Same boat here, I probably spend more time looking than I do playing. But you can fall into that for most hobbies. I spend way more time reading/watching about cycling than I spend on me actual bike, but it gets my hyped!
One way I justify the money spent here is knowing that it is going into a good community. While I enjoy the BST, I never buy used yoyo’s solely for the reason that I want my dollars to go the people/companies that give back to us.
Having a thriving second-hand market for a product makes it more valuable. Also many yo-yos are discontinued, or the entity that sold them went defunct; either because their business failed, they folded, or are no longer with us. There’s no reason to forget classics just because we can’t support their creators.
This right here.
Everyone has their vices. And honestly, even a handful of 100 dollar yoyos every month is still much less than many people spend on shopping, gambling, alcohol, whatever.
I think the part about it being fine unless youre spending the rent is key. If it makes you happy, go for it. You cant take the money with you when its over
All those soda and beer cans we return have to be made into something.
I’m finding myself buying more then I’m throwing honestly lately. I’m new to the yo-yo game and instead of practicing I’m constantly looking for another yo-yo to buy. It’s become a habit for some reason.
Especially now that I found that I love undersized and minis I’m always looking at specs and reading. I woke up at 3am looking for my next purchase.
You know, I think that winodw shopping is okay. When I was very new to throwing, window shopping was actually one of the more fun aspects of the hobby.
As for the ratio of throwing vs browsing, I think that happened just because, as you matured into the hobby, you played less–completely normal!
I don’t think it’s a huge problem unless it actually materialises into a problem of money spent vs. utility gained.
But then again, yoyo is so unique because collecting is such a huge and fun aspect of the hobby.
Enjoy the hobby however you like! Window shopping I think is another way of enjoying the hobby.
Adhd and general compulsion has definitely kicked my butt many times. I started repairing cassette players during lockdown and often i would meet someone who was curious about owning physical media. So I would just give my cassette players away. Now I’m down to two. The exact same thing happened with kendama. Sharing really helps with the hoarding habit!
Get rid of your entire collection except one.
I’d say im pretty anti consumerism overall
but yoyos are a healthy and fun hobby
money spent on a yoyo is better than fashionable clothes, perfumes, phones, and cars or other status symbols
at least you bought the yoyo for your actual desires, not to look cool for other peoples perceptions
if you have too many yoyos give some away to a stranger in need of some whimsy
on average ive bought 1 yoyo every 6 months since I started in 2016, 20 yoyos is a good number to have, probably.
if we assume £50 per yoyo then 1k or so on a hobby of 10 years isnt silly or extravagent
at least its less than a good new bicycle
a lot of the more expensive and rarer yoyos are aimed at the older crew with more disposable income and time aswell
so i dont think its bad that people spend $80 on a nice mono or $120 on bimetals
its still cheaper per hour than a modern PS5 video game if you play it plenty
On some level usually when you buy a yoyo, it is supporting an artist. Depends on whose yoyo but every yoyo designer on these forums is an artist and their designs are really cool so I want to support them as much as I can. Sometimes it’s not really as much about the specific yoyo (which is still cool) as it is giving some money to fellow yoyoers to perpetuate the art of making yoyos.
this aspect of supporting yoyos as art has really led me to avoid a lot of the comp focused large run products lately
it feels good to own a nicely crafted and beautifully anodised throw from one of the brands that are active on this forum and who are mainly doing it as their passion projects
e.g. mk1/onedrop/dressel/motion
I’m also pretty keen to support brandon vu at some point with a purchase as he has done a lot for the community, but I’m waiting for a colourway that speaks to my tastes
Amen, my thoughts exactly.
My friend from another hobby, pinball, is known to say (re: collecting): “you realize it’s a sickness, right” (in a joking about the truth way). And I never felt it with any other hobby than yoyo where it sometimes feels like a compulsion (both the throwing and collecting). But it’s nice to understand what other people must feel about their hobbies to some degree.
officially diagnosed with yoyobrain
no cure has been discovered
I just love trying different yoyos. Also, I can browse yoyos while working or sitting behind a computer but can often not PLAY yoyos.
So yeah I end up browsing more.
I have too many yoyos…but I also have too much curiosity. If there was a way to try yoyos without buying them I certainly would. A lot of yoyos only stay for a few months to a year in my house and then they find another place to live.
Variety is the spice of life. I wish I could have more without actually paying for it…
Is it time to get a yoyo player share house where we all get to try out each other’s yoyos and trade in person?
Seems like the only logical option
Try, Buy, Trade Yoyo Market…
My spending happens in small waves, but recently the waves have turned into ripples as I feel satisfied with what I have…and not to knock against modern designs but I feel like I’ve reached the point that somewhere in my collection, I have a yoyo that may have a similar feel. Something though will eventually catch my eye. Good example - me nabbing a Mini Peregrine X. I’ve aways wanted to see one of those small bimetal throws with a more appropriately-sized bearing for its size and a couple in my collection could have gone from “this is cool” to “WOW!” had it ran the smaller D-size bearing.
This past year kind of had a small influx of yoyo purchases as I went down a rabbit hole with fixies and old school responsives, including 2 of my first BST purchases in years. A very responsive start of 2026 and honestly, it was needed. While I was happy with what I had, I was also excited seeing some nice wooden throws being developed and that’s one I don’t have a whole lot of in my collection…plus wanting to support small business/creator in these times.
Lots of good things said so far.
