Why is paint so expensive?

[frisko_sav]

Well, Ive always wanted to know why?
THe only reasons I can think of are that,
1. Manufacturing Costs are so high that they must sell at high prices to make a profit.
2. The shipping cost if not ruining merchandise is to expensive prices must be higher to be able to make a profit.
3. The coloring for the paint is what makes it so expensive, being that it must be non-toxic.
4. The Paintball Manufacturing Industry agreed on a base price so all companies could continue to sell paint more expensive than needed without losing money due to competition between companies.

Beacuse Figure this, a cheap box of paint is like 50 dollars, 2000 rounds, lets says none are broken, 50/2000 = 10.025, that works out to about 10 cents a ball, it costs less to manufactuer a freakin prostect eyeball at that price, seriously, at whole sale prices and materials, I would have a hard time thinking a paintball could cost more than a fraction of a cent to produce, If anyone has any insight, please, help me out.

Best Regards, I wish paint was cheaper, the gross volume of the increase of sales of cheaper paint could compensate for a lower price, cut the price in half sell 2 probably 3 times as many boxes.

[Flanders]

this is my Research prohect for my english class, a draft of it
Why Does a Paintball Cost so Much

The sport of paintball is expensive, paintball markers are anywhere from one hundred to two thousand dollars. Air tanks to power the markers are twenty to six hundred dollars. Paintballs are possibly the most expensive part, If quality is top of the list. It is true that paintballs can be cheap if low quality paint is purchased. Most people will buy better higher quality paintballs. What constitutes better or worse paint? How can one paintball be better than another? The ideal paintball is, in most peoples’ opinions, perfectly spherical. This sounds simple, but what makes a paintball imperfect? A paintball can be too brittle or not brittle enough, it can have flat spots, huge seams (seams are where the two layers of gel coating that make up the shell are connected) big seams means the ball becomes an oval or odd shaped. To understand how a paintball costs so much, the first thing to know is how a paintball is made. According to RPS, a leader in paintball, this is how they go about making a paintball:
Softgels are made on special, very expensive, softgel encapsulating machines. In 1933, Robert Scherer designed and patented the first such machine. Here's how a softgel encapsulation machine works:

1. Hot liquid gelatin is formed into two thin but wide gelatin ribbons. Each gelatin ribbon passes over a rotating die. The dies are designed to form a capsule of a particular size and shape, such as a paintball. Softgels can be round like paintballs, oblong, or unusually-shaped.
2. Each die with its gelatin ribbon presses against the other die as the dies rotate. Each die has half the gelatin shell. As the dies meet, the fill (whatever goes inside the softgel) is injected into the area between the two gelatin sheets. The dies continue to rotate, pressing the two warm gelatin ribbons against each other and forming a filled gelatin capsule. The seam on a paintball shows where the two gelatin sheets met.
3. Finally, the now-sealed gelatin capsule drops away from the rotating dies. It is not, however, ready to use when it drops form the machine. For example, when it drops down, what will become a paintball is rubbery and larger than it will be when it is ready to shoot. These bouncy, not-quite-ready softgels are gently tumbled, and then dried in trays in a climate-controlled environment. The gelatin and fill shrink as they dry.
4. At RPS Recreational Products, technicians constantly monitor the encapsulation machines as they run. Technicians will randomly check the encapsulations to see the product meets required specifications. Technicians also check the paintballs when they're dry. Any that are not up to RPS Recreational Products's specifications are removed and destroyed. When ready, the paintballs are packaged to move onward toward the end consumers
(http://www.rps-paintball.com/products/process.asp)


As stated in the beginning of the quote, the equipment is very expensive. It is logical to assume that this could be the reason paintballs cost so much. Piantballs would cost 50 dollars a box before dealer mark up that's 2.5¢ a ball, that's a dollar for every 40 balls. Then you'd think the price would drop after a few months and the equipment is payed off, which quite often isn’t true. Perhaps the bulk of the cost is in the need for quality. Paintballs are a quantatative price of materials and profit. People will pay anything for good paint.

Also, the cost of advertising and the box the paintballs come in is a price factor as well. Paying for the numerous employees and then being able to make a profit on top of that all factors in.

A paintball used to have a pricetag of close to one doller every ten balls, now it’s dropped to one doller every twenty balls or so. For most people the cost of a paintball is much higher due to dealer mark up. Although a paintball seems very expensive, everyone is just trying to make money, dealers have to cut down prices to keep up with the internet often earning les then five dollers a box. According to Sean, Head of Research and Development at Kick *** Paintball Products, an industry leader(www.kapp1.com):

It was crazy, if you think paint [slang for paintballs] is expensive today you shoulda’ been here eight years ago. I remember when it used to be $125 for a case of 2500 balls for me, a feild owner, I had to charge $150 just to make a profit after shipping and handaling and tax.

