Why are kites so expensive?

Pepi · Tue Aug 04, 09 10:13 am

Just to let you guys know, I've been holding off on sending out this post regarding 'real' pricing on kites, but this post topic seemed like a decent opportunity for finally posting this sort of information without being completely blasted.

Just to clear the air on a few things, in my opinion, kite prices are getting a bit too high for my comfort. It is actually very hard to sell a $1500 kite to a person when you don't know if they will ultimately love or hate the product you just sold them. At $1500 it has to work better than okay, and definitely should kick ass over any previous kite that customer has ever owned. Matching the customer to the perfect kite is a lot of work, especially when everyone that comes in usually describes their ability level as being "Pro or Expert" and thinks that they deserve a teamrider deal. Also, at the end of the day, our investment return on kiteboarding in our shop is not what any real business person would call 'reasonable', but we love the sport and the benefits that our shop receives in return for our locally focused sponsorship and support.
We have already been receiving our 2010 dealer pricing programs from some of the bigger kite companies and next years pricing is pretty hard even for us to swallow right now.
Slingshot just issued pricing to us for the new '10 Octane kites, and pricing ranges from $1549 for a 5m2 complete to $1949 for a 15m2 complete.

Just the same as everyone else, as Phil had stated, we do this sport because we are passionate or fanatical about kiteboarding. We sell kiteboarding gear because I and my staff love kiteboarding. I have no idea why, but right now I am totally bonkers about riding strapless and have just ordered my 3rd surfboard this summer.

As for quantities of kites being sold worldwide, it is really around 100,000 +/-. Only snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, and skiing have numbers in the 100's of thousands or millions. As Shannon Best had so aptly commented in a magazine article last year, kiting still has a long way to go before even getting close to being a mainstream sport. We are still at the bottom of the list of popular sports (a sport that people actually do) and only second to last due to windsurfing being at the bottom of the list.

Those kites you can get from China, most are really either leftover blemished or surplus kite products that the kite companies could not accept from the factory due to quality control, or are older kites from earlier kite companies that came and disappeared before ever making it in the business. Believe me, I have actually inquired with a number of factories over the years, even way back when I was in the snowboard and wakeboard business.

And, just to clear the air on used gear, I have never bought a new car, and this summer we have actually been killing it with used kite and kiteboard consignment sales, so I am all in favor of the used/2nd hand market. 2nd hand gear is still half of our business and in these economic times, is the most reliable part of our business.

Thanks for reading my banter, supporting your local shops and, most importantly thanks for being locally dedicated kiteboarders. In return, 2nd Wind will continue to provide you with the best customer service, support and kite events that we have always offered, and hopefully more in the future if we continue to keep our heads above water during these economic times.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Aug 04, 09 10:43 am

I'm a huge fan of 2nd hand gear as well, and 2nd wind for that matter. Its no wonder this is my stance given the cost of new kites.

$1900? For a piece of nylon, are you fucking kidding me? That is damn near close to insulting.

Nak · Tue Aug 04, 09 11:05 am

The newest piece of equipment is always outragously expensive in any field. There will always be those with enough liquidity to afford the very best, or what is perceived as the very best. That $1900 kite will be on sale in six months for the rest of us. Very Happy

Kites are cheap. Even at full retail, the doller/session ratio is VERY attractive compared to a lot of other activities. Not to mention the "maintenance time/session time" ratio compared to owning a boat. Even riding a bicycle... Hell a good set of training tires cost $160 a pair. I used to burn through a couple of sets of those every month. (I know, I know, I need to at least burn up SOME of those still. Very Happy

) I'm not even going to talk about the price of a lift ticket.

Dollars spent per shit eating grin, hands down Kiteboarding is the cheapest sport I've done.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Aug 04, 09 11:12 am

Nak · Tue Aug 04, 09 11:41 am

Dude, I can't comment 'cause I don't even remember. Very Happy

Let's just say Joanne is a WONDERFUL wife.

Sella · Tue Aug 04, 09 11:54 am

Top Shelf Nak!!! When is your next flight out????? j/k!!!!

Nak · Tue Aug 04, 09 12:09 pm

Yeah, she's a sweetie. Very Happy

I'm a lucky man. And no, I'm not a cradle robber. She's within a year of my age if you can believe it! Shocked

SalmonSlayer · Since 27 Nov 2005 648 Posts Addicted **CGKA Member**

I like the services shops provide

I like the services real estate agent provide.

If I did not I would not give them my business.

If you think someone or some entity makes too much money don't buy their product or service.

Vote with your dollars. You are in 100% control of your purchases.

These posts are a classic example of how our education system has failed.

Stop whining like you are not in control of your own destiny.

PS Nak, Your wife is a hottie

bwd · Since 04 Aug 2007 385 Posts Obsessed