I was somehow expecting a bit of negativity toward my yoyos on this thread, but you guys have said some really kind words.
Thanks for your support and encouragement.
I was somehow expecting a bit of negativity toward my yoyos on this thread, but you guys have said some really kind words.
Thanks for your support and encouragement.
You are more like a yoyo goal to me. I am waiting for the day when I developed a strong enough preference for a type of yoyo that its worth your time for me to try and secure a commission to you.
Honestly, in my brain, hand turned stuff cost a lot of money. That said, it also depends on if you are okay with your sale volumes. Not to say they are too pricey⌠just to say that itâs easier to anyone to justify a smaller pricetag than a > 80$ pricetagâŚ
That said. hand turned stuff takes a LOT of time to do⌠so your time is worth something!
Yes and noâŚ
I understand your intended meaning. But âhard workâ does not necessarily pay off.
Optimistically; one would like to âthinkâ that if they spend enough time on something; that potential buyers would identify and recognize the Makersâ skilled efforts and be fully deserving of their asking prices.
But realistically; only a certain group of people are willing to mentally justify the final price point correlates to the sum total of the work necessary to get the wooden yoyo to itsâ finished state.
In general; many artists/craftsman/and any other category of skilled folks that make various products; do not or cannot command higher prices until they have put a certain amount of product out in the field; so the word spreads about the quality and value of the product(s).
Here is another way of looking at it>
Two guys make a canoe. The first guy sets a large piece of tree trunk in the center of a huge machine that cuts out a high quality canoe from a cad program and has a finished product in less than two days.
The second guy gets a similar piece of tree trunk; and carves the canoe out using various chisels and hammers and saws and whatever else he needs to get the job done. It takes him 3 months of working 8 hours a day; 7 days a week.
The boats are so close in looks, size and quality; that both men admit they look like twins!
The two men go to the same trade show to display their boats and possibly sell them.
The first guy wants $3000 for his program built canoe.
The second guy wants $10,000 for his hand build, hand craft masterpiece; that he broke his backside on for 3 months.
Some folks will buy the less expensive boat because it seems the same quality as the handmade boat. And will perform pretty much identically in the water.
Some folks will consider buying the $10,000 boat because they are so impressed with the hand crafted quality and they are willing to pay for his skilled labor.
And some people will be super impressed with both options. And then they will leave the show and go to Big 5 and buy a Kayak for $795.
It just depends on where the potential buyersâ head is at.
No matter how good you may be at what you make; some people could care less about your time and trouble to design and finish a wooden yoyo.
Yep. Iâm probably wasting my time when you can buy a better performing yoyo for cheaper.
But mine sure do feel nice to play.
Well. Here are two factors to consider.
Firstly, the final product: your wooden yoyos are amazing(from what Iâve heard), but in terms of perfonmance and playability probably they arenât worth that much(no ofense). So, the final product(no matter the methods) will result in an overpriced yoyo if you do not pay attention to the second factor.
Second factor, the time/materials/effort: due to the effort and time put into hand turning them obviously they will cost more than a yoyo wich offers the same perfonmance but is made by a machine, and they are more unique, which make them more valuable.
Having said that Iâd try to find an intermedium point where you do profits but people still want to buy them, and do not think it is overpriced. Are they overpriced?No. Do they offer the same playability than a yoyo at that price range(probably they are unique and awesome, but no, they probably dont).
I get the feeling that some people here either donât know that I turn plastic yoyos, or have forgotten.
Those perform pretty well because they have a much better density and weight distribution. They also spin much smoother.
I believe they hold up to any pure acetal (POM) yoyo.
I also turn some plastics unseen in yoyos like Ertalyte TX; a kind of engeneering grade of polyester.
Yeah, Iâve heard they play amazing.But,for a moment, forget they are handmade. If they were mass produced, by a machine, with the same playability, they would not cost 80$.
I think what makes your yoyos valuable are the uniqueness and that they are hand turned, and offers such a good perfonmance.
Ultimately. Do you love what you do? Do you have enough buyer⌠Itâs for sure that a well established factory with automatic lathe will do a better job than a human being. That said. yes like DocPop said, when Iâm buying from somone, I buy because I love the craftmanship⌠In my tops, my most beloved tops are my custom made wooden and delrin BUT⌠my trusty QSH ( aluminum factory machined ) does play better than all of thoseâŚ
I think It comes down to ⌠If you are stuck with your yoyo and youâd like to have more sale, you can lower your prices⌠if you are happy with your sale volume and. like all this thread is about, everyone loves your yoyo, then where is the problem.
And yes POM, or delrin is an amazing material⌠especially for spintop That said⌠I am craving to get a lathe to turn yoyos and tops!!!
Oh .
You are not. Are you happy with what you do? And the results of your hard work? If so, continue doing it. As he said, what makes your yoyos unique is that they are handmade and very unique. An aluminium 80$ is going to perform better, but that does not mean that yours are not worth 80$.
Keep up the good work! Have a great day.
NOooooooooooo⌠Me and being a french guy, there wasnât suposed to be a coma there⌠You are not ultimately waiting your time⌠Thatâs not what I mean
SorryâŚ
Looks like itâs coming down to you being a niche in a niche, as someone stated above. Your prices are good, as long as youâre not expecting to move a ton of pieces.
It may be worth dedicating your time to crowdfunding a single model that stands out, like the Survivalist. A special plastic, with a special axle design, geared toward a specific group of players (0A). Price out a batch, and let kickstarter or indiegogo do its thing. 5 people want one? $80 shipped. 10 pieces? $75 shipped. You can real-time adjust volume pricing in that situation, rather than setting a cost and hoping you can do it quickly and cheaply enough to turn a profit while still maintaining your high level of quality.
Are they too expensive, or are they too expensive to wholesale to retailers? Two different questions. I think itâs definitely no to the first question.
What is the benchmark, unresponsive 1A? For fixed axle (0A) the performance and playability of these throws are among the best. I know that you probably didnât mean to be insulting, but you clearly dont 0A.
Iâm talking from what Iâve heard. Never tried one of his yoyos:)
I think being able to get a one of a kind yoyo is worth it. You can literally machine almost any shape/size that anybody wants. Thatâs a big value.
taking it to worlds is preaching to the choir more or less.