Grown men and women with their own money have cornered the yoyo market
That’s why. And companies see that there are people willing to pay $200+ for yoyos. Then, combine with the fact that the same grown men and women don’t want to lose money on their “investment” so they continue the vicious circle $200+ value
Honestly, it’s not that hard to understand why. That said, knowing why doesn’t make it hurt less to drop $200 for a toy.
gotta do a little devil’s advocate here, but there are a plethora of “toys” that cost well in excess of $200 and don’t do a fraction of what yoyos can do for ppl’s lives. ppl build lives, careers and lasting friendships/relationships on its back. also the vast majority of yoyos don’t cost $200 let’s be real.
the word “toy” minimizes something and reduces it to a simple distraction for kids. i get it, i know it IS in fact a toy, but it’s also so much more. for so many it’s artistic expression.
finally, companies and individuals spend countless hours of their time, sometimes for years on top of the time spent on the manufacturing process with increasingly premium materials all to bring us something we will keep and enjoy for literally years to come.
frankly I’m more surprised these toys only cost $50-$200 
You had me until here. Fully intending Not to be reductionist, but I’m not paying excessively for what is effectively a block of metal and string. The fact that yoyos, especially metal ones, are, by design, reproducible to make, should make it cost less. But other factors like, logistics (and whatever tf is happening you know where; not the main factor, but worth pointing out, especially if you’ve been eyeing throws on the BST from outside the US), as well as how niche yoyos tend to be; throws have to be marked up so designers can recuperate, but they can’t be so high that even less people are willing to buy them.
I think $100-$200 is right around the sweetspot for higher end, boutique throws
Not all yoyos are for you though. If that hurts, then don’t do it. Ppl buying yoyos helps the community and supports brands. Picking a price you feel comfortable spending is good and probably a healthy exercise. If a yoyo feels too expensive, don’t buy it. If you don’t like the way brands price their yoyos, don’t support those brands. Idk there are so many brands and so many yoyos across all price points like why is a brand selling their yoyos for more a bad thing? If ppl don’t want those yoyos, they won’t buy them.
Yoyos are definitely a niche market, or at least yoyos that aren’t avaliable at Walmart or Target. This means that prices are going to be higher than mass market “toys.” Also, the amount of yoyo companies that come and go in a short period of time, clue me in, that most yoyo companies are not making bank. I think for most, it’s more of a labor of love!
All fair points.
I’m not against it, I mean it’s fair to price a yoyo, or anything for that matter, whatever price you want but the market has to be willing to pay for it (see: bathwater). Far be for me to go against the grain because people are clearly willing to pay $200+ for yoyos (personally, my cap is $150, except extenuating circumstances).
Furthermore, my discourse on yoyos being “niche” isn’t an indictment, but rather a factor as to why seemingly hunks of processed metal go for well outside their integral value. Niche, by economic definition, makes things more expensive because companies are unable to distribute the cost across more products/people. However, if yoyos become less niche, assuming cost for production remains relatively nominal, and the prices stay the same, then we’ve got a problem
Fr tho, buy what makes you happy, but for goodness sakes, don’t buy throws just because it’s there (unless, of course, spending money makes you happy. I’m not one to judge)
how come everyone says “not to be” something and then is that exact thing? lol you are right, you aren’t paying for a block of metal and string. again, you’re paying for an entire process. what’s ppl’s time worth? what is their years of knowledge worth? multiple iterations and protos? to imply anything is just its base material components is the very embodiment of reductionist
im not trying to start an argument or anything and I’m not implying that i want yoyos to cost more. im just saying i think labeling them a toy and suggesting they’re expensive because they’re a toy just ignores a whole lot of factors
Corrected my intent, just for you @Splizacular
Edit: Hopefully, this came across as facetious, not malicious
Yoyos are expensive because grown people with more money than kids making allowances think paying $200 justifies making it “not a toy” (spoiler: it doesn’t. It’s still a toy. Just accept it. Just because someone spent 5x longer designing doesn’t make it any less a toy).
Honestly, what needs to happen is normalizing and reducing the stigma “toy” as being perfectly acceptable as an adult. All adults play with toys, they just don’t call them toys because society thinks it’s weird for adults to play with toys. It just so happens, that the toys adults play with just so happen to cost $200+
that’s not where we disagree at all
That’s a SAT level statement
I was never in disagreement with you at all, except that one statement you made. Unless you know something I don’t I never disagreed that a yoyo was a toy.
Well IIIIIIIIII think all yo-yos should be FREE, so…. YEAH.
And they aren’t toys, AKSHUALLY THEIR WEAPONS
Jokes, obviously (including spelling)
I bet you want free healthcare too!
(What a coincidence, me too!)
Anything can be a weapon if you’re brave enough
what more do you want me to say? you built a reply on an idea i never suggested. you told me to accept that it was a toy. i pointed out that you either didn’t read, or forgot where i acknowledged that very point. i said i didnt want to argue. we clearly view this differently and ive made the points i wanted to make
WHAT!? When did these things become toys? I want my money back. I thought I was doing something meaningful over here. I’ve just been playing with toys… what a let down
This is every hobby right now, I honestly see less of it in yo-yoing than other hobbies im into.
Not that you are wrong, just looking on the bright side a little bit. Social media got everyone thinking they can start blindly flipping stuff with no actual knowledge of the market.
And along with your point about “shelf queens” it seems like a lot of these people aren’t actually passionate, they think the re-selling is the hobby.
I’ve been into competitive Pokemon tcg for about a decade and very rarely does the newfound hype translate into people actually playing the game.
My pet peeve as a wannabe “yoyo designer” I hate this spec list below.
8mm axle – Too short and prone to stripping.
Flat cups – Can cause the metal to bulge inward when the axle is over-tightened.
Thicker rim – Too much weight on the edges, making it uncomfortable for me to play over time.
PC or Polycarbonate material – Prone to stress cracks over time; POM is king.
Magnesium alloy – A hassle to maintain without special coatingplus more expensive to produce
Caribou pads – Too much unused silicone on the outer diameter after its worn out
Sharp edges – Might cut my hands after binding
yeah 8mm or god forbid 5mm axles are the worst 10/12/16 are much better
in general if your design needs to optimise weight distribution that much then using 7075(/68) is what you should be doing , rather than making a fiddly, and non durable 6061 throw
I’ve never found a spike or nub to get in the way of fingerpspins anyway, the diameter of the bottom of the cup makes more difference
also in general any badly finished bearing post where i cannot get the bearing out without pliers
Honestly, I’m a bit 50/50 on the 6061. Yeah it’s a weaker alloy but there’s a sweet spot where it feels floaty to play.
Also, 6061 often has a nicer feel and it tends to takes ano better than 7075