Some of my thoughts…
When I started I was a kid. I was told that 50 bucks is way too expensive for a yoyo. I got a Dark Magic II for several years as my one and only professional grade throw. It was a big deal when I was able to buy a replacement bearing a couple years later (I have the same stock response pads to this day–they’ve shrunk into the recess like ancient leaves).
Ironically, In the background, I lusted after a pro fly, dragon fly, mosquito, bumblebee, throw monkey, flying squirrel, etc. All of which were theoretically cheap, readily available throws, but I didn’t have access to them or money to buy. At the time, too, the market zeitgeist was go for the longest spinning throw. So I didn’t listen to my instincts. (Currently I own all of them and I play them all the time, whereas my DM & 888 gather dust).
A year later I swindled my way into an 888. That was 120$! I’ve never paid that much for a yoyo again. It actually slowly killed my love for yoyo. I tried to resuscitate by purchasing thick boutique whipping yoyo string, but alas. Reflecting now, I just don’t think either throw was my kind of throw. I didn’t know better. And THAT is why i started collecting. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
When I got back into it on and off, over the years, those were still the only two throws . But eventually I was in college and earned a bit of pocket money. My first big boy self-purchase was a YYF Horizon for my then girlfriend. First instinct when I had the power to buy my own throws was to share! A good instinct. Then I got a pair of raiders to try and learn 2a. (Raiders are awful)
Time passed, and then I came back into the art 3 years later after a big move. I peeked back into YYE, since boulay had got me going on all this to begin with. This was right when the plastic Fulvia came out and I was beginning to realize I loved plastic throws! (Always hated raiders though). I loved it. Floaty plastic stringjoy.
And so I was hooked again–haven’t stopped yoyoing since. But what I then wanted was to go back and collect all the cheap throws from Duncan. I bought a plastic psychedelic butterfly in a 10$ yoyo lot one summer… It had this MAGIC. I couldn’t explain it. The pathetically short 7 second sleeper spoke to me-- challenged me. And it felt great on the string. It was a discovery. It was joy. The catch was that it was cheap. That diminutive little price tag led to a slippery slope of justifications.
So I spent the next two years chasing that joy. I built a collection of every kind of butterfly from Duncan manufacturing history (gave plenty away too; friends and children in the community). Finding one of each began to push the boundaries of what kind of $ transaction was acceptable. The early wooden ones were rare enough that they could be 20 to 30 bucks. That was really put into perspective for me though when I set my eyes on a Profly, which was now out of production and went for $25, 5 times the original store price from my childhood. Then I set my sights on a No Jive, and 50$ for a wooden yoyo was hard to swallow. The “out of production” part always helped me justify the madness. More on this later, but I began to see it as curating a selection.
Then I bought a Deeper State, because I had always wanted a one drop when I was a kid and never could afford it. I bought one of the last ones, old stock on ■■■■■■■■. That got me into modern responsive, and I spent the most money chasing the perfect one-for-all, all-for-one EDC. I even wood turned a couple one piece designed with a friend. At one point I bought 10 proyos in a lot at 4 dollars a pop. The cheapness was the poison arrow that brought me down! Then I got into freehands! 
Ugh they’re so good and only cost 20 bucks! By the time I stopped to think, I had over 120 total yoyos. That’s the short version with a lot of embarrassment left out.
One of my big takeaways from these experiences was that feeling described by others: I had reached the top of a mountain. I had over 100, more or less everything I ever wanted. And I was addicted. Spending was a problem. But I had finally figured out what I liked! I had bought a few backups of each (the cheaper plastic ones, anyway) to protect that. To guarantee that I didn’t have to buy any again, especially if availability or price changed again against my favor. But that’s hoarding, isn’t it??
So I reached a point where I felt I had a problem and convinced myself I didn’t feel the need to acquire as strongly. I swore to limit myself to only 3 purchases this year (already filled em as of last month).
I have atoned for much of this, though, in two distinct ways. First, I never made it an object to chase the NEW or disposable. I usually went for used, classic, vintage pieces, tried my best to buy below market price, and never spent over 50 per throw if I could avoid it. I like to think this means I’m more of a yoyo recycler than consumer. I’ve also repaired a lot of the yoyos 
rather than buy new parts, or whole new throws. I even got into a spat with Duncan because they wanted to sell me whole new proyos for my yoyo club instead of just more wooden axles, which is what I really needed. I ended up taking Julius’ advice (he runs the allyoyo yoyo club) and took a saw blade to the spindles to refresh their response.
The second way is through stewardship and giving back to the community. I’ve made it a point to expose all the kids I work with to Yoyo. They can try the models I have–many of which, as I stated, are out of production, a part of you history and development that kids won’t get to experience if we don’t hold into and cherish and pass on some of the oldies but goodies. They already know about manufacturers like magic yoyo (which is one of the REAL consumerist pariahs out there). They already know about the DNA! But every kid needs to start with the basics. So why not show them just how fancy and skilled one can get with a humble Duncan butterfly?! Why not show them that performance is not about novelty, or price, but practice?
I’ll give a yoyo to pretty much any kid who wants one. It’s a way of giving them what I never had as a youngster–access to a large collection to try, figure out what you like, and to HAVE a yoyo. Even if their parents aren’t willing to buy them one 
And yeah, you know what, I wish there were others out there doing the same. Stores and businesses aren’t doing it, so it’s up to the individual. But most people are collecting for themselves and they’re buying pricey throws that aren’t kid friendly (or perhaps kids aren’t friendly to them). But as we all seem to be agreeing here, there’s a void in the world. People have a need to try yoyos without buying them. I’m doing my part!!
