Badminton s "value" has increased more than gold! Is it related to the price reduction of pork?

Cover News Reporter Zhu Zhu

Sports

"I can't afford to play badminton!" Since last year, the price of badminton has been rising, and many golfers have begun to "stop watching the ball." Since July, major brands in the market have conducted a new round of price adjustments, and some brands' badminton has even increased by as much as 100% in two years, exceeding the gold increase in the same period. Who would have thought that the former mass movement was gradually becoming "luxury".

Some enthusiasts began to hesitate to switch to other sports, and many students also set their sights on second-hand refurbished balls. "The price is only one-quarter of the new ball." Mr. Xiao, a top second-hand ball merchant, told reporters that his store sold more than 20,000 balls a month at most, but in the face of the ever-higher prices, it is also becoming more difficult to recycle old balls.

Despite the soaring "price" of badminton, news on social platforms that "the price will increase in September" is still spreading. Industry insiders analyzed that more and more people are participating in badminton and demand continues to be strong. On the other hand, the decline in pig prices affected the consumption demand of geese and ducks, the number of poultry slaughtered by the decrease, the supply of feather raw materials was tight, and the increase in production costs was eventually transmitted to the retail terminal. Badminton is a sport with a relatively low threshold, at least two people, two beats and one venue, and can be exercised indoors and outdoors. According to the "Survey on the Current Situation of National Sports", my country's badminton population has reached 250 million.

The reporter saw that badmintons are classified according to their degree of resistance. The prices of badmintons of different brands and quality on the market vary greatly. You can buy a dozen (12) badmintons at a minimum of 30 yuan in supermarkets, and there are also game-level badmintons worth nearly 500 yuan per game.

But as a high consumable, golfers are very sensitive to fluctuations in badminton prices. According to badminton enthusiast and businessman Xiao Su, badminton began to show signs of price increase in late 2023, with the most obvious ones such as Yunix, Yashilong, Super Card, etc. He mentioned that the price increase of big brands last year basically went through 3-4 rounds. In July this year, major brands in the market collectively conducted another round of price adjustments, with the increase ranging from 40% to 60%.

Taking Yunix's high-end AS-05 model badminton as an example, the reporter saw that when the price was adjusted in July last year, the increase of one dozen (12) was 50 yuan, and the price was adjusted again in July this year, and the price rose by 75 yuan again, and the price soared to 350 yuan per dozen. It is reported that based on wholesale prices, its cumulative increase in two years is as high as 100%, exceeding the gold increase in the same period. In addition, many popular badmintons are still out of stock.

"A slightly better ball costs hundreds of yuan per game." Xiao Su told reporters that many enthusiasts around him said they could not bear it. The price of badminton has increased a lot, but it is becoming more and more impatient. "If you consume a barrel of badminton a week, plus the cost of venues and other supplies, the extra cost of playing basketball will be 50 yuan per week, and about 200 yuan will be added in a month. For the student group, the expenses will increase greatly, and many people even have the idea of ​​switching to other sports." Xiao Su said.

Promote the second-hand ball business

Some merchants sold 20,000 refurbished balls in a month

Due to the lack of ideal substitutes for badminton and the continuous rise in prices, second-hand badminton recycling and restoration of this emerging market. The reporter saw on a second-hand platform that the price of refurbished balls ranges from tens to hundreds of yuan per dozen, and some top merchants have sold more than tens of thousands of orders.

"Initially, a large number of balls were left behind due to organizing badminton activities. In order to avoid wasting the waste and reselling at low prices, it gradually developed into a side job." Mr. Xiao told reporters that the refurbished balls he sold were priced at about 60 yuan per dozen, which was about one-quarter of the price of new balls, and more than 50% of the audience were students. After purchasing second-hand balls in batches from the national stadium, Mr. Xiao rented two warehouses in a small county town in Hunan and hired 8 aunts to sort, pull hair, repair and load buckets. After repeated training in the early stage, a set of assembly line operations were built, and the repaired balls could reach 80% to 90% new. During this summer peak season, Mr. Xiao sold nearly 20,000 badmintons at most a month.

"Cash 1,000 balls, and there may be only 700 finished products for renovation. Rent, logistics, and tool losses are all costs, including the expenses of the aunt. They can earn up to thousands of yuan per person, which is a half-charity thing." Mr. Xiao said.

Forecasting the development trend of the industry, Mr. Xiao admitted that the price increase of badminton is also a double-edged sword for restoration and recycling. Now, he is not afraid of not being able to sell it, but only worried about not being able to receive the ball. "It is precisely because new balls are expensive that people buy second-hand balls, but at the same time, everyone cherishes the balls, so it is becoming more and more difficult to collect the balls, and the competition in the industry is getting bigger and bigger. The mid- and low-end balls that are broken in one shot have no recycling value." The cost of 12 high-end balls exceeds 170 yuan

Behind the price increase of badminton is related to the price reduction of pork

In the past two years, badminton price increases have been fierce. In the view of Wu Daiqi, CEO of Shenzhen Siqisheng Company, this is mainly due to the shortage of raw materials. She told reporters that the number of badminton enthusiasts is gradually increasing, but the supply speed of goose and duck breeding cannot keep up with the market demand speed, so raw materials are in short supply and badminton prices have risen. In addition, if leading enterprises occupy more supply chain resources and small and medium-sized enterprises find it difficult to obtain raw material supply, and small and medium-sized enterprises that compete in price will find it difficult to survive, the pricing voice will be more concentrated on leading enterprises.

In fact, not all goose feathers and duck feathers can be used for badminton. Badminton manufacturers generally only use dozens of feathers on the wings of a specific variety of goose and duck, and after processing, they can be made into the hair pieces required for badminton.. According to media reports, in Anhui Wuwei Feather Down Industrial Park, taking feather slices as an example of the core raw material of badminton, the cost of a high-end slice in the park is only more than 4 cents in 2023, rising to 6 cents in 2024, and soaring to 8 cents in 2025.

Because a standard badminton requires 16 sliced ​​feathers, it is calculated that the cost of a badminton piece is 13.6 yuan. With other materials such as ball holders, the cost of a high-end ball (12 pieces) exceeds 170 yuan. The surge in raw material costs directly drives the terminal price to rise.

"Another important factor is the continuous price reduction of pork." An industry insider told reporters that the decline in pig prices has affected the consumption demand of geese and ducks, the number of poultry slaughtered is reduced, and the supply of feather raw materials is tight. As of August 21, data from the market treasure showed that pig prices in some regions had fallen into the "6 yuan era". According to monitoring statistics from the China Animal Husbandry Association, from 2019 to 2024, the output of commercial meat ducks dropped from 4.878 billion to 4.22 billion, and the output of commercial gooses dropped from 634 million to 569 million.

Will badminton continue to increase its price? The reporter learned from many industry insiders that there is expected a wave of price increases, but the increase may not be large. Xiao Su believes that the quality of badmintons in the refurbished ball market is uneven, and some old players do not have a good impression of this. However, if novices or students pay attention to identifying and purchasing, it is indeed a better choice now.