Is paintball dying?!?
Printed From: Tippmann Paintball
Category: News And Views
Forum Name: Thoughts and Opinions
Forum Description: Got something you need to say?
URL: http://www.tippmannsports.com/forum/wwf77a/forum_posts.asp?TID=173445
Printed Date: 26 September 2025 at 11:18am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Is paintball dying?!?
Posted By: Barrakuda
Subject: Is paintball dying?!?
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 5:56pm
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What's goin on? I was surfing a bunch of old sites I used to buy from and they seem "dead". Countypaintball seems like it's not doing too well, their forums are rarely if ever used (I remember a few years ago it was the forum to go to). And I just went to visit xtremepaintball.com where I bought my first ever tippy 98 from and they are filing for bankruptcy... I personally haven't played paintball in about 4 years or so, in that 4 years has paintball started to go fade away? Anyone else got any thoughts or opinions that could enlighten me? |
Replies:
Posted By: Skillet42565
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 5:58pm
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We're in a definite rut right now. ------------- 
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Posted By: choopie911
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 5:58pm
| It's practically extinct. Latest research shows there's under 2500 players now. |
Posted By: WGP guy2
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 6:11pm
| Yea choop. I read that too, they're expecting there to be less than 500 players in the US by 2010. |
Posted By: jmac3
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 6:13pm
lol? That means we're all in Mass then... EDIT: But yeah, it is going downhill. I wouldn't say dying though. ------------- Que pasa? 
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choopie911 wrote:Posted By: Linus
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 6:28pm
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It's the whole money thing, paintball is a luxury and people only play it when they have disposable income.
Expect more to start playing when we get our $600 back in May (haha none for Canadians) ------------- 
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Posted By: Kristofer
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:08pm
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yeah until paintballs have a significant price drop, and the sport altogether drops in price i aint playing anymore. its just to damned expensive. also, PR needs improvement. some people still think its like crazy kids playing war to learn to kill.
EDIT: damn, i havent been to countypaintball in years. i didnt know they changed it to countysports. hell, reminds me of when Mike would post on these forums a lot. |
Posted By: TheWarHam
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:12pm
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Its because three quarters of the buyers are a bunch of dumb kids who buy cheap knockoffs of stuff to get "deals," and then kids who will pay anything for "quality." The market is dominated by one overpriced company and bunch of struggling competitors. Anyway, partially thanks to Al Gore, paintballs are expensive as hell.
------------- Indeedly |
Posted By: Linus
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:14pm
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That''s why some of us play stock class.
1 bag of paint for 1.5 months FTW. -------------
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Posted By: pntbl freak
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:19pm
? -------------  |
Posted By: TheWarHam
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:20pm
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Lets run cars on vegetable oil.
------------- Indeedly |
Posted By: Bolt3
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:22pm
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I played paintball when I was in middle school...
------------- <Removed sig for violation of Clause 4 of the New Sig Rules> |
Posted By: Thor
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:29pm
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I still do from time to time, but there has been a huge drop off in exposure and marketing. No monye to be made because people are tired of price gouging on paint. ------------- A second class drive is always better than a first class walk. |
Posted By: TheWarHam
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:31pm
------------- Indeedly |
Posted By: impulse!
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:40pm
Do you understand how cheap paint is now a days. It's way lower than 5 years ago. 10 years ago it was about $80 a case for ok paint. ------------- 
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Posted By: Linus
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:41pm
*sigh* -------------
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Posted By: pntbl freak
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:41pm
Click for story... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm - http://www.68caliber.com/features/editorials/story042045.php ------------- |
Posted By: impulse!
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:42pm
I lol'd -------------
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Posted By: Dye Playa
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:58pm
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I still play, not as much as I would like though, just too much money for paint, especially on fields where they just rape you.
------------- 
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Posted By: TheWarHam
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 7:59pm
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People are more sarcastic than me on a bad day. Thats weird. Oh and I thought it was 25000 subconsciously. Which is still a small number. My state probably has that much. ------------- Indeedly |
Posted By: X-51
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 8:02pm
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Paintball died for me when I found guns. Seriously since I've had the ability to purchase firearms and fell into habitual target practice I havn't put any money into paintball and have only played a max of four times in a year for the last three to five years. |
Posted By: benttwig33
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 10:11pm
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Haven't played in a year, local field near me had property issues and closed. ------------- Sig is WAY too big. |
Posted By: Tolgak
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 10:16pm
Damn right. ------------- 
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Posted By: Benjichang
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 10:19pm
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Yeah, it's way to expensive for me to afford right now. Maybe I'll pick up a Phantom and start playing again this summer.
