"I can't afford to play badminton with a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan!" Recently, this sentence has caused heated discussions on social media. Who would have thought that the price of badminton, once regarded as a "civilian sport", would soar by 100% in two years, even outperforming the growth of gold in the same period.
Gains better than gold
Recently, a price adjustment notice from badminton head brand Victor has been circulating on the Internet – due to the continued increase in raw material costs, our company will adjust the price of badminton from April 1. In this regard, some media asked Weike's sales staff for verification and learned that the price increase announcement was true.
Online price adjustment notice
The specific price list shows that the recommended retail price of Master ACE is 337 yuan per dozen, and the price of Master No. 1 is also 280 yuan. Compared with a year ago, carbon sound balls have maintained their original prices, while Victor goose feather and duck feather series badminton products have increased in price almost across the board, with an increase of 15%-50%.
In addition, the price of Yonex badminton and uniforms in Japan has increased again, and will be implemented from April 1. We learned from the customer service offices of Yonex’s Tmall and JD flagship stores that China has not yet received any price adjustment notifications. Since 2025, many brands such as Lingmei, Xunfeng and Kongfengkong have announced price increases. Industry insiders said that badminton brands have generally increased in price this year, with an average increase of about 10%.
Take Yonex as an example. The retail price of its mainstream high-end AS-05 badminton has increased from 210 yuan/dozen to 225 yuan/dozen before April 2024. After July, the price soared further, reaching 275 yuan/dozen. Chen Zui, a senior badminton enthusiast, said that he bought this ball from a wholesaler for 95 yuan per dozen more than two years ago, but now the price of the product has risen to 190 yuan. Based on this calculation, the price of this model of badminton has increased by 100% in two years, which is higher than the increase of gold in the same period.
Yonex has several popular badminton models.
On social media, many netizens said that the price had indeed increased, "I should have stocked up more before I knew it", and some netizens said, "Fortunately, I stocked up on a bucket before."
Pingtai is popular: Sales of second-hand used balls are booming, and one online store has sold more than 50,000 pieces.
The topic "I can't afford to play badminton with a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan" was a hot topic at one time. Badminton is a consumable, and the second-hand ball business is attracting increasing attention due to the continued price increase.
The reporter's search found that there are currently a large number of second-hand badminton for sale on the e-commerce platform, which are basically used for training. The quality is mainly 8-95% new, and the price of a ball generally ranges from 20-100 yuan. In terms of brands, some stores will sell a mix of them, while others will specifically select them. For example, 95% of new Yonex 05s are sold for 95 yuan per dozen, which is probably less than 1/2 of the regular price.
Some stores told reporters that badminton balls that are 80% to 90% new may have broken hair, while balls that are over 950% new will be sorted out without broken hair. For ordinary training enthusiasts, second-hand balls are very cost-effective, and some online stores have sold more than 50,000 pieces.
The reporter learned from stores and badminton coaches that these second-hand badmintons are usually recycled from gymnasiums, and the vendors who collect them will repair them and sell them. "A badminton that has become 9-8 new can still be played, but it is definitely not comparable to a brand-new one."
The profit from second-hand badminton is not low. According to the second-hand badminton purchase price list provided by the coach interviewed, even if the price is 30 yuan per bucket, there is still a profit of more than 10 yuan, with a profit margin of over 60%.
Why multiple rounds of price increases?
The reason for the price increase of badminton is one of the focuses of discussion.
Some media learned from industry insiders and senior fans that the logic of the new wave of price increases is basically the same as last year. Market demand continues to grow, but the imbalance between supply and demand for pornographic films has not improved. In this wave, some people raised prices to collect profits in an attempt to form a monopoly situation, and badminton prices continued to rise.
According to industry insiders, the main raw material of badminton is natural feathers. It takes 16 feathers to make a badminton. For each duck or goose, only 7 pieces of feathers can be selected for the left and right wings. This means that to make a badminton, you need to obtain the left and right wing feathers from more than 2 ducks or geese.
The raw hair of Dao Ling that was acquired.
After sorting through, it was found that at the end of 2023, the wholesale price of a pound of knife feathers was about 200 yuan, including about 600 raw wool, which converted into less than 4 cents per pound. In 2024, the price of a pound of knife feathers rose to about 300 yuan, an increase of 50%.
In addition, the price increase of badminton is also inseparable from the increase in market demand. According to the National Sports Situation Survey Report, badminton is the sport with the largest number of participants in China, with 250 million people.
According to the "Popular Sports Behavior and Consumption Research Report" released by the China Sporting Goods Federation, among the 26 cities selected, badminton ranked third among the most popular sports in 2022, accounting for 39%. By 2023, badminton has ranked second in terms of proportion and has the highest annual growth rate.
However, although the topic of rising badminton prices has been a hot topic, badminton enthusiast Peter believes that badminton is generally a less expensive sport, and equipment such as rackets and sneakers are very durable. The rising price of badminton consumables may dissuade some newcomers, but it will not have a great impact on organized golfers and club operations. Because clubs generally have hundreds to thousands of people, you can get relatively low prices when purchasing in bulk.
On the other hand, the material of badminton may change, and its cost and selling price will not remain high. Peter said that as the texture and craftsmanship of imitation balls gradually improve, badminton will also develop in a more sustainable direction.
Do you usually play badminton?
Have you stocked up on balls?
(Shuai Wei, editor of Qilu Evening News·Qilu One Point Client, combines Sino-Singapore Jingwei, Blue Whale News, Hangzhou Daily, CCTV Finance, Yangtze River Cloud News, 21st Century Economic Report, etc.)
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