There are two groups of people who type “skateboard shop near me”:
- Comparing prices, product’s specifications, and reviews
- Finding a reliable place where you can cop a favorite skateboard right away rather than waiting for days or weeks to get it as an online purchase
Whichever group you are, if this is your very first time purchasing a skateboard at an offline shop, here is my sharing of a few must-known things that I wish somebody told me beforehand.
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Table of Contents
How much does a skateboard cost?
Actually, there’s no exact answer to this question because it’s influenced by many factors:
- The brand you intend to buy a skateboard from
- What is the material of each skateboard’s component? (The higher the quality, the more expensive)
- The type of your desired skateboard
- Extra components enclosed in the package (Such as risers and stickers)
If your choice is a skateboard from some famous high-end brands, like Sector 9 and Santa Cruz, the price will be within $100 to $200.
Contrast to the number of high-end brands, the medium range occupies a large market share with many well-known brands, like Sk8mafia, Baker, Bamboo Skateboards, Element, Powell-Peralta, and Birdhouse. Price within $35 to $65.
And lastly, is the cheap range. On Walmart, you can even find a full-assembled skateboard priced only $12 to $15.
However, I don’t recommend choosing the cheap ones whether you just skate for fun or intend for a serious skateboarding career. Within this price range, it’s hardly possible to ensure quality.
See also: Top 15 Best Electric Skateboards
The adage “You get what you paid for” is relatively true in skateboards. However, there are still some exceptions:
- The huge brands provide sale off on the old models before releasing a new line. The discount is sometimes even up to 35%. Really a big deal!
- You buy skateboard’s components separately and make a custom.
If you aren’t in a hurry of buying a skateboard, just wait until the sale-off seasons, like Black Friday, or else, spending efforts and time to custom one with more affordable price. (It’s in case you’re in a tight budget).
How to choose the best skateboard shop?
There are three common options when choosing a skateboard shop, which depends mostly on your preference and budget:
- Purchase from a shop that sells different brands (Plan A)
- Go to a particular skateboard brand’s shop directly (Plan B)
- Find independent skateboard makers (Plan C)
If you’re in a tight budget and love customizing a skateboard on your own, Plan A and Plan C seem to be more suitable for you.
As far as Plan A goes, here are some of my suggestions: SKATE games, Tony Hawk, EMillion Skateboards, and Quasi Boards.
Plan C is suitable for heavy riders as they will design a custom skateboard to withstand and work well with your bodyweight. Also, some professionals prefer this option to have the best board matching their skateboarding style.
If you’re beginners who have no idea of how to assemble a skateboard, plus, your budget is on the table, Plan B will be more convenient.
Other than that, there are some shops selling used boards for those who don’t tend to pay much on a skateboard but still want it to be high-quality.
Whichever you go to, here are some basic must-consider elements to find out which is worth a visit:
- Do they the product(s) you’re looking for?
- Customer reviews: I will depend on the stars ranked on each shop as well as read customer feedbacks about them.
- Do they offer a live chat? (In case you want to check if your desired skateboard is still available in their store or not?
- Which is the nearest?
- Do they offer a satisfaction guarantee?
Then, when at the shop, I will consider these four things to figure out whether it’s really a good store or not:
Positive atmosphere
- Do they give me a free catalog?
- Are staffs polite to me?
- Is customer service helpful?
- Are they knowledgeable about skateboards to help me pick the right one or they just focus on driving me to the most expensive product?
- How do they package the skateboard for customers to bring home?
How the products are displayed in the store
- Are they well displayed?
- Are they in good maintenance? (No dust on the skateboard, no signs of deforming, discoloring, or wearing down)
After checking into those listed questions above, if my feeling about that shop is good, I will consider a purchase.
But what if there isn’t a skateboard shop near me?
Not everyone is lucky enough to live near a skateboard shop. Or the ones near you don’t offer the item you are looking for or aren’t good enough to worth your purchase. In that case, there are still some backup options.
Consider buying a skateboard online.
You should prioritize the well-known brands’ official website. Consider their provided guarantee and warranty in case the customers aren’t satisfied with their products. Also, don’t forget to look for their shipping policy.
Or, those giant e-commercial websites like Amazon are also worth a try. Their warranty is good as well. Not saying that oftentimes, they offer many discounts, which is a good choice for beginners.
In Conclusion
Truth to say, I’d been through many failures when finding a good skateboard shop nearby as well as spending much “stupid” money during my beginning time. That’s the biggest reasons I want to share all of my experience for other novice riders to pick the best one with as fewer risks as possible.
I hope my sharing is helpful to you. Thanks for reading!
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