-------------  irc.esper.net #paintball |
Posted By: oldsoldier
Date Posted: 13 February 2008 at 11:32pm
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One of the reasons I gave it up, cost, as well as physical condition.
5,000 bb's (13.50, a almost years supply) 1 battery recharge (almost free), a great day shootin people. ------------- 
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Posted By: DeTrevni
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 12:06am
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I've given up on airsoft. WAY too serious for me. My local "chapter" REQUIRES you to wear military-issue BDU's in order for you to play. Paintball is just so much more, well, lax, as it were. When you're out playing bushball or some goofy scenarios, everyone's out there to have fun, not just recreate a military condition. Plus, pump FTW. ------------- Evil Elvis: "Detrevni is definally like a hillbilly hippy from hell" 
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Posted By: carl_the_sniper
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 12:10am
True. Though I kinda wish airsoft was more legal here, I just couldn't see myself playing in an organized league. Too many idiots who think they are special forces and such. |
Posted By: Styro Folme
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 12:12am
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i don't play anymore. i wish i did, but i definitely cannot afford it. plus, i have other priorities right now. ------------- X |
Posted By: DeTrevni
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 12:15am
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Can't afford feeding a PGP or a Phantom? Wow. You must pump at like 30 BPS.
------------- Evil Elvis: "Detrevni is definally like a hillbilly hippy from hell"
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Posted By: Linus
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 12:42am
-------------
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Posted By: DeTrevni
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:06am
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I was pokin' fun at him. He's got a beautiful gold/orange acid washed Phantom, and a PGP. I don't even know if he has a semi...
------------- Evil Elvis: "Detrevni is definally like a hillbilly hippy from hell"
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Posted By: Kingtiger
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 3:53am
Look at those prices. This is why I love to go there. |
Posted By: Kristofer
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 5:41am
| even if paintballs dropped from 80 a box still to expensive for me. |
Posted By: Tical2.0
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 9:32am
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Im just waiting for the snow to go away. It just picking up with the group of people I hang out with. Linus- pffft 600 bucks in may... Im gettin 1200 so blah. ------------- 
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Posted By: Benjichang
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:08pm
------------- irc.esper.net #paintball |
Posted By: Linus
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:12pm
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Someone on SCP found a website selling BNIB Mavericks for under $80... I'll have to search for it.
-------------
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Posted By: Mehs
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:31pm
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I blame Special Ops promoting pointlessness.
------------- [IMG]http://i27.tinypic.com/1538fbc.jpg"> Squeeze Box ☣ |
Posted By: Evil Elvis
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:36pm
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I still play about twice a month or more when I'm not Iced in for the Winter. I find great paint prices near by and my local fields have stepped up and expanded and make constant improvemnet.
Guess I must the only lucky person on these boards. Thou I do have a good job and I set my prioroties right. So Spending $60 dollars in a case of paint and field fees of about Twenty Bones isnt really going to drive me into Bankrupcy. ------------- 
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Posted By: Reb Cpl
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:43pm
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I played about twice last year. One recball game and one organized scenario. I just didn't have the money for it. Every spare dime went to paying for a wedding. This year, with my pay raise, and having had things settle down a bit, I'm already making plans to hit West Point in the spring, as well as a few other games in the area. ------------- ? |
Posted By: procarbinefreak
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 1:48pm
| i've been playing more often than ever in the past year... now that my school has a team... |
Posted By: Snake6
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 2:59pm
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Posted By: MeanMan
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 3:21pm
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Eh, kind of. My cousin joined the National Gaurd recently, and i guess they put a bunch of Tippmann's new gun out by them and some specail ops stuff. He really wants to start playing with me and my friends again. His friends are thinking about it too. So, I guess they recruit some types of people, and drive away others. ------------- 
hybrid-sniper~"To be honest, if I see a player still using an Impulse I'm going to question their motives." |
Posted By: Reb Cpl
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 3:26pm
fixed. ------------- ? |
Posted By: a5Tpp789
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 3:40pm
their parents won't let them because spec ops builds the stereotype that we are wanna be soldiers and by the way I disagree with this whole topic because prices are dropping I mean look at the invert mini started at $500 and now you can get them online for around 340 -------------  if you put 500 dollars into an A5 it is still an A5
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Posted By: SSOK
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 7:35pm
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The economy is supposedly going into a recession, so that wont help. I know the only reason I keep playing is my SL... Does a recession=pump play? ------------- 
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Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 16 February 2008 at 1:38am
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Jesus, I get busy with the restaurant and see all the fun paintball talk I miss in T&O.
