With a failing global economy and an increase in “fast retail” where the focus lies more on cost over quality, many fishing enthusiasts are questioning labels, their prices and ultimately their products. Japan has always been known for their high standards, but unfortunately is no exception to the aforementioned doubts. So does the country have justification for what they put out, or will we see an end to “high fishing lures” from the Far East? There are a few underlying factors and examples that may help shed some light on this matter.

We have manufactured fishing baits for around 15years. Our aim is to be the best quality manufacturer in this area. So before the year 2020, we go to the fishing tackle show in Japan every year to study them.

After such a long time observed and study, we think we find out some reasons why the price of Japanese brands could be so high!

• Pursue the ultimate refinement and perfection in craftsmanship.
• Pursuing advanced technology to the point of paranoia.
• Not good at industrializing scientific research results.
• A large amount of Japanese spending on research and development affects the competitiveness of products.
• Over-polishing of details caused their products to lose the ability to iterate quickly.
• Gambling on the track and protecting the result led to the inability to form an industrial chain, and the industrialization of new products could not be completed.
• Choose unorthodoxly raw materials.

Generally, we think with wholesale prices reach as low as 25%-35% of the item’s “in-store to the customer” price. This would ultimately break down to approximately 30% of the sale going to the cost of the lure, 30% to the brand, and 40% to the store.
Now, let’s explain the 30% part for making a lure. After all, we only know this area. Let’s discuss if it is really necessary to pay this 30%? We all know, a product famous or successful on the market first should be used and accept by a huge qty of people. This means to make a product, you not only need to think about how to make 0 to 1, but you also need to think about how to make 1 to 100,1000,10000,100000 …and even more. During the qty bigger and bigger, many of the cost could be share and this cause the price of each item becomes reasonable.

The inability to form an industrial chain for a fishing lure is the most reason for the high price. The Japanese pursued advanced technology to the point of paranoia, they spend a large amount of money on research and development and test and advertisement. The wool comes from sheep, how much they spend in the development period, how much they need to ask back from the anglars, their customers! If they can sell 100,000 or a million, maybe that’s not a big number. Unfortunately, they do not have the ability to mass-produce this scientific and technological achievement. So when you pay 25 USD on a fishing lure, only 1-3 USD for the lure itself, 2-5 USD for transport, 5 USD for the cost of research and development and test and advertisement, then the profile for every seller…

High prices reduce competitiveness, and cause high costs, and cause high prices again…There is no way out of the vicious circle， except the high prices.

Japanese also have a bad habit, when they find out something, they refused to share it. Sometimes this habit may hinder technology development until it falls behind. An easy example to help you understand easier, in the field of new energy vehicles, Toyota first started research and development, and their direction is hydrogen energy vehicles. Of cause, it seems 100% better than what tesla works on. But we know, no matter hydrogen or lithium, if you want the car could run to every, “oil” station must stand on everywhere. So Tesla shares their research on lithium batteries, to help more companies begin in this field. Only enough cars need the new “oil ” station, the new station could be thought to build. Only people no need to worry about where to add new “oil”, they will think of to buy a new car. So now, you see what happened. Tesla has succeeded with their new energy cars for years, but Toyota still stops on the point to protect its reach result.

In our fishing lure area, this condition is also there. Although the Japanese find good points on casting, on action or anything else, but they refused to share, so this new result could not be industrializing scientific research results. If a new item could not form an industrial chain, and the industrialization of a new product could not be completed, how to say reduce the cost? Of cause, the Japanese over-polishing of details caused their products to lose the ability to iterate quickly is also a reason cause their items could not be industrialised in time.

In the past, we also say the Japanese pursued the ultimate refinement and perfection in craftsmanship causing the cost higher. You must believe that a lure makes in ultimate refinement and perfection in craftsmanship must be finished by those young, energetic, knowledgeable workers. They are free to think on their own and indifferent to the desperation of a minimum wage salary. Their salary must be higher than the workers within the production line whose goal is to execute one single task over and over again until their shift ends. Finally, one must keep in mind that the wages for workers in Japan are incomparable to those of Chinese or Indian workers, which in the end again goes into cost. But see my picture, after the Japanese also make lures in China, I don’t think workers’ salary is the reason. More profits maybe are the reason to instead this point.

Last reason, I think is for raw material. Also, take an example for you to understand easier, we are already familiar with the use of leather from cowhide, but the Japanese have consistently found the fabric from more unorthodox animals; such as deer, elk and even antelope. Such animals may be hard to find and acquire, so the higher raw material cost, before making something the raw material must be maintained properly during the process, rear material may ask for rear oil or treatment, the higher cost again… and afterwards must undergo intense testing to pass all quality control standards, of which may take more time and consideration for rare materials not often used due to their lack of documentation. the higher costs again and again. But must we really use these rear materials? This is the point we need to think about carefully. Does it necessarily? Does our payment reasonable?

Take half of minute, take a review of our lures, and maybe you will find a way to save money.