What is the most profitable business in Paintball?

[luke]

A question for those who know......
Where would one make the best money in the Paintball industry?
Manufacturing
Retail
Retail w/field?

[irbodden]

I am assuming companies like WGP and WDP are some of the most profitable in the bussiness.

Small manufacturers and fields make next to nothing, I know alot of the fields I played at back home, the owners have lost money running it since before they can remember..

[kosmo]

Real Estate

[Bolter]

McDonalds burger cartons.

[booyah]

scenario feild owners.

i was talking to the guy who owns hell survivors in MI... at the monster game they raked in a profit of nearly 500k.

they own the land, they had 5k people there(20 bucks ahead) they had a 40 dollar per case paint profit (60 bucks for a case of zap) and the fills were a HUGE profit since they own the compressors... a fill card was 25 bucks for about 5 good fills...

they run scenario and big games all the time and make a bundle

do the math, say half the folks who paid entry bought paint (2500*40=100,000) where they really average over a case per player plus the entry (5000*20=100,000) plus camping fees for folks who stay on their land (like 50 a head)

[manike]

Paint.

Manufacturing and selling.

[tony3]

I do know, last june, challenge park had over 200k booked in private games

[luke]

Manike,
In reguard to paint sells, is it from the manufacturing or retail point of view?
Also, in what order would you put the three I listed?

[Kevmaster]

after working in it for a year and a half. two groups get screwed: Fields, Manufacturers. ONE Group gets money: DISTRIBUTOR. National Paintball, PMI/RPS. The guys who sell to all the fields make the money.

Exception though, is that the largest company is likely Brass Eagle, although nobody else publishes their financials, I cant believe NPS posts net profits around $10M per year

But as Tom always says, dont get into the business to make money, you wont

[fcpchop]

it kinda sux that TK doesn't make so much money like other paintball companys exspecialy since he has the best company

[Kevmaster]

oh..of your three:

manufacturers
store w/ field
store

stores alone dont make money for the most part, as most of the money comes from paint sales...and most fields are going byop

[BajaBoy]

Paint and Big fields. (Aka Skirmish usa is swimming in the money)

[Fred]

gotta be the distributor, then the paint makers...

you might do ok if you can get enough customers at a store, but you won't make it big unless you can also have a successful field.

Even Exotic Sportz had to close one shop IIRC, and they own Hell Survivors.

[magman007]

2 biggest moneymakers are Barrels, and Paint. Those bring in the most money.


I was speaking with tom, and he said if he could do it all over again, he would have just made barels. they are the easiest to make, and to make them well is not hard either

[snoogans]

I'd have to say tanks, like nitro and co2 because you absolutely have to use them so the demand is high. that's why they are usually pretty expensive.