Has anyone else noticed the recent rise in CLYW prices?
I saw that the the was as high as as $175! :-
I mean I know that yoyos range in prices, but this isn’t like anything I’ve seen before.
I’m not sure whether or not this is CLYW/YYE, or just the Cliff itself.
Any input?
Recent? where have you been… they have been sticking to the yoyo crowd for sometime now. someone needs to tell Chris hes not in Japan.
the cliff cost 165 not 175 and that is what you pay for a good yoyo
One of the cliffs is $175, and recently they have been around $150 or so (and now even higher) as opposed to around $120.
I am relatively new to this whole yoyo thing, only getting into this in May of 2011.
I will say I have noticed that prior to 2012, CLYW’s topped out at $120. Now, there’s a lot of things I CAN say but won’t say. I’m going to stick with observations only:
With the release of the Chief, CLYW bumped their prices up to $135. There’s been some steady prices increases since then. The Canvas, AC, Puffin and Cliff, with special colorways fetching $10 to $15 more than the “not as special” colorways.
If you don’t mind me stating NEW prices I’ve spent:
Canvas, from CLYW: $150
AC: $165
Puffin: $155
Cliff: $165
Glacier Express: $155
Older items but also bought new from YYE:
Comback Ava: $120
Gnarwal:$119.99
It seems the trend is for the price to be going up with CLYW. A small part of the price jump is the use of the CBC Centertrac bearings and the pre-made SnowTires as well as more decorative art on the box or the new sleeves being used on the Puffin and the Cliff. However, this isn’t the majority of the price increases.
I don’t see the price rising from here. I think we’re going to see prices in the $135-165 range for the most part. I am positive we’ll see special colorways top out at $175.
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I think you’re dead on. And coming from a kid who does not have an income and needs a bang out of every buck, this is very disappointing. I hope CLYW realizes what they’re doing to their customers, since one drop is offering the same quality product at a reasonable price (CLYWs are machined at one drop.) 
Let it be known, that in NO WAY do you need to pay this much for a good yoyo. Infact, you can get a good yoyo for fractions of that price
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This is true, I only CHOOSE to pay the amount, because i WANT to.
Most people complain, but the Simple and easy answers are
- B/S/T is your friend!
- Dont Buy
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Supply and Demand.
Amen
That is so totally not true.
The double rims are harder to machine and therefore results in an increased price.
Yup. That is why the double lip yoyos are pricier. The Cliff is even more because of its size and the undercut.
I don’t know if it is the double rim causing the higher price. I know it is probably a factor since it is an extra step in the machining process. Another factor could be the machine shop used. I know they have used One Drop in the past. I am not suggesting One Drop is a more expensive shop than others, I have absolutely no idea what they charge. That being said I am almost 100% sure there is an extra cost involved in a Canadian company using a US based machine shop. Chris would have to recoup the extra shipping costs somewhere.
Shipping and Handling prices as well. They ship around the world, price factors need to be added in for that. Plus CLYW is one of the highest quality brands out there…as I said earlier, Supply and Demand.
This is what you CAN pay for a good yoyo. Or $180 for a Positron(for example), or $289 for an Anglam(another example) or $350 for a TI-5(just another example of money I’ve outlayed).
Or, I can get a sOMEtHING Firmy for like $65, or a RecRev Freq.Wave or Facade for $70 or so, or a DiBase for $55.
Good doesn’t necessarily mean it has to cost so much. Amazing quality can be found all up and down the price spectrum. Granted, I am loving a lot of all this “high priced stuff”. But, I also have a Magic T5 I paid like $15 SHIPPED and I am just having a blast with that little metal beast. I also have some God Tricks stuff and King Yo Star in the super affordable metal category and BLOWN AWAY by them. I mean, absolutely trilled with these items and under $50.
Look, here’s the inside scoop:
If you don’t like the price, then don’t pay it. Simple. Last I checked, Dirtbag Yeti doesn’t go around choking people out if they don’t buy the products. That would be an odd marketing concept though.
Honestly, with the guys at GSquared making an amazing 7075 yoyo(the AL7 Albatross) selling at $130, and YYF making other 7075 throws at less than that(and I’m talking GOOD stuff here, ignore the fact these are models I’m not interested in, they are STILL good models), frankly, I don’t quite get why the Japanese brands go for so much. I have one, I’ve played it and I won’t lie, I enjoy it tremendously.(the above mentioned Positron).
Look, those who make the stuff are in this to make money. It’s business. Nobody is intentionally out to screw anyone over or cheat anyone out of money.
Now, onto another issue:
I think you’re looking at more than 1 issue here but you’re hitting it.
First, I think One Drop is still doing the machining. But, where does it go after that? Doesn’t gruntbull do CLYW’s anodizing jobs? Either way, where do the finished halves go? Do they go to CLYW and then go back out to the anodizer? Or do they go right to the anodizer? Are there any import/export tariffs? When do those kick in? It seems once you cross borders, the shipping gets kicked up a few notches for best I can tell “because they can”. Plus, anodizing ain’t cheap
Let’s assume One Drop makes the halves. There is programming fees and I’m sure a test run, at least for the initial development and until finalized. So, those costs have to be absorbed and then made up through sales of finished product. OD is probably also buying the rods that are being used to make the halves, which must be marked up a bit so OD recovers their costs. Then the machining time, which can be somewhat arbitrary, just a number that can either say “X per piece” or “X per run for model Y” sort of thing, which they have to factor in power consumption, bit replacements and the use of things like coolant and whatever manpower is needed to keep the machines well fed and buzzing, so as to ensure they are making their lease or loan payments on that gear. Then is OD doing the pyramatte process? time for media and materials, as well as time. Finally, packing and shipping and materials. All steps have to earn something.
