Paintball

[shartley]

Originally Posted by Phantom Power

A local paintball store has Empire paintball gloves for $60 ! There's a Russ Haye's bicycle shop just down the street from them which sells far superior downhill mountain biking gloves for $25. I understand why paintball companies charge what they do for equipment just because it's for paintball (because they can). But why do players pay for it ? Who pays $60 for gloves ? For any type of gloves. If I'm going to pay $60 for gloves, they better give me special powers or something.

I believe this is much of the truth of the matter. While small shops may have to charge more for items the larger ones do not. I believe much of the time things cost what they do because folks are willing to pay that price… as you stated.

And I am also one to look outside the paintball industry for items which are almost identical and often times both BETTER and cost less than the same thing made and sold specifically for paintball use. This is where consumers need to be smart… do your homework, shop around, and get what you want for the price which is acceptable for you.

However, I don’t want anyone to take this as saying folks who buy paintball specific items at higher prices are “wrong”. To each their own. And if the consumer wants to buy something and can afford it… buy it.

[Surge-NS]

Some of the milsim stuff tends to be cheaper from the paintball distrubutors, but only because gun companies jack up the prices in the private sector for new items the sell to the military for less. Something like an ar15 carry handle see through site rail costs 40 or 50 when purchased for the gun, and only 12 dollars when purchased for paintball, for the exact same rail. I think it's cause most of the stuff they use for paintball is bought surplus. I know that's where I get all my gear when I can.

[JOESPUD27]

Originally Posted by knightmare96

The "agg" crowd doesn't know what it hates untill PBNation tells them what to hate.

Zoink

Jay

[Walking_Target]

i can make a secure drop in about 10 minutes, start to finish. (with the right tools)

or 20 minutes with some other tools.



the real hitch is the welder, that's it.

[Al Ray]

Prices are funny. Its like this houses (1500 sq feet) used to sell for $80k-110K in my area about a year ago. You could get a small mansion for $300-400K. We have always had people moving in from out of state( heck Im one of them) but they used to be smarter. Now those same houses are selling "in the low $200,000's" ( on a sign near me ) The sad part is that the reason they are that high is that people dont reasearch the market as well as they should plus the fact that most of them come from areas where wages are higher. This equals a boom in prices that does not match the rate of inflation or the local wages. The other half of the problem is the local building contractors, they are more than okay with chargeing people up the rear for cheap crap. Now Im not a union man, but the lack of unions and the whole "right to work stsate" thing means that the wages of people and/or subcontractors is not going up hardly at all. This equals a weath of money made by few, and a middle class that is slowly becoming a lower middle class.

There is no differance in paintball. The internet is in part to blame. Think about it some guy gets paid $40 and hour, and that $40 drop is no big deal. Then ther is the guy that makes, lets say $20 and hour for the sake of discustion. That same $40 drop is twice as expensive to him.

Market fluxuation is good if it is slowed to gradual "hills and valleys" but when those become "cliffs and cayons" you start having problems. (think line graph to get a better picture of what I am saying) Its no differant than everyone rushing to one end of a canoe because they can, it will eventualy sink. Lack of reasearch/education + lack of responsibility= bad things eventualy.

[Surge-NS]

[beginrant] Unfortunately, spoiled 12 year olds don't need to do much research to run to their mommys and daddys and ask for a grand or two to spend on the latest superfast gizmo gun. It's probably cheaper than ritalin in the long run anyways so they're happy to pay.

I think if the paintball market weren't driven by kids from 12 to 17 with 100% disposable income, prices would go down in a hurry. OR maybe if they just would think about what they're getting for the money they're earning. Nobody expects anything for their money anymore. Parents tell their kids life sucks and there's nothing you can do as they write rediculous checks to colleges, pharmacies, and landlords. People are so used to getting screwed now that they don't care so long as they don't have to adapt too quickly. They'll pay high prices so long as they can still get the goods, but take the goods away and they are finally offended enough to complain. And when they get it back theyll pay the same price for it, happily forgetting that they used to pay much less because now the goods being sold are new and exciting. Look at gasoline; prime example.[endrant]

So Al's right, it's all about responsibility and knowledge. If people just lifted their heads to become more aware, they'd realize that spending more on a stock space gun then you would on a hand crafted piece of functioning art from a custom dealer is just plain stupid.