

Real, Almost, Blind and many other deck companies do "price point " decks already and sell basic graphic skateboards without a rider name or a fancy graphic. Heath and Primitive are all about rider boards and boards with fancy shiny graphics.

[@nyeusiknowledge4873]

ju juju exactly and just think about how much they have to out to do a Transformer collab and Dragon Ball Z collab etc... It's one thing to pay out to all you have to with a inside artist or your own, but you really gotta cut the pie and pay out to more heads when you do collabs like that. They need to change direction from just doing that alone, and you're right I've NEVER seen PRV Price points.. Luckily I do see some old ones priced as such for around 40 or so on sites, warp free

[@michaelcoco]

ur paying for the design. just get a blank board same quality save 20 to 30 bucks

[@HelgeStrichen]

i hope you also enjoy the many great videos blank skateboards has put out

[@keanurevert9275]

HelgeStrichen no one buys skate videos when they're free on KZbin

[@keanurevert9275]

Zwenk Wiel I agree with that premise.

[@skateysteve4202]

This makes me sick. "Cheap and free. Cheap and free"

[@Phil.Anthropy]

Rusty Sarkese that is where you are wrong good sir. I STILL buy Skatetapes and DVD's when they are released. I was born in 87, i'm now 31. Don't get me wrong, i have every damn ripped copy of all the tapes i can think of on hard drive and thats how i watch my vids, But i also have 3 copies of "Girl: Yeah Right" inside of my 568(? give or take a few VHS's and whatnot) collection. Its about personal taste, and the companies are still releasing them so obviously they are being bought.

[@hasansk8r]

When I started skating here in Finland, boards costed 45 euros. Now boards cost about 65 euros...

[@nicofish1000]

That's why I buy my local shop deck for $45. Prices have gone up for companies but they have for consumers as well. I need roughly 1 pair of shoes and a deck a month. As much as it pains me I would start buying blanks if decks cost 80.

[@airlumes]

If he says “LIKE” ONE MORE TIME

[@ramrunsfast]

It's a catch 22 with how manufacturing works in any industry. When it comes to skateboards the same industry doesn't take the time to educate its potential consumers on why they should choose one brand over another. The majority of boards are made out of 7-ply Canadian maple and only recently have we started to see a resurge of other shape types beyond the Popsicle shape which is interesting not only for the consumer but it allows for companies to carve out new niches, just look at Powell with their Andy Anderson Pro-Model board not only are they selling a board that offers something different but the shape of the deck plus the marketing they've done with Andy draws curiosity for a new generation of skaters who are looking to not only be a street, transition, or freestyle skater but realize that you can create your own focus within the main disciplines. It's great to see how the Nine Club has invited guests who own the manufacturing facilities, are the business owners, and explain the other parts of the industry many people don't know about.

[@andymeza1240]

I got back to skating recently after 6 years and was really surprised with the price of boards still being the same

[@anthonyhorta8895]

Picked up skating again in my late 20s and was dumbfounded to find out the price of decks hadn’t changed.

[@PApro]

Supply and demand my friend. You have 40 million companies putting out 100's of deck designs in mass numbers and only a handful of skaters to by them. Simple as that.

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

I found a board shape I liked then started making my own decks in my highschool woods shop for free. It's easy as fuck and I actually saved one that I painted some graphics on for a keep sake. Still have it nearly 20 years later! Make a solid "mold" piece that follows the concave you like. Laminate some wood together (glue multiple pieces and clamp tight) Steam the wood for a few hours (this makes it very pliable) then clamp it in tight to your mold. Router the edge. Give it a quick sanding. Boom! Fun, useful project! Screw paying those companies.

[@Shredxcam22]

If boards get up in the $80 mark from major brands, I'll just make a bulk order for blanks China wood? I switched from dwindle to PS sticks and the difference is major.

[@benflippin5070]

What will happen is that you’ll have to be a board manufacturer that sells directly to customers in order to exist. You can’t hate on Revive for that. Just follow suit IMO

[@DARTHKNOWS76]

If $60-$80 is too much get a blank, shop board or mini logo (Powell decks same as the pro wood) . Spray paint and a good sticker job will do wonders 🤙🏽 also I think heath is looking just at pro boards I know team boards they get a way better margin because they don’t pay any pros royalty off them now that’s saving primitive at least $5 -$8 bucks. Plus the fact skate companies make more team boards because they get the volume discount for the same shape just interchange the heat transfer and now factories save $ on in-house printing of the transfers instead of sending it out to get made. The custom pro board shapes with low volume yeah you don’t really make any $ on the pro boards. So he is telling the truth but team decks another story. . He does have a point you make a shit ton more return on t shirts than you do on hard goods . I work in apparel production and a tee printed 1-5 color will cost about $3.50 to $5.50 depending on volume and type of tee quality. but they sell to a shop for around $15 shop sells the tee for $35-45 depending how cool you think the brand is example Supreme tees are Hanes blank tees .. I say Hanes blank tees you can get at Jc Penny’s . Printing a white tee that makes the graphic a 1 color with red as the only color being printed as the text is not printed since they use the tee color for the text. So it’s fair to say it’s around $4:50 to be fair they sell the tee to the shop for $35 shop sells to you for $70-$100 depending on shop supreme sells it that’s a 95.5 % mark up on a $4.50 tee because it’s cool. Don’t get me started on how much Jordan’s shoes actually cost y’all will get sick. Just spreading the knowledge to the masses ✊🏽

