How much are you charged?

[tamdoankc]

When I used to live in the US (10 years ago) it costed me about $20 for prince synthetic; strung. In Vietnam I string with poly (rpm, pro hurricane, etc) which is about $8, strung! That's half the price of what a single pack costs in the US and still cheaper than what a reel would cost. Is there just a really high markup on strings in the US? What about other countries?

[Up&comer]

If it's 8 dollars to get a full set of rpm, something tells me it's not rpm.

[drgchen]

Middle of USA
At the local sporting goods chain store:
Ordinary synthetic gut $20 Prince synthetic/ Gamma.
Wilson Sensation $25.

Local pro shops and clubs:
Labor $15-$20.
All in prices-
Luxilon Alu $35, NXT os $35, Wilson NXT $32, Gamma professional $40.

This is why I string for myself.

I think in some countries labor cost is very low, string costs I would think are similar.

[luisdepaula2001]

I´m sure you are not getting "real" RPM string but probably a chinese counterfit copy.
US have one of the lowest retail sales tax in the world with an extremelly competitive market.

[Woolybugger]

lowest stringing labor in the US is $12, but typically $15.
RPM Blast is $17.
If the shop supplies the string they will markup the string price and
probably charge you $40.
like the others said, you're getting a fake rpm blast.

[acura9927]

I pay 29 bucks for Dunlop silk with tax included.

[tamdoankc]

What are the tell tale signs of fake strings? All of the seemingly legit shops here are priced the same and doesn't really matter the brand/model. Strings are all stamped and reels and packets seem to be labelled correctly. I'll try to get a hold of a package and take pictures. There are lots of fake racquets sold in the smaller shops but they'll usually tell you since they sell both at different prices. I always thought shops would have a high markup in the US. For example my prescription frames in the US costed me $400 and here they're only $50 and completely legit. Oh well, even if they are fake they play pretty well for $8.

[goober]

Originally Posted by tamdoankc

I always thought shops would have a high markup in the US. For example my prescription frames in the US costed me $400 and here they're only $50 and completely legit. Oh well, even if they are fake they play pretty well for $8.

Prescription eyeglasses are the biggest racket in town (pun intended). $400 is an insane amount to pay. The frames cost them very little to make. Even $50 is a very nice profit.

But as for your orginal question- You may or may not be getting real RPM, but it doesn't matter that much if you like how the strings play. Products are priced to what the local population can afford. Medications have huge markups in the US, but the exact same medication made by the same company sells for 1/10 of the price in a 3rd world country because otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell it at all. Your $20 stringjob in the US is mostly due to labor( which will obviously be higher priced than in Vietnam). I buy my own syngut in reels mostly and it comes out to less than $2 per job.

[Woolybugger]

if you are happy with the strings, keep playing with them. Babolat strings in the US are all the same price no matter where I shop online. It's possible that Babolat gives deep discounts in Vietnam; I have no idea. Next time I'm in those parts I might look into the prices. Maybe pick me up a reel or two!

[Sander001]

Agree with goober. I don't see the profits from an $8 sale justifying the high costs of counterfeiting.

[Nuke]

Originally Posted by goober

Prescription eyeglasses are the biggest racket in town (pun intended). $400 is an insane amount to pay.

Got to America's Best, if you have one near you -- $70 for two pairs of glasses. http://www.twopair.com/ including the eye exam and follow-up adjustments! They will try to upsell you a bit, but if you stick to your guns, they will deliver at the 2-for-$70 price, and they're not bad at all in terms of available styles available at that price. You know they are still making a profit at that price, so all the other eye places are simply gouging.

I wear contact lenses on the tennis court, but I have several pairs of glasses from this place and am pretty happy, considering the prices at other places out there.

[TimothyO]

For labor in Atlanta it's generally $15 to $20. A guy in our neighborhood strings for $10.

Some shops combine the string cost and labor cost which means you're getting hosed unless you let them string. Others keep the prices apart so you can buy the string at a reasonable price and take it elsewhere or do it yourself.

Selection even at the biggest shops is very mainstream. Wilson, Babolat, Gamma, Luxilon, etc. None of the exotic stuff. Even the mainstream lines are limited to top sellers and finding 18g locally is nearly impossible.

[Vlad_C]

In Vancouver (Canada), labor is $10 at sport stores and all pro-shops.
I saw a guy on CL stringing for $8.
Too many stringers in town I guess.

Prince Synthetic Gut sells for $5 locally, but other prices are ridiculous. A large sports store chain is trying to sell Head C3 for $20 a pack (down from $40 last year!), when you can buy the same thing online for $2.75.

[Wuppy]

$0, b*tch! I string my own!! hahahahahhaa

[drgchen]

I think that the $8 RPM Blast is likely a fake. I don't use RPM (don't know packaging) but I can easily seen people color copying the Luxilon cardboard and putting a piece of cheap poly into the plastic bag, selling it as the real thing. For most average players the difference between strings is negligible anyhow.

I used to pay $12 labor in Detroit Michigan, the guys would string as I waited.

[topseed]

Here in the bay area. Tennis stores sell Synthetic Gut for $18-$20. Labor cost $10. Total will be $30 for a simple SG string. But if you have your own string, these stores will charge $20-$25.

[KoolTennisKid]

In my Area of SoCal labor is usually $12 and strings most of the time are the same price as listed online, so it's just the same price as TW but with an extra 12 bucks for labor.

[Prodigy1234]

$20 for PSGD at my local pro shop

[johndagolfer]

I only charge 14 for PSGD and 15 for typhoon 15 lightning. If they bring their strings I generally charge $10 delivered. I am getting slammed as of late and am thinking of raising my prices soon

[tamdoankc]

I also think little to no profit on string jobs here bring customer loyalty since there's so much competition. Everything else (racquets, grips, balls, etc) cost a little more than the US. The ironic thing is nike's and adidas' that are made in Vietnam cost more than the US. But no 6 month warranty.