Regardless of how long you’ve been skating, it’s safe to say that Zumiez is one of the first stores you think of when it comes to skateboarding. With 698 different stores worldwide, Zumiez is undoubtedly one of the biggest skateboard shops around. So the question becomes, why do people hate on Zumiez, and are the skateboards they sell actually good?
Zumiez carries 50+ of the most popular skateboard brands, selling skateboard decks, trucks, wheels, hardware, and other skate accessories. For beginner skaters especially, Zumiez has some of the most consistent and widest arrays of selection compared to other skate shops.
So with that in mind, Zumiez might sound like a no-brainer. However, there are a lot of people in the skate community who refuse to buy skateboards from them. Does this mean that Zumies skateboards aren’t as good as they seem?
Well, not quite.
Are Zumiez Skateboards Good?
Zumiez doesn’t actually sell “shop” skateboards that are Zumiez brand. Instead, Zumiez acts as a sort of a distributor of other reputable skateboard brands in the industry. That means that the skateboards you buy from Zumiez are the same quality as any other skateboard you’d find at another skate shop. At the end of the day, both shops are getting the same product.
So assuming you’re getting a good brand of skateboard, you’re guaranteed to get a good board from Zumiez. Although it’s better to support local and buy from your local skate shop, Zumiez isn’t a bad option.
Zumiez often has comparable pricing to other local skate shops. When I compare different decks, trucks, and wheels between Zumiez and my local shop, many things are similar in price, typically within a few dollars of each other. The biggest difference I notice is that Zumiez tends to have better sales and clearance items over local shops.
This is mainly due to the “Walmart Effect” of having more supply between more stores. Therefore allowing them to sell some products for slimmer margins than a locally-owned shop.
Zumiez was the first place I ever bought a skateboard and I continued to go there for years early on in my skating. I’ve always been happy with the boards I’ve got there, but the staff insight can be hit and miss. So if you’re a total newbie, it would be worthwhile doing some research on decks before walking into Zumiez.
Otherwise, you might be asking a staff member questions about a new board who knows just as much as you do.
How Much Does A Skateboard Cost At Zumiez?
So yes, Zumiez is a great option for buying a skateboard; but how expensive is it? Let’s break down the average cost of a complete versus a custom setup.
– For A Complete
A complete board is a skateboard with prebuilt components that’s essentially ready to skate. These are better options for beginners since it gives you a decent quality board, for significantly cheaper than building one from scratch. The only downside to completes is that the trucks, wheels, and bearings are typically of lower quality. Luckily most beginners can’t really tell the difference.
The average complete on Zumiez Online costs $99.95, however, they can go for as cheap as $70 or up to $110 on the expensive side. Depending on if you can find a complete clearance, you might score an even cheaper price in-store.
– For A Custom Board
Now a custom board is when you choose a deck, trucks, wheels, etc. all individually. This allows you to customize your setup to something that’s more suited to your style of skating.
Let’s break down the averages of the different parts you’d need to build a board:
- Deck: $60
- Trucks: $27 each ($54 for a set)
- Wheels: $33
- Bearings: $25
- Hardware: $2
- Grip tape: $7
Total Average Cost To Build A Custom Setup At Zumiez: $181
Is Zumiez More Expensive Than Local Skate Shops?
Now with the average price of complete and custom boards from Zumiez, how does that compare to a local skate shop?
Since every skate shop will have slightly different prices, take these numbers with a grain of salt. I’m basing this off of the prices I could find at the Zumiez in the mall near me, versus the local skate shop down the street.
Depending on where you live these prices may vary. The percentages below are compared products in CAD, converted into USD.
- Completes were 18% cheaper at my local skate shop compared to the average price of Zumiez completes. There were some outliers at Zumiez that were the same price or cheaper than the ones at the local shop. The average cost of a complete at the local shop was $112 while the average complete at my local Zumiez was $135.
- Skateboard decks were 10% cheaper at Zumiez compared to my local skate shop with the average deck costing $80 at the local shop, and $72 at my local Zumiez.
- Trucks were 24% cheaper at Zumiez compared to my local skate shop with the average set of trucks (2 trucks) costing $102 at my local shop, compared to $80 at Zumiez.
- Wheels were 6% cheaper at Zumiez compared to my local skate shop when comparing one of my favorite sets of wheels, the Spitfire F4 Classics. At Zumiez, they cost $47 while they cost $50 at my local skate shop.
- Bearings were 0.1% cheaper at Zumiez compared to my local skate shop when comparing Bones Reds bearings.
As for grip tape and hardware, the differences are marginal (like with bearings) making them basically the same price at both shops.
So using these numbers from the prices I found at my local shops, you can see it’s likely cheaper to buy a complete at a local shop compared to Zumiez by quite a margin. However, it’s more cost-effective to build a skateboard at Zumiez if you wanted to get it all done in one place.
– Should You Only Shop At Zumiez Since It’s Cheaper?
Now does this mean I would only shop at Zumiez?
Well, no.
Although brand name decks are typically cheaper at Zumiez, this doesn’t take into account shop decks that local skate shops sell. These shop-branded decks are usually 40%+ cheaper than a brand name deck from the same place, making the local shop cheaper to buy a deck from than Zumiez.
I’ll then buy my bearings, grip tape, and hardware from the local shop too since they are basically the same price at Zumiez.
Then I’ll pop over to Zumiez to grab my trucks and wheels to finish off my setup.
All skaters are keen on supporting local shops to keep them in business, including me. These shops tend to do a lot within the community and are great advocates for local skateboarders. However, a tough crossroads is met when you want to support local shops, get a new skateboard, but also save as much money as you can.
That’s why I would suggest seeing what options you can find at your local shop for a comparable or cheaper price to Zumiez. Things like shop decks, bearings, grip tape, and hardware are great ways to save money while still supporting the local skate scene where you can.
Do Skaters Hate Zumiez?
Some skaters dislike Zumiez due to what the company represents as a corporate entity. Many skaters feel that as a corporation, Zumiez exploits the skate industry for profits without giving back to the local skate communities they have stores in. That’s why many skaters prefer to shop at local shops.
This all comes down to your personal view of business ethics, and how you see Zumiez fit in the skate industry. Since skateboarders have long been against big business and corporate overlords, Zumiez does go against the beliefs of most skaters. So even though they may offer better deals in some cases, skaters will gladly pay a bit more at a local shop to put their money in a more meaningful place.
Ultimately the argument to hate on Zumiez is purely subjective. It’s a similar situation to why some people only shop at local supermarkets instead of Walmart, despite paying more money. They want to put their money in a place more closely tied to the community and not a faceless corporation.
What Are The Best Skateboard Brands At Zumiez?
Now at this point, you know that Zumiez sells some awesome skateboards, carrying just about any brand you can think of. In fact, there are over 50 different skateboard deck brands to choose from in Zumiez online store. Choosing the best brand is something that’s pretty hard to do without giving an explanation of each one. Luckily I broke down the top 22 best skateboard brands in another post to help point you in the right direction.
Happy Shredding!
Brendan 🙂
