Hey guys! It's my first post here...hi! I was an enthusiast in the last 80's and am just now returning to the sport.
Regarding the pricing: IMO any conversation about pricinng being reasonable or not, in line with what the particular ball's place in the OEM's scheme is, etc. is all a tempest in a teapot. The fact is that there isn't a ball made that costs much more than $30 to manufacture (maybe none over that number). It should be obvious that it's _all_ marketing. The bottom line is this: bowlers will pay what they feel a ball is worth...that's what determines pricing, as there is no real intrinsic value in a ball that sells for $155 v. one that sells for $130.
I'm not saying this to bash anyone. Nobody is getting rich here. Anyone here have a pro shop guy who does just that for a living and has a couple vacation homes around the country and drives a variety of expensive sports cars? I kinda doubt it.
ANYway...I'm getting a Paranoia punched tomorrow...will report back!
Hi! Welcome to the forum!
Bowling ball pricing has always been a point of contention. The raw materials of the ball are only a fraction of what you are paying for when you buy one. Also figured in to the price will be marketing, R&D, and any other additional costs the manufacturer needs to include to turn a profit.
The Pro Shop Operators are frequently the 3rd step of the sales chain. So the manufacturer marks the ball up to the distributors, then the distributor needs to mark the ball up to the PSO, then the PSO marks it up to the end user. There needs to be enough room in the pricing to allow all levels to make some sort of profit.
The manufacturers are pricing based on what consumers are willing to pay. If everyone rebelled and literally stopped buying new bowling balls, the prices would come down slightly in response. However, there are hundreds of thousands of people each year that buy numerous bowling balls and are more than willing to pay the prices. There are bowlers up at the lanes where I bowl that pre-order every new ball and have it within days of release. Then 30-45 days later they do it all over again.
The current "high performance" technology will eventually make its way down into the mid and lower performance lines. It kind of shows that manufacturers can make a profit selling the higher tech at a lower price point.
My PSO's sole source of income is the Pro Shop. There is more to wealth and success than vacation homes and fast cars. There is also working in an industry you love, enjoying going to work each day and liking what you do while you are there, and being your own boss and controlling your own destiny. Having the opportunity to do that will make you richer than people who measure success purely based on material objects.