[@fr-ik3749]

where i live we pay around 700 kr (80 US dollars) for boards, 55-70 bucks sounds like a dream hahahaha.

[@alejandroraines4700]

damn i buy shop decks for $40 here in new york

[@fr-ik3749]

shop decks here are cheaper too (by cheaper i mean 10 bucks) but they suck ass

[@rotnmold7861]

Alejandro Raines i got one for 20 in south California

[@fr-ik3749]

close, norway ;)

[@MarsLonsen]

Norge!

[@FoodIsCrack]

i always buy local no matter how much extra i gotta pay, i always support the boys at the shop and the people who put the time in to their boards. ive never skated a deck i didnt like.

[@bgcreationz]

I think the shift from "made in the USA" to chinese made has allowed prices to relatively not change over time. My first board (a Powell Rat Bones) cost $150 complete in 1984

[@djdeepdevotion]

i really appreciate his perspective a lot but the example he gives of people spending a couple of grand a month on other sports really indicates from what class context he is looking at this.. most people really could not afford any of that.. i am a 20 year old student and i dont think i will ever be able to a afford an 80 dollar fa deck ever .. so raising prices will restrict many people from skating quality decks

[@samuelturner6307]

Hmm... Not that he's not onto something, but I think Heath Brinkley needs to look into the Economic explanation of why skateboard deck prices haven't increased. Not sure it has so much to do with the money supply (inflation) as it does with the price sensitivity of the skateboard industry.

[@kleners]

My Haro bike is $500-$600 vs my GTDyno for $150 in the 80s. yet my skateboard is the same price it was in the 80s.. Let it grow

[@placeholdername3206]

Videogames havent changed much either. They are still 60 dollars. I remember buying an NES game with my mum, that was 60 dollars as well, in 1993 money.

[@MrHowardMoon]

In the UK, the price of a fully built deck from a decent brand is like £150. Decks alone from reputable brands range from like £50 to £75

[@Szymanskill]

In the mid 90's a deck in the uk cost around £40, now it's £60 for a pro model. A purely inflationary price rise would give a price of £77 which is VX deck pricing. Like any commodity unless there's technological progress competition will drive those prices down.

[@seanthomasrauchert1695]

Completes cost close to 200$ in Canada sux cuz I use to break boards on the daily more less why I had to quit skating hard!

[@lupin7559]

So true. I've seen prices in places like Japan, Korea and European countries where boards go from $80-120. Kids either buy the decks out of the discount box or just buy , get the shop to order them blanks to be nice, or just buy online.

[@DoggoWillink]

I read the title as “Prince of skateboards”. That changes things.

[@SoilentGr33n]

Yeah same and I thought this video would be about Rog.

[@marlowkaplan3584]

Saw this old video from late 70s were they went to a shop and bought a complete . I was shocked, the final price was like $189.00! Crazy

[@maxdoubt6504]

This problem is the same selling weed. In NZ a tiny (1gram) remains $20 and a fiddy (3gram) remains $50. So even decades on as inflation decreases the buying power of the dollar, buyers expect the same prices because it defines the product. Adjustments need to happen to keep it worth it for small time dealers out there trying to keep everyone supplied.

[@TonyMontana-iq1vq]

It has changed and went up. They used to be $50-$60 MAX Now they’re $70-$100 just for a deck depending on which company you want

[@shalabazertheboltstruck8645]

Dude, I've been back into skateboarding recently and telling people around me how cheap boards are right now and how they were so much more expensive back when I was a kid in the early 2000s it's only now that I realise that everything went up with inflation and boards basically stayed the same price. So there is your inflation 101 what 60-70 bucks were 20 years ago and what they are now. Crazy

[@Peksisarvinen]

I was actually just thinking about this the other day, then this pops up on my recommended list. What I paid for a deck or a complete back in the early 2000's is pretty much the exact same I would pay for it today: 50-70€ for a deck, or 120-150€ for a complete, roughly speaking.

