Would anyone know a good place to purchase badminton equipment in Portland, Oregon? Mostly interested in racquets.
But Vancouver has this wonderful new thing called HST (Holy Sh*t Tax) while Portland has no such nonsense!
But on rackets, it is still 12% tax, ie. HST=GST+PST... so no change! HST only affects services, eg. restaurants, commercial rent, accountants/lawyers fees, court rentals, etc. So these now cost 7% more, because previously they were only subject to GST.
Yes I am aware of that, no change for racquets, it sucked back then too! Let's stay on topic please! Racquets, Portland, Oregon... anyone?
You need to request which specific racket model you want from their Pro Shop (Li-Ning, Yonex Or Head) http://www.portlandbadmintonclub.com/shop_li_ning.php
Meaning, which specific model (Yonex, Li-Ning, Or Head) that you want. If it's Yonex do you want an ArcSaber, Nanospeed, Armortec etc...you get what I mean... Google is also your friend.
Oh I think I get you... you meant in general, I should be stating what brand and model of racquets I was looking for. Not particularly from that club, but any place. Is that right? I'm partial to Yonex racquets as I'm most familiar with them, but would also be interested in taking a look at Li-Ning, and perhaps even Victor. I have no clue what the Li-Ning and Victor offerings are like other than what I've seen on their websites. Yonex, I'm interested in Arc Saber Z-S, 10, 9, and Nanospeed 9900. Haven't decided which ones of those I want yet.
Google was the first thing I hit but all I came up with was mostly health clubs that didn't even have badminton, or stores that seemed to specialise in racquet sports other than badminton. That Portland badminton club you linked was the only one that actually advertised they sold badminton racquets. So I figured some Portland locals may be able to help... they must have bought their racquets some where right?
If stores are small and don't carry loads of rackets, you can request for a specific model & they will try to get it for you and quote you a price. Hmm..not exactly sure where they get there racquets from but yes! Maybe a supplier, another shop, etc... Those models you listed are in the high end range for the Yonex models, so your mostly paying at least $200. Most stores/online shops I know offer free stringing because if your buying those types of models you wouldn't want to pay an additional for stringing + labour on top of the racket price. Get what I mean? I noticed also your located in Vancouver. Why not shop around there, I'm sure there are local club shops/online shops/stores that will cut you deals on rackets/strings/bags etc...(Even with the HST Bullcrap) Google is also your friend http://www.yumo.ca/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=4
Sorry just to add. Have you looked at the Buy & Sell forum? They have some great deals there(Bought my ArcSaber 8DX from there) There's a great deal on the NS 9900 and he's shipping to Canada http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?153-Buy-amp-Sell
Visit the Li Ning Store at Portland, Oregon http://www.freshnessmag.com/2010/02/17/li-ning-store-portland-or-launch-event/ Li Ning Sports USA 910 NW Hoyt St., Portland, OR, 97209 Ph: (503) 575-7332 http://www.li-ningusa.com/where-to-buy.php?sport=Cat_BM&State_Prov=OR
I didn't think it was a big deal, but maybe I should clarify why I'd be looking at equipment so far from my home. I'm familiar with the local shops here, and just thought I'd take a look around at what Portland had to offer in terms of badminton equipment since I'd be in the area (family vacation). It's like shopping while you're in another city, many do it even though they can buy similar items where ever they're from. Some times there are better deals, or shopping for fun, or some times it's just an excuse to spend money. Buying a racquet down there certainly isn't a priority, nor why I'm there. It started out as curiosity, and then after some Google searches I wondered why there were no shops listed at all that sold badminton equipment so I asked here. Clue - Thanks for all your input. I'll hopefully get a chance to check out the Portland badminton club as it seems new, and check out their pro shop while I'm there. Sealman - Thank you, perfect response, +1 to you! That store looks very cool, and I will definitely make an effort to check it out. Always wanted to see the quality of their gear first hand as the styling is quite nice.
I have a Yonex 3rd generation Ti-10 2U G5 and a Victor SuperWave 31 3U G2 (G5 in Yonex lingo) for sale. Both are used.