Now, repeat the processes with modifications down the line. The anodizer has to ensure all the parts are completely free of contaminants and debris before those processes. Then they have to pack and ship.
Now Chris at the Lodge has to work with his crew to assemble and test each unit and half to find B-grades and ship the A-grades. Install pads, bearing, axle, assemble, string and throw. QC all the way. People ain’t doing this for free. He’s gotta pay others, he’s gotta pay for his supplies and he has to pay himself. And then he goes and sells to YYE AND other stores, and then unless he’s selling direct to us, then end-users, which he does through his CLYW store, he’s now cut out of the loop. Now, let’s just focus on YYE. Now YYE has to market it. Photos, store updates. Fortunately, his hype machine is “this is coming, buy it” and for CLYW, that’s all it takes. Thanks to the internet, these costs are low. Since most of his orders are via credit cards, he’s taking a hit in the form of a transaction fee and a percentage, so the clearing houses make their money too.(Legally, I’m not allowed to talk about the details of how credit card companies work, NDA’s, sorry!) Plus, again, YYE BUYS them, they ain’t gonna mark them up $5-15 and make their money back on it. That makes no sense at all. YYE makes their money off selling this stuff, so you don’t think YYE is doing this out of the goodness of their heart, right? No, this is business. He has to get paid, he has to pay his employees. He’s got the YYE van that he has recurring costs on and I bet he has either a house or decent apartment and he’s making mortgage payments on that. Plus, his travel expenses from traveling for contests.
Yeah, that’s a lot of yoyos.
(Note: No personal attacks intended. I know what it’s like doing the reseller thing.)
So, I’m not saying the price should be where it’s at, but there’s many steps, and I think we don’t all understand enough here. Andre’s business is HIS and I don’t want to know more details than I have to.
Let me say this:
If I didn’t want to spend it, I wouldn’t. I wanted it, I was fine with the prices, so I did. Yes, I wish they cost less, but they don’t.
YYE will get orders from me in 2013. GUARANTEED. So will other places too(hey, I shop by price too).
Ehh, Who cares? Don’t like the price? Don’t buy it. It obviously isn’t that big of a problem, as the Cliff sold about as quick as some of the cheaper throws by CLYW.
Chris’ll set the price where he wants.
It’s the customer who’s buying it. They can decide whether or not the price equates to the yoyo. It’s nobody else’s decision but their own.
Anyone who tries to say “Oh, it’s way too much” is basing their judgement on their own experiences. Nobody is going to have the exact same experience, or the same attitude.
CLYW and similar companies can charge whatever they very well please for their yoyos. They make very good yoyos, and they know that people will buy them and they have a market. However, I think their prices are way to high. I mean c’mon. They’re yoyos. People shouldn’t pay that much for a YOYO. But, obviously people do, and CLYW is still in business. I’ll admit to paying those prices for those yoyos, but I still think their prices are way to high. I know there are reasons for those prices, but I very well know those prices could be lower. I think CLYW and similar companies would sell ALOT more yoyos if their prices were a tick lower. For example, I think One Drops prices are pretty fair. Most of them don’t go over $100, but they compete very well with CLYW in terms of performance, quality, and other factors. I know for a fact that if CLYW’s cost less, they would get a whole lot more sales from me. But I can’t afford to pay those prices, and obviously others can’t either. I know there are reasons why these prices are so high, but if they charge $120 for an Avalanche I don’t see why they can’t charge $120 for a Chief. They’d sell SO much more that way. I love CLYW and they are by far one of my favorite companies but the cost of their yoyos makes it impossible to keep purchasing their throws. Which, is one reason I use the BST. Yes, I would like my CLYW new, but most of the time I can find a better deal elsewhere, on the BST. There are other alternatives, but I definitely know that CLYW’s prices can be lower. Paying $165 for a yoyo is too much. Studio42 said it PERFECTLY, in the post above me, which I pretty much just reiterated lol- “If I didn’t want to spend it, I wouldn’t. I wanted it, I was fine with the prices, so I did. Yes, I wish they cost less, but they don’t.”
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The price also goes into developing and maintaining the brand image that you love so very very much. Jason Week doesn’t work for free, I’m sure.
Anyone trying to rationalize their prices is WRONG. There is no real reason for them to cost as much as they do. Machining? No, definitely not. Exchange rate? Take a look at the USD/CAD, that’s not it. Shipping? That might account for a $5-$10 premium over other OD-manufactured throws at absolute most. Bearings, box art? Again a few dollars at most. Long story short they cost what they do because people pay that price. And that’s totally fine, i have no problem with them charging the price they do, and it seems to be the sweet spot in terms of selling out quickly. They’ve done their homework and really priced them perfectly. What i can’t stand though is the CLYW defenders who try to list the myriad reasons CLYWs cost what they do as if there’s some huge costs CLYW incurs that other manufacturers don’t.