Nasty New Zealand Longboard Skateboard Market
Joe Lindsay a local longboarder and previous skurfboards contest winner wrote a great article in 2006 about the New Zealand skateboard market . The worst thing is that this article is still totally relevant today in 2008. A topic that is on the minds of most kiwi longboarders.
Just to give non - New Zealanders a little run down on our situation here: New Zealand has most likely got the highest longboard per person ratio in the world. I would be suprised if there were more then 8 stores selling longboards (this includes all the clothes shop that have placed a couple of longboards on a rack ). You would not be able to buy a half decent complete these days for less then $450NZD ($280 USD ) from any of the local stores. The only available big brand boards you can buy in stores are Sector9, Gravity, and a few GFH.
Joe says:
“The New Zealand skate retailers are pulling the wool over our eyes now. I expect that the margins are huge, still charging what was a good price in 2000. Here’s an example: My longboard I bought in September 2005 Cost NZ$500 in shops here. It costs US$149 in America. Even with US$70 freight, I still saved NZ$170 by buying from USA. ”
donald trump angry
Joe then brings out the big questions:
“Should I encourage more people to shop in New Zealand, to increase volume and bring prices down? (Would it work or just generate more profits for retailers?) I say: Hell no, I don’t think are going to bring prices down anytime soon, they have no reason to at the moment. Let them starve and rot, they don’t deserve our money.
Should I encourage more people to shop overseas, to increase competition, wake up retailers and bring prices down? I say: Shop overseas, show our interest to the world so they will eventually open shop over here. Let our present retailers starve and rot (CheapSkates).
Should I join the bandwagon and start bringing in gear and retail it myself to fund my hobbies? Even buying at full retail from USA, I could still make money. I have only found one online store in NZ that I would consider buying from. I say: It’s the way to go, if you just want to make a quick and fund your hobbies, but is probably more hassle then it’s worth.
Is building my own store another way to go? Should I find NZ wholesalers and see what sort of deals I can do? Or would Trademe.co.nz be better? ” I say: If you can commit to building your own store, then local longboards would love you. It can easily work if you get in contact with the right people, your profit margins would be huge. Other stores will starve and rot. Trademe is only good for one off’s, I wouldn’t depend on it for business.
I swear all of those questions have all gone through our heads at one point of time. 90% of kiwi longboarders I’ve chatted with have talked about opening a store, personally importing from the states, or anything to compete with the local greedy fat cat retail stores with a lacking selection and a prices to make Donald Trump get his hanky out.
I expect in the next five years there should be a shift in the New Zealand skateboard market. Allowing all of us to go down to our local store without having to bow down and pay $450 NZD a pop. Lets see who makes the move first… I wonder?
Photo: Trump Dizzle laying it down
Two years on most of that holds true. I see there are a few more NZ retailers stocking a lot more longboards though. Bestboards and LostBoy Longboards are doing a few through trademe and there are the occasional others too.
It would be good to see some of our skills turned to manufacturing too. Any boat builders/composite experts out there? There’s a hole in NZ and massive export potential.
i feel cheapies has the market cornered in most of the skateboard areas thus control the market.to manufacture boards and sell full setups you end up having to buy maple at exuberant prices or making do with what you can get, then the hard ware is hard to atain because the big boys have contracts with the hard ware compainies.buy local guys that is the only way we can lower the prices .
[…] to bow down and pay $450 NZD a pop. Lets see who makes the move first? I wonder? taken from: Nasty New Zealand Longboard Skateboard Market : Longboard, Long board, Longboard Reviews, Longboard … __________________ ladera floyd> r2 180, strikers purple heart> bennets, […]
You know now in 2008 with the NZ dollar doing so well we should see boards come down. I mean a board in the states will set you back between 149 and 199 US dollars but with the current exchange rate at 80 US cents you will be picking up a board for 200 to 300 dollars even with freight you’ll be getting it cheaper AND you will have access to a wider range of boards. If the NZ market wants to bleed us dry then F**K Em take your business somewhere else.
I bought a couple of Loaded boards off bestboards.co.nz through trademe. $320 for the first complete, a vanguard. $350 for the dervish complete. It is damn expensive here compared with the states. Even buying Bones bearings which are well overpriced I bought my bones precision bearings for $80 & my bones super swiss six bearings for $130. You’d think I would maintain these bearings considering the cost but finsing swiss speed cream is alot harder than I thought & if I do find it, mann, how much is it going to rip me. There is a gap in the market anybody keen to start a shop with me. I’m in Nelson & we’ve got a good skate community & I have seen an increase in the number of people with longboards here. Skate long, skate free …peace.
Lol just bought one at the warehouse $59 AUD. Hey I haven’t been on a skateboard since the 80’s bought my son a cheap board and see where it goes and figured why not something cruisy for me and a longboard seems like the go. If It works for me I will spend the dosh latter on for something better but figure $59 ain’t bad even if it isn’t flash.