Feather-light: Loh showing a stack of shuttlecocks at his shop in Bukit Dumbar. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Whether or not Malaysia can bring back the elusive Olympic gold medal in badminton from Paris, the sport will become costlier, even for casual players, with an expected hike in the price of shuttlecocks.Loh Eng Swee, 62, who operates a racquet shop in Bukit Dumbar, said a tube of shuttlecocks could be pricier by 10% to 20%.
He said the last price hike took place as recently as June, with popular ones now costing RM87 instead of RM76 a dozen.
“Just last month, we saw a price increase of between RM7 and RM11 for a tube of shuttlecocks of different brands.
“Shuttlecocks of famous brands, such as the ones that used to cost RM105 per tube, are now priced at RM120 (per tube).
“We will be getting new stock next month and we expect to face another price increase.
“The branded ones will cost even more,” he added.
Loh said some players have even started stockpiling ahead of the expected price hike.
“I have customers who bought up to 20 tubes.
“But for me, this is not advisable as shuttlecocks have a lifespan of just about two years before they turn yellow and degrade,” he said, adding that the price of racquets will also see an increase of between 10% and 15% in the coming months.
The increase in price of racquets is due to the weaker ringgit, said Loh.
“But the spike in price for shuttlecocks is due to the shortage of the feathers used to make them,” he added.
Penang Badminton Association president Datuk Kah Kau Kiak expressed concern that badminton is getting costlier by the day.
“Playing badminton now is expensive. The price of shuttlecocks will go up again next month.
“While shuttlecocks here will see a 10% to 20% increase in price, countries such as Taiwan and China will see about 30% increase, and India will be hit with a 40% increase,” he said.
Being a veteran in the sport, Kah advised casual players not to skimp on the cost of shuttlecocks.
“A good shuttlecock is durable and accurate, while poorly made shuttlecocks break easily.
“A dozen shuttlecocks that cost RM80 will be good enough.
“Surely, prices will increase next month. But there would be other brands (one can) choose from to stay within one’s budget.”
An avid badminton player, who wished to be known only as Neoh, 34, said each player would have to cough up an additional RM2 to RM3 for each session if the price of shuttlecocks goes up.
“Usually, we have between six and eight players sharing a two-hour session.
“The court rental is RM20 per hour and within the session, we would easily use up a tube of shuttlecocks that cost about RM100.“Imagine playing three times a week and after a few months, we have to restring the racquets and get a pair of new shoes.
“It’s getting expensive,” he said.
Several news reports have shown that the recent price increase for badminton shuttlecocks, primarily produced in China, is connected to the falling cost of pork.
The drop in pork prices has spurred on greater consumer demand, leading to fewer farmers interested in raising duck and geese, which in turn has driven up the cost of the feathers used in shuttlecocks.
Additionally, major brands have informed distributors that shuttlecock prices will rise due to escalating production costs.
