I have been wondering lately. Why does Yoyoexpert not well Magic Yoyo. Is it not a reseller? If they somehow do sell Magic Yoyo’s please place a link in the comment section.
Thank You
Dragon
I’m pretty sure it’s difficult to legally sell magic yoyo’s int he US because of a few patent violations that aren’t enforced in china where they’re made. A lot of their yoyos use hubstacks and concave bearings.
There are US retailers. And I’m guessing we will see a U.S. distributor before Summer, just my guess.
I think the real reason they aren’t sold here is because of the extreme amount of controversy it causes around here. There’s no reason to stock these yoyo’s since it will only rile up a bunch of folks
Let me add that of the US retailers I’ve seen, they swap out the concave bearing, and they don’t sell any of the models with hubstacks. The bearing swap makes it a little more expensive so it’s hard to compete with the sellers on ebay that offer them at very low prices.
I talked to andre about it at calstates. He said that he wants to support american made brands and new brands that sponser contests. Also, if he sold magic yoyos, less of the yoyo made by more legitimate brands would sell less. For example, a person might find it poinless to spend 60 bucks on a budget yoyofactory if he can get a magic t5 for 20 bucks.
True, but then we get the argument that…
If he doesn’t sell them, I’m just going to go somewhere else with my $$$$$$. And when I buy one thing, I tend to buy more than just one thing so I can make up for the shipping.
edit: besides, if most folks are willing to pay $160+ for a single yoyo, I don’t think budget is even on their minds. Most people want to dish out for super expensive yoyo’s. And, I think the greatest profits for stores comes from the more expensive yoyo’s. Almost makes me wonder if they want to keep people thinking that yoyo’s should be so expensive or aren’t good unless they are, thus keeping their profit margin’s wider.
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What’s wrong with Magic yoyo’s? Why can’t you sell them with concave bearings or hubstacks?
Copy rights?
Frank Difeo (owner of Dif-E-Yo) holds the patent for bearings with a concave outer ring (at least in the context of yoyos, I believe). As such, only he and other liscenced dealers are allowed to sell products containing concave bearings.
Magicyo, being outside of the US, produces concave bearings and sells them. Doing so would be illegal in the US. It’s understandable why retailers would remove the concave bearings from Magicyo’s when selling them.
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Patents
My t5(First and last magicyo) came with a conkave… :o
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I might also add that there is the potential of putting some strain that Andre has with the manufactures who would be less than thrilled that he is selling products that would confuse the pricing structure of the YoYo industry.
Andre has great relationships with his suppliers and I have no doubt that he would want to protect their interests as well as his.
Regarding the dif e yo patent, what about CT bearings?
Selling a yoyo with a concave bearing that is not licensed by Dif-E-Yo is technically illegal, it’s something that really won’t be noticed.
Also, just FYI, a concave bearing is any bearing with a concaved outer ring. A Konkave bearing specifically refers to a concaved bearing produced by Dif-E-Yo.
Center Trac bearings, Trifecta bearings, Grooved bearings, Terrapin Wing cut bearings, ect. all have something that makes them different from just a Konkave bearing, none of them having an entirely concaved outer surface.
Because in this community, spending over $100 for a cnc’ed hunk of a common aluminum alloy is encouraged, and this is the mindset that supports this niche market. Introducing super low budget performance yoyos would be shooting themselves in the foot after working so hard to establish this kind of community mindset.
So there is a clash of philosophy between this yoyo community and the goals of companies like Magic yoyo.
People here are lead to believe that the $100 price is justified because it actually costs that much to “design” and make it. I’m sorry, but I have friends who are designing and welding aluminum full suspension bicycle frames as their high school and college projects, so please. Its a freakin’ yoyo designed around looks, not performance.
To make these yoyos actually cost $100, local manufacturers have to do “limited edition” colours and models to purposely undermine any kind of efficiency of mass manufacturing. By doing this, they are also separating them from the mass produced yoyos that play just as well but cost 1/5 as much.
These local manufacturers aren’t sure what will happen if they break this system they have going at the moment.
Personally I hope modern yoyoing goes mainstream, just like it did in the 90’s but to do so, the local manufacturers need to allow mass produced Chinese products in the market and put a yoyo in everyone’s hands and change their mind about what yoyoing has now become. They have to stop clinging on to this niche market as theirs to own, because it will not grow at this rate forever.
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Wow, great post man.
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I’d have to say I really agree with this. Ever since I started throwing I’ve wished yoyos were cheaper and it seems like unless the yoyo is plastic it absolutely can’t be $30 or less. Why aren’t there more yoyos like the dv888? it’s only $45 but is widely regarded as a very good throw, and I’ve heard people claim that its “Up there with yoyos twice its price.”
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Gotta love those Magic Yoyo reselers from China who post pictures of Jensen Kimmitt throwing a Northstar in their ebay listings!
Where? Never seen this
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It’s as simple as this. A yoyo made in China costs WAY less to produce than it does in North America. There is a retail formula that most follow in order to operate their business. If followed, it allows the business to operate at a fair yet “keep their business going” model. It’s very easy and common to assume that the North American companies are rolling in it. Let me assure you that they are not. There are a few that have success and can operate their company in a manner that allows them to manufacture and sell yoyos for a living, and I myself applaud them. There is nothing wrong with making money when you work as hard as these guys do. They earn it.
When you buy from China or other low wage countries you must understand what you are supporting. You are supporting businesses that pay their workers, (underage in some cases) a very low wage. The poor living and working conditions are what you are supporting when buy Chinese. This is also the same concept when people quit supporting VsNYYC or RecRev for poor business practices. I want to say here that i dont have any problems buying something other than American made if the quality is there, and if it supports fair employment and pay. China, in my opinion does not qualify in these areas for me. Go educate yourselves.
Here is an article that might help you better understand the difference. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/03/08/average-cost-factory-worker_n_1327413.html
http://americanmanufacturing.org/blog/chinas-economy-and-chinas-living-conditions-dont-match
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