Orbit Balls - For Sale

[Karthik]

Just as a point of reference, some Canadian teams paid $100 USD, which is almost equal to $125 CAD for 3 orbit balls. Of course this cost includes shipping, handling, duty and customs brokerage. Regardless it speaks to what teams are willing to pay for an essential item with a very limited supply.

I for one think the $20-30 price point is pretty fair, depending on the quality of the balls. (I've seen some homemade balls which behave very, very differently than the real orbit balls.)

[KarenH]

Two considerations:

--Mass production. Do you really have a zillion people who can produce hundreds of these balls within one or two weeks? As I recall, the white paper about making them estimated up to 2 hours per ball, unless you can get an efficient assembly process going.

--Shipping. They must be shipped in a container that will protect them from being crushed. If you use foam peanuts for cushioning, the recipient will have to shake foam peanuts out of each ball. However, I don't think they'll need protection from bouncing as much as protection from crushing. Keep in mind when calculating shipping costs that shippers (both USPS and UPS) charge for the size of the box as well as for weight.

[Cooley744]

Here is my opinion: America has a free market and unregulated trade. If you don't want to pay that much then don't. No one is forcing you to pay it. I don't think it is bad for the team rep if they want to sell orbit balls at a high price. If they were forcing you to buy them... that would be a different story. Just because you think something is expensive, doesn't mean that the people selling them are being stingy or w/e. You could easily make your own orbit balls. They are offering, so technically, they are being nice.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Cooley744

Here is my opinion: America has a free market and unregulated trade. If you don't want to pay that much then don't. No one is forcing you to pay it. I don't think it is bad for the team rep if they want to sell orbit balls at a high price. If they were forcing you to buy them... that would be a different story. Just because you think something is expensive, doesn't mean that the people selling them are being stingy or w/e. You could easily make your own orbit balls. They are offering, so technically, they are being nice.

The flip side of this is that the team who purchases the supplies and puts in the hours making the balls could turn what was meant to be a productive fundraiser into a financial fiasco.

In the end, the venture has to be looked at carefully and decisions made wisely and realistically.

[Joe Ross]

We figured that our balls cost $40 to make, including material and labor at minimum wage. The fact that the balls cost $10 when mass produced in china should be irrelevant, considering that the balls aren't available any more. I think that $20-$30 is more then fair.

[Rizner]

Good fundraising idea, and good luck with it.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Exactly, 100-200% profit margins are just brutally unfair in my opinion.

I guess you've never worked in retail sales?

[xitaqua]

Hello All,

I think there are a couple assumptions here for those that are saying that the price above retail price is sustainable for a replicate ball :

1) They are not available and this is a commodity item.
2) There is only one team willing to produce and sell those balls.
3) They can be delivered to the team within a short lead time.
4) Team will be using the balls for testing purpose on W5 and W6.


I still think this is a great idea for fund raising to sell to those that like to have a "unique" item from one of the teams given the team "add value" to the ball, but I think for the team to sell as an item for teams to use for testing purpose it is a bit challenging given you would need to have a firm order and be able to deliver it in a couple weeks for the teams to use.

After the competition I assume there will be a oversupply of those balls.......

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by squirrel

I guess you've never worked in retail sales?

I have (one of the best learning experiences of my life; I REALLY want to finish college now), I just assumed that a team wanting to sell balls to other teams would be doing it moreso to help other teams than make money for themselves. Making a few dollars is fine by me, making several times the cost is not. I was also under the impression that in small quantities the balls were $10 to make each, and only got cheaper after that. If the costs are really as high as people claim, my complaint isn't justified.

I also don't really factor labor into this, as every team I've ever been on has always had at least a few kids that always find a way to avoid working; I imagine these kids would be forced to make balls.

[Woody1458]

Originally Posted by MikeDubreuil

In my estimation there is no unfair price. This is a simple supply and demand issue. The supply is virtually non-existent so the price is whatever the consumer is willing to pay. I don't want to make this a political discussion but this is the foundation of free market economics.

However in that situation the costs are purely money. If a person is overcharging other teams (not that I am saying this is the case) Then that team will either see a loss immediately in the form of low ball sales, or long term when they become removed form the community (again not saying it is the situation here, in fact it is not) If you get deep enough into Economics, then you find there is no right or wrong, there is only fact. So just as anyone can set their price for the balls, anyone can say that price is unfair and both of them are factual, neither right nor wrong.

[artdutra04]

228 made about 24 GUS balls (our replication orbit balls).

It took several students and mentors an entire weekend to do so. Our final material costs were in the $8-$9 range per ball.

It may sound like a good idea at first to make lots of them to sell, but by the time about 18 of them were made we were starting to go crazy. It's very repetitious.

So before you go on any further, I'd make like a half dozen of them first just for your team. Then ask yourself if you really want to make more of them to sell, because I can guarantee you most people's patience for making these balls will falter after about 20 or 30 of them.

[xitaqua]

Hey artdutra04,

Is your team thinking about selling those balls after the competition is over ?

Cheers,
Marcos.

[Brandon Holley]

$20/ball seems like a fair price to me.

Like everyone has said, it depends on material cost, etc...

Karthik put how rough other teams have it in perspective. To pay 20-25 bucks/ball is not that bad.

[Andrew Y.]

I have to agree with bob 100% on this.


I know there are teams that are financially stable, who would be willing to help out a team and get a product also. Remember guys this IS a fundraiser.

Take a chill pill yall

[jamie_1930]

Not to shoot down your idea, but for most teams they can buy the real game pieces at Walmart for 10 bucks instead of 30.