Question for companies

For sure! Honestly I’ve been kicking around a production run from a machine shop of a design so I’ve seen some quotes and it’s definitely labor of love and not pursuit of profits on every release or things would be even more expensive.

I’m hesitating slightly on a production run because I feel like the complications that will be added to my yearly taxes from a 50x run of a yoyo is quite intimidating :joy: even if sold for essentially at cost.

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Just the complications to my taxes from making STRINGS is bad enough!

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oh but you are wrong. We just bought a island last month due to the limitations of runs Jake puts out and his “ridiculous” mark ups which are the same prices as the rest of the market.

I’m hoping this uploads due to my exotic WIFI services.

Also MFD releases four yoyos a year where as Jake is constantly pumping product out, its not due to scarcity that his stuff sells.

Anyways Lets Ride these waves.

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I want in invite to the private G2 island this summer Matt. Make it happen! Lol

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Yeah my wife ran a business making and selling bags for years and taxes sucked…. Enough that eventually I urged her to just let it go it wasn’t worth the effort and profit was a net lose anyway… ( the time I was putting in vs my hourly rate elsewhere was not worth it)

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you know i ain’t on no dang island hahahahaha

but its always comical to see people say “artificial scarcity” but then say good things about MFD when they drop not even 6 releases a year and when they do only got 4 yoyos being dropped.

Just kind of shows you that maybe its just dislike for the company you are pissing on

But hey its a beautiful Friday and life is good.

but jake has had two drops a week pretty consistently but lets just act like the Friday drop doesn’t exist and its only loadout Tuesday… Bro sells units consistently weekly

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Gentry Stein :joy::rofl:

This kinda thing makes me want to soap box rant. The stifling of creativity and commerce through oppression.

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Ever wonder why Toyota charges more for a Lexus than they do a fully loaded Toyota. It’s the exact same car, it just says Lexus on it.

Sometimes I wonder why Nikes cost so much when converse are made in the same factory, with the same material, and are owned by the same company.

Why do Nike running shorts cost more than umbro soccer shorts? They’re literally the same shorts, owned by the same company, made in the same factory…

Why does Google charge $4.99 to rent a movie that I can watch on a streaming service that cost me $10 a month as well as everything else the streaming service offers?

Why does milk cost $2.85 a gallon at Food Lion but it’s only $2.55 a gallon at Walmart?

Why does Sheetz charge $2.699 a gallon of gas but the speedway only charges $2.499?

Why did Ferrari only make 700ish Ferrari laferrari and charge a premium for its artificial scarcity?

Why does pappy van winkle only release a limited number of their 20 year whiskey every year and why can you only get it through a lottery drawing?

Why do people act like this only happens in yoyos?

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That’s because he’s an influencer and essentially a high traffic YouTuber/ social media personality. If he was just selling yo-yos he ain’t making millions but there’s a bunch of other junk ontop of the selling a yoyo grind.

Now hold on sheetz is vastly superior to speedway

Edit: I’m hyper aware it’s all the same petroleum product in the end as someone who worked for a logistics company in hazmat material such a fuel…

To say that yoyo companies “add extra cost to the yoyo just because they can” or that its “intentional artificial scarcity” is ill-informed at best.

fancy anodizing done in the states is expensive, even one drop who you claim only charges $15 extra dollars (looking at VERY old models and anodizing options) charges $30 extra dollars for their fancy options. Solid Terrarians are $69, the Demonite Terrarians, which is a 2 color acidwash, were $100 I know because I bought one. Same story with the Rainier and the Tuesday Market releases. The Wyvern TM was $90, solids were available for about $60. The Artifact originally released in solids at $90, the new fades are $120.

These examples are all very limited, not because One Drop didn’t want to make more, but because the Anodizers (also very small businesses) have limited capacity to do these labor intensive color schemes.

I brought up One Drop examples because I know how much you like them, @sedantrows. You also bring up G2 a lot, and complain that they cost so much even with fancy anodizing. Why not complain about companies like YoyoRecreation who sell solid monometals at $130, or solid colored bimetals at $180-200? G2’s fanciest ano’s cost $175, and that doesn’t matter if its a bimetal or a monometal. Most of the colorways which are very pretty, sell for around $135 regardless of construction/alloy (outside of Ti/SS/TiSS). G2’s certainly aren’t scarce, there are drops of 15-20 yoyos twice per week, sometimes more if theres a dual drop on a Tuesday or Friday. Preorders regularly sell 60+ yoyos, and G2 ships at least 60 yoyos per month on Patreon.

To make it clear, I’m not complaining about YoyoRecreation. They make a phenomenal product and are charging what is appropriate for their business model. I just added that example for some additional context. These “artificial scarcity” or “unfair markup” conversations are tired, and none of us know the economics of the businesses themselves.

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How is your internet working so well on the island? Did you find food to bring back to camp? I need water.

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I pay for Verizon Wireless, which is a cell phone company that charges more because they feel like it. I sent it from my artificially scarce iphone.

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Bro i need you to catch an animal so we can eat. How did jake drop us off here but they aint got doordash.

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Just go catch and pluck one of the pac storm geese native to the island.

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I now make my handmade yoyos intentionally expensive and this is why: it deterrs people from requesting them from me.

My weekend time is very valuable when I have young kids, and making them keeps me in the shed and away from my family for a huge chunk of it. So I charge in proportion to that time value for me.

This tactic however, has zero effect on @Adrielecc, though.

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If I ever choose of my own volition to make a small run of handmades, I will price them fairly though.

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Hey, I appreciate you taking the time to write all that out. You clearly know the ins and outs of the scene and I respect that.

Just to clarify though, I didn’t bring G2 into this discussion on my own. Someone asked about them directly, so I responded with my experience. I wasn’t trying to start a debate or throw shade for no reason. I’ve owned G2 throws before and I’m not denying they’re well-made.

What I shared came from my own time in the hobby. I’ve followed enough releases and bought from enough companies to have a decent understanding of what goes into pricing, anodizing, and small-batch production. I’m not saying fancy ano jobs should be cheap, or that companies don’t have real limitations. I’m just pointing out patterns I’ve seen over the years.

One Drop was just an example because they’re a company I respect and during the same time that swirls were made available by G2, they did sell a swirl on their own and the pricing was more than reasonable as compared to G2. The One drop par avion swirls even sold through yoyoexpert.
Yes, their prices have gone up too, and your examples are valid. But overall, their approach still feels more open and grounded. You don’t need to be on Patreon or wait for a Discord code to get access to their stuff. And even their more expensive runs usually feel within reach. That makes a big difference, especially for newer players or collectors who just want to enjoy the product.

As for scarcity, I’m not claiming every small drop is artificial or that anodizers aren’t working hard. But some brands clearly lean into exclusivity and hype as part of their identity. That’s not inherently wrong, but I don’t think it’s unfair to talk about it either. We’re all just sharing our opinions here.

You’re also right to bring up YoyoRecreation. Their pricing is high too, but their business model feels different to me. I wasn’t ignoring that, just focused on the brands I follow more closely.

At the end of the day, we’re all here because we care about the craft and the community. My intention wasn’t to call anyone out, just to highlight what I personally look for in a company and how that affects my buying decisions.

Appreciate the fact that you know which yoyo brands I prefer the most :wink:

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Ah yes, Verizon, iPhone, G2… the sacred trinity of paying more for things because it creates the illusion of exclusivity. Very impressive.

Let me know when the next drop includes a certificate of importance,I wouldn’t want to miss that :joy::joy:

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