Anyway, here's why a lot of the online business you used to frequent a few years ago are all closing up shop.... you ready for this.... you sure?..... alright, here it comes. POOR effign business practices!!!!! While being an internet retailer means that there's a lot less overhead than a store-front when it comes to the cost of business, and that in turn makes it seem like you can get by with minimal mark-up and profit production, the simple fact of the matter is that you can't. None of the places out there with the exception of Action Village and I&I sports operate out of a large and established warehouse. Most of them are home-store operations that are run on the assumption that you can get an order in one day and order the product you need from the wholesaler or manufacture the next day. While that would minimize the need for warehouse space, you're operating on a very thin supply line and the moment the logistics get screwed up, you're done. Not to mention the fact that selling an item for little to no profit means that when the price on the items you're selling drop to closeout prices, you're stuck with whatever inventory you DO have with no way to sell it without taking a loss. Unless you are moving massive amounts of goods every day, you aren't going to make enough profit selling a marker you buy for $160 to a customer for $175 to keep you from taking a hit when prices drop. Add in the fact that paintball is the only sport in the world based completely around consumable products (which require disposable income) and the picture starts to fit together. Poor business practices + lowering MSRPs + economic downturn = bankruptcy. I can tell you that there are just as many people playing today as there were this time 2 years ago. The game/sport is nowhere near dying, it's just that the industry is based on putting out something new every single year these days, and those that can't keep up with that practice are dieing off. ------------- <Removed overly wide sig. Tsk, you know better.> |
Posted By: procarbinefreak
Date Posted: 16 February 2008 at 1:52am
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tallen's right about the online businesses... county paintball sucked... sure, it carried some names and brands, but my god they didn't have a lot of stuff... for soft goods, they only carried what... redz? and maybe some empire stuff? it sucks, but because he didn't have a huge supply/warehouse, it's all they could do. I used to buy all my stuff from county, but when i started getting higher end gear, he just didn't have the things i needed. |
Posted By: RoboCop
Date Posted: 16 February 2008 at 7:44am
| County is so behind that I don't even bother. Many times the price is higher there too. |
Posted By: oldsoldier
Date Posted: 16 February 2008 at 9:09am
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Running an internet business is very differant. I just do airsoft upgrades, repairs and rebuilds and inventory is a killer. I stock the high turnover items as a norm, but if something comes in out of the norm turnaround time from parts order, to recieving, to repair to mailback can be up to a month. Not a good bussiness practice. My prices are lower than many since it is a hobby more than a business basically a less the 5% profit. Both paintball retailers in Lincoln priced themselves out of business, as internet took volumn from them prices rose, to keep afloat thier field prices also rose and field only paint prices put the nail in the coffin. The one went to airsoft and paintball and I am doing thier repairs and upgrades, and his business practices so far I would call questionable. I average 10-25 guns per week, mainly upgrades, and once season starts should see an increase.
Not to start an arguement, the airsoft days friday night/saturday average 45-150 per day, paintball sunday maybe 15. $15.00 airsoft enterence fee and $30.00 paintball that in itself is indicative of the problem here. He stocks on .20 bb's, and at $13.00 for 5000 his sales per person will average to bi-annual sale per player. As the black gas (co2) guns come more into the market may get a bit of gas sales, but batteries are usually bought online and charged at home. Many here just cannot afford paintball here as charged so it essentially died. -------------
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Posted By: a5Tpp789
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 8:47pm
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although you may disagree airsoft is more about the gun you have than
paintball because the more expensive airsoft guns are the faster they shoot (Fps) were as paintball is more based on skill ------------- if you put 500 dollars into an A5 it is still an A5
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Posted By: Evil Elvis
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 9:25pm
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Airsoft is for LAMOS anyway. -------------
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Posted By: High Voltage
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 9:35pm
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I haven't played in years. Too much money to be invested in something lame.
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Posted By: RoboCop
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 9:38pm
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When I go to local tournaments, there are a good number of teams that come out. I blame cold weather right now for it being so slow. I haven't had practice in awhile. This year, it's all about the X-ball. |
Posted By: impulse!
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 9:44pm
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Support your local shops. They are the ones that are there for you. When you need something in a pinch and can't wait for shipping.
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Posted By: Boss_DJ
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 2:09am
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i havent played in quite some time but im gonna try to get back into it this summer...i just find it so hard to justify spending that much on paint and play time when that could be used for other things...then again it pays for a fun day...
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