Sean and I talked for a wile about what’s changed in the industry, then I “asked him why do you think the price of paintballs have dropped?” He replied simpily:

Well it’s a combination of things; First the technology has advancted in the process of makeing the paintball, it’s faster more productive and with newer materials for the paintball itself, overall the whole process is cheaper. being able to turn out close to twice as many paintballs at the same price and speed as eight years ago really helped alot.

It was astounding how much the price has dropped. It was interesting how the technology for making a paintball came about. I asked sean how or where the machines and technology came from. The response I got was very interesting but at the same time, so obvius it was surprising:

The machinery is very similer to how they make gel-coated pills. Such as antibiotics for strep throught. although the machines were slightly modified for a round sphere shape and instead of granuals of medicine to filling the capsil with paint. The gel coatign is also modified to be more brittal as well as more biodegratable and more resistant to liquids then the normal pill coating.

Over all, the materials and machinary are not what costs so much, rather the price of employing people, box materials as well as plastic bags to hold the paintballs and marketting and dealer mark up are what costs so much more. Although technological advances have decreesed the price the cost of empoying people in the factory’s and the public relations people often amount to the cost.

[Bear Johnson]

I'd wager a guess that its also a matter of economies of scale. The more paint a company like RPS can sell, the more they will produce. Generally, production costs per unit produced decrease as total number of units produced increases, to a certain point.

If you want cheaper paint and markers, then get more people into the sport. If paintball were to experience a sudden rush of phenomenal popularity in North America, prices across the board on paintball products would fall.

[frisko_sav]

Well said Flanders, but if you think about it he makes sense, but isnt answering all the questions in terms that most would understand, the process sounds complex but it probably isnt, it sounds like all that machinery, would have paid itself off in less then a month with the tremendous amount of paint being sold everywere, say youre average field has 20 people there, at leasst 10 boxes sold, thats minimal, thats times 1000, 2000 across the country, plus internet sales, so the machinery isnt the problem, packaging, plastics are a little pricey, but the boxes wouldnt be to ex*****ve beacuse of recycled materials, and alot of boxes have realy simple wraps or prints on em, but i still think paint should be readily avalaible from factories but it cant happen beacuse they would lose revenue by undercuttin stores that sell theyre product, pmi/rps said my team could only get discounted paint through a store that would arrange it beacuse they fear they would lose bussnies from stores, so basicly, the problem is the retail stores mark up, mark up bad, otherwise factory sold paint, like directly from them, would be cheaper, but often you find products rae more expensive from the dealer to encourage buyin from other stores the sell to. Still sucks though.

EDIT: Those Figures are EXTREMLY Minimal, one field I go to sells a easy 100 Boxes of paint a day, almost 300 in two days

[CasualtiesPunk]

well, i didnt read that long thing, but frisko yer calculations are off. its actually about 3 cents per ball. and i dont think paint is expensive, its just that u shoot so much of it. if u had a stock class marker, or just a pump, you couldnt shoot a lot of paint even if u tried. 500 could probly last all day, if not more than one day. its that theres semi autos with short pulls that people shoot soo much per game, that paint gets expensive to buy so much of it. just my opinion.

[frisko_sav]

well unless my cauculator is broken, 50 diveded by 2000 is 10, oh, it is broken, it is about 2.5 cents a ball lol, but how is there a way to drag more people into the sport that we can do as a entire mass, if everyone can do there part and just get ONE person, our population doubles, prices could potentialy drop by as much as 25%, but how do we do that, and how do we make shops stop marking up paint so crucialy? Can anyone get the wholesale figures on Paint to Dealer?

[cocker kid 2k2]

Dude, dont be complaining, paint isnt even that expensive, you can get 2000 balls for like 45 bux these days. Thats pretty damn good if you ask me. I would have hated playing back in the day when it was like 2 bux per 10 rounds, of course you used pumps back then, but still THAT was expensive paint.

[frisko_sav]

No one is complaning, some people, not just myself, cant afford to play nearly as much as they want to, and want to be able to and tryin to make that happen instead of standing back and lettin time pass, and "hope" it happens, I want paintball to suceed, and if that means i go out and hand out fliers downtown, so be it, I want more people in so I can play, I just want to play, why cant I play tony?

[cocker kid 2k2]

If You wanna play more, then sell your gun, get a cheaper one, and shoot cheaper paint.