[@joncolinsenka9903]

WARNING: I know this is going to get some hate because its about scooters on a skateboarding channel. But id like to share a similar problem that our industry has at the moment. Everybody knows that the scooter market has blown up the past couple years. At the peak of the industry boom this past year, all the distributors for the largest brands decided to sell directly to amazon. This coupled with kids playing video games tanked the industry this year, and I know it has effected the skateboard community as well. Ive been involved in action sports for over 15 years - BMX/Scooter/Skating, and i've been a pro rider on scooters for 5 years now, and working as a sales rep for a company that truly does care about local shops. It would make me incredibly sad to see the mistakes our industry made start to happening to skateboarding. All across America shops are having to close doors because of the distributors cutting prices and then selling directly to consumers. Its not cool at all for such large distributors undermining shops that truly care about the customer and the products. If you truly care about the industry your in weather its skating, scooter riding, or BMX , thinking big picture about keeping the passion alive for some many individuals, its worth paying a little bit more in the end to keep the things we love the most alive.

[@LudwigPig]

My first board was a Jeremy Klein. It was yellow with a robot on it. Amazing deck. Respect ✊

[@Terriblegolfer16]

Hate to break it to you but if your actually good at tournament sport leagues the team will pay for you to play

[@hereticlife2546]

My first set up was like $170. 1999- 16 years old- Hawk Falcon 6- independent trucks- some kind of “special bushings” spitfire wheels- “faster bearings”. I don’t know if they saw me coming or if that was the going rate in 99-2000

[@SudoJay]

Local shops here sell boards expensive as fuck. Paid almost $200 for a setup for my daughter

[@88mates]

In a lot of countries for example here in Europe skaters overpay the stuff from US, sometimes it's double. You want Primitive, DGK, Chocolate, Girl, Mystery, Krooked, etc skate deck that costs 55 schnackels in US? Here it's easily $80-100. The same with trucks, wheels, bearings and mainly shoes and other clothing. That's why lot of people dream to come to US to live, skate and buy these "cheap" gear. Look at Reserve subscripton from Primitive, $75 for a new deck, t-shirt, wheels, griptape, wax ... really??? The deck itself cost more than that here, so i could easily keep that board, sell the other stuff for over $75 and i would have almost the same deal as being sponsored but the prices of postage are so damn high :D so i totally get it when in US they want to change prices up, but that's gonna mean for us another extra $$$ and no one will buy their stuff anymore for $100-130 per board here. Also by that a lot of company starts doing their own decks here but it's usually price

[@gopeace4797]

Maple is relatively cheap wood. When the inner (and in some cases the outer) material doesn't need to be high quality like fine furniture. Tooling is cheap compared to some woodworking applications. Prices will not change. If prices increase too much on wood or labor costs, companies will relocate out of places like California to the Midwest or somewhere else. Skateboards can be used throughout the USA. Companies are even doing a lot of manufacturing in Mexico thanks to NAFTA which came about back in the day when the guy talking laments.

[@Bumbaclot213]

Trucks have gone up, decks today are the same as they were in the late 90s, but skateboarding is so much bigger now

[@jeremybackman2782]

I went through a shitload of the cheap ATM logo decks. Those are usually like $40 or less in Wyoming

[@HARDL3FT]

Skateshops are dying anyways. All brick and mortar stores are kind of facing an impending doom.That being said, what means more to you? Losing money to keep shops alive or making sure more homies get paid for skateboarding? My take is this, all companies should be doing what Chet Thomas is doing with Darkstar. Chet, as he said in his 9 Club interview, went mainstream with Darkstar to eventually get kids looking to the shops for more core product. Thats nice and all of him to say that but I think even he knows what I'm saying, 98% of shops are dust in a decade or two. Fuck "selling out", that term dies along with the shops. Id rather see more pro skateboarders get paid.

[@southernontariosellers3815]

A large part of this increase is the lumber… Canadian lumber has skyrocketed in price this year. It’s like 25 bucks for a 2 x 4 right now. Many companies source from Canada for their wood because of the common speculation that China wood “isn’t good”.

[@JordanIsBadAtGames]

Prices have kind of gone up a little here in Aus. Still roughly $100. But some boards are selling for $120.. but then again some are $70..

[@LeoLikesBik3s]

We sell boards from £45-£60, free grip. Every single day we get complaints that they're too expensive, and the prices are only going up. 100% agree that they need to go up from the manufacturing/brand/shop standpoint, but how do you then please the customer? Also worth noting that hardware sales are not where our profits lie, clothing is what keeps the shop alive for sure

[@franciscondon1835]

Watch the full episode, he may have bought one board in his life not at a discount.

[@thomashickey8121]

Some decks in skateshops over in Ireland do be €80 that's too expensive for me.

[@Imjakejones2322]

Total cost to manufacture a skateboard is about $15 per unit. If you can’t find a way to make money off of a 15 to 50 ratio then you’re just a bad businessman