Retail Pangs

by Jeffrey Pang September 11, 2015 1 Comment

Retail Pangs

One of my closer friends in the yoyo community is Andre Boulay. I first met him at Worlds years ago, when I was just a kid. We kept in contact after I met him again in 2013 MA States when I was all grown up. The yoyo community is strange like that. Sometimes you won't see someone for 3 or 4 years and suddenly you see them at a random contest and hit it off again. Sometimes they change completely. Especially the young ones. Its one of the top reasons why I love traveling to contests.

So of course I talked to Andre about the Evora R-SP and having it on his store, Yoyoexpert. It was a kind of last minute decision and not as planned out as Id like. And with that there were a few issues I needed to address head on. With the added price of the harder grade of titanium, I needed to find a way to press down the price and keep it affordable. This is where I started looking for a simpler minimalist packaging.

The packaging is a simple two part cardstock tube. To add some protection, I used a butcher wrap to cover the yoyo. While I was in Japan, there were many markets that still used this type of paper to wrap raw meats. Its a cool little homage to the memories of exploring Japan. Its definitely a more traditional technique, as now a days the paper is commonly used for crafts. For the Evoras sake, it also makes a great protective packaging material.

 

One of the most expensive things about the original Glass Dusted Evora packaging was printing the sleeve, so that had to go. I always had a love for white ink on cardstock though, and I knew it would be cheap if I did it myself by hand. So I got some stamps cut, and bought a little ink pad. The total was something like 30 bucks. With the white ink its a bit harder. You actually have to saturate the pad with the ink then stamp it, unlike black or red where it is pre-saturated and doesn't dry. I think its closer to paint than ink, as it dries out within minutes making it even harder to do. I spent an hour hand stamping every single one, and throwing away like 10 boxes because I suck. Anyway, its definitely a pain in the ass, but I think they turned out pretty good. 

The last thing that was on my mind was the retail price. See the problem with this is that the original Evora wasn't retailed. I sent them all out myself. I looked at the prices around, and instead of pricing it thinking about wholesaling them I priced it with a discount for the players mainly because I could. I didn't have to worry about someone else's overhead - only mine. But Its a different story when you retail it. For my sake, because the cost to make these titaniums compared to regular aluminums are, like, ridiculous (so I need to at least break even) and for the retailers sake (so Andre can cover his overhead cost, and more importantly because hes a cool dude). This is why it got complicated when I decided to take on this project with Yoyoexpert.


Andre has been really kind and understanding. Hes tolerated my many emails and Facebook messages. I am so excited for the release, and like I've said before - these Evoras are the most beautiful and smoothest Evoras I have had the pleasure to assemble. I think once they reach the hands of the players, it won't need any more explanation. It will also likely be the last Evoras ever made. So for the countless people who have emailed me - here is your last chance.


Anyway, that is really all there is to say. Its been a crazy ride. If you need more information on the yoyo itself check out the previous blog post titled "Evora R-SP". Grab one from Yoyoexpert next week - and know that when you do, you will be supporting my good buddy Andre. I really owe it to him for putting up with my shit.

Much Love.



Jeffrey Pang
Jeffrey Pang

Author


1 Response

JeaHwan Soh
JeaHwan Soh

September 12, 2015

is there any way i could get it personaly from you? i’ve been fan of your product since first release but i was never able to get my hands on it. due to the country where i live. i live in south korea so the day n night is oppisite from usa. really how am i suppose to get a quick notice when i’m sleeping. maybe it means that i’m not fired up enough for your product. still. i want you to realize that western people are not the only ones that wants your product. if there is a chance i could get a evora personaly from you, please email me.

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Blog

Triple Zero 2024 - D Bearing & Life Updates
Triple Zero 2024 - D Bearing & Life Updates

by Jeffrey Pang December 09, 2024

It has been a year an a half living in Osaka, crazy how time flies. I remember releasing the Plastic Fulvia just before leaving Toronto, a product that I could argue changed the trajectory of everything. At that moment, Luftverk grew exponentially, with the support of retailers around the world. At that moment, I developed so many behind the scenes processes for management that it became much more of a corporate job then a creative one. Huge projects like Cheatcode, and the CLYW collaboration definitely had its creative sides dont get me wrong, but the addition of moving to a foreign city, learning a new language, pursuing motorsports and delegating tasks behind the scenes with razor sharp margins meant for a lot of it I was on the brink of burnout. I questioned if I even still liked doing yoyo stuff at all, or if it was just to keep food on the table.
Plastic 000 & Fulvia - 2024 Update
Plastic 000 & Fulvia - 2024 Update

by Jeffrey Pang October 28, 2024

Crazy to think it has been 2 years since the original release of the Plastic Fulvia and Plastic 000. Both models as of now are pretty much sold out everywhere, and I knew it was about time to update both with a small batch of new colors as well as fix a few small issues with the first designs. I appreciate everyone who has reached out anticipating a restock of these - as the manufacturing process is very timely for sure so restocks can't happen as quick as I'd like. 
A professional titanium yoyo on a white background
AKURA TI-7068 - A Hollow Ring Yoyo

by Jeffrey Pang September 25, 2024

In January, I released the AKURA MG, a yoyo made from Magnesium. This material has a very low density and I talked about how it performs more like a plastic than anything else. But what made that yoyo really special is the aesthetic. I loved the lines on that yoyo. The proportions with the chunky rims were just perfect. One of the biggest aesthetic challenges though were that after the ceramic coating the lines were quite subtle which hid the design.