[punkerx1]

well...i didnt read that whole big post, so i dont kno if it coverd wut im gonna say...


if they sold paint cheaper....how to the machine operators and inspectors get paid?? for all the stuff it takes to make paintballs, its pretty cheap i think, plus you have to replace thousands and thousands of dollars worth of repairs and new machines over the years....it is expensive, and i could see it getting cheaper....but im not about to go do ne hting about it....

[frisko_sav]

its stuff like that that doesnt remotly help, from here on out, im gonna get a new person to play every month, i hope you will do the same

[punkerx1]

heh, bring someone u kno will never play agin, tell them to buy a case, then maybe they will give u their extra balls....worked for me!:D

[Sluggo]

Your math is way off. 10cents a ball would turn out to be $200 a case, 0.10(2000)=200
$50 for a case of 2000 balls is only 2.5 cents a ball
Have you ever seen the way they make paintballs there just like gelcaps for medicine. Not to mention people buy them at that price so why change the price. Get a job, sell your electro, and stop complaining.

[Likethis?]

Ever here a Price and demand...:rolleyes: It kinda control the worlds markets...:laugh:

THey sell it for that price because they can :eek:

[uberpoo]

I wish paint was like $25 for a case of evil.

[punkerx1]

i wish they had a thing at the field, where u just stick yer hopper under it, and pump balls into yer hopper or pods, that would be the fukn coolest thing in the world...if it was free of course.:D

i wanna get a reffing job, get paid in paint and food, wut other kind of pay could u want?!

[frisko_sav]

sluggo, u should read posts before you write, remind me of this quote, "think then post, always in that order"

[Loner4life164]

Wow Frisko.. So many run on sentences!! Remember, the period is our friend! =)

Anyway, I agreed that paint is too expensive, and if they were cheaper, there would be more players in this sport. Well anywho, I don't complain, I get paint for $30 a case since our team has a Sponsor. Maybe you should try getting one?

[frisko_sav]

yea, PJ, i dont like periods, i dont trust anything that bleeds for 7 days and doesnt die

[punkerx1]

hahahhahahahahaha:laugh:

[Flanders]

ok uick summery of what i wrote

materials and machines = money right but that all is very minimal in comparison to over all price

box materials bag materials advertising shipping, marketing employing people all= money

then comes profit = more money
then dealers= more money for shipping and profit (very minimal profit)

[Chris Devers]

Well my only other thoughts on the matter that companies like Diablo, RPS, 32 Degrees, etc. Have more money than the guy who made icicle lights. They are making pretty much making nothing but profit on the paint. They could cut the costs to the 2nd party.


Although, I watched paint change hands from one dealer to another. The paint sold to the dealer was around 20 a case and was being sold for 65 to 80 dollars. This was at a tournament and all the teams had 20-30 boxes by thier staging areas........ Tell me theyre not making a profit! :|

[TorchedLH]

i'm going with theory number 4: the companies all agreed on a certain ballpark price and wont' sell for less. kinda like when a lot of the music labels did this that's why CD's are still so god damn expensive. it's ok tho, they F---ed themselves over when file sharing (napster etc) went mainstream. now no one buys CD's and record labels are *****ing and trying to get kazaa shut down. :o

[Yakb0]

Originally posted by TorchedLH
i'm going with theory number 4: the companies all agreed on a certain ballpark price and wont' sell for less.


I believe most paintball manufacturers have a "minimum advertised price"..ie, if you want to sell their paintballs retail, you can not sell below a certain price.

[frisko_sav]

yea, #4 happend here in california with electricty, the companies met up, set a price and gauged everyone, xcept the amish, DAMN U IZEKIEL

[punkerx1]

"Jebadia feeds the chickesn, and jacob plows fool!"

anyone hear of those plastic ball things? it comes with like 200 68 caliber plastic balls and a tent lookin thing u shoot into, it looks like it would be nice to practice with, and cost alot less than buying paint to practice yer snap shooting and wutever....i want to buy it, but i dont kno where to.

[Chris Devers]

you can buy the "rufus dawg" rubber paintballs at www.xpaintball.com



Theys expensive, plus you have to lubricate the balls to get them going. Wierd huh!

[Surreal]

Originally posted by Chris Devers
Theys expensive, plus you have to lubricate the balls to get them going. Wierd huh!

the only balls i would dare to lubricate are my own, and im even still a little skeptical about that. no ball lubing for me

[Chris Devers]

then again we've all had those greasy paintballs once in a while. I dont think it would hurt anything you might just have to squeege the barrel here or there.

[Meph]

I don't even want to get started in this damn thread. I could write an entire paper on why people that complain about "high" paint prices need to get educated.

[frisko_sav]

why doesnt your almighty self "enlighten" all of us idiots, who go to threads and say they dont want to talk about, oh wait, thats u