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$450 for a School Bag?

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Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#31

Post by nostromo »

paxys wrote: post #4
metadat wrote: post #2

The article tries to articulate the value add through attention to detail in manufacturing "so the bags survive 6 years of rough and tumble ", but I'm not really getting it. What am I missing? I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day, walking and biking to middle school and highschool. It worked fine, in fact my dad still uses it (30 years later) to hold and…

The moment you add an aspect of culture and social pressure all economics goes out of the window. The bags cost $450 because it is the expectation that grandparents will buy an expensive school bag for their grandkids, that's it. Everything else ("it's handcrafted!", "it has 200 parts!", "it's durable") is reverse justification from there. It's the same as trying to figure out why a tiny piece of abundant rock costs…

Economists call these Veblen goods. The high price is the point and counter-intuitively increase demand since the goal is to display wealth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#32

Post by GuB-42 »

paxys wrote: post #4
metadat wrote: post #2

The article tries to articulate the value add through attention to detail in manufacturing "so the bags survive 6 years of rough and tumble ", but I'm not really getting it. What am I missing? I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day, walking and biking to middle school and highschool. It worked fine, in fact my dad still uses it (30 years later) to hold and…

The moment you add an aspect of culture and social pressure all economics goes out of the window. The bags cost $450 because it is the expectation that grandparents will buy an expensive school bag for their grandkids, that's it. Everything else ("it's handcrafted!", "it has 200 parts!", "it's durable") is reverse justification from there. It's the same as trying to figure out why a tiny piece of abundant rock costs…

It is actually cheaper than many luxury handbags that are not handcrafted, have less parts, and are less durable.

So yes, it is expensive because of tradition, but it is also a well made, practical item.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#34

Post by JohnBooty »

I'd love to know the relative environmental impact of buying:

1. A single high-quality $400 leather randoseru to last six years

2. A single high-quality $200-$400 ripstop nylon bag with high quality zippers, etc (essentially, GoRuck quality level) to last for life

3. Six years' worth of $50 Jansports that last maybe ~3 years each

4. Six years' worth of cheapass $15 Amazon Essentials level nylon bags that last ~1 year each under heavy daily use

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#36

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

kstrauser wrote: post #22
dmamills wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What am I missing? Likely a disrespect for a living wage for a common craftsman, and a misunderstanding of what quality goods actually are. Certainly a lot of kids here survived on cheap $25 jansports, but did the people making them?

It's not my moral duty to keep the makers of expensive bags employed. I mean, I do that anyway as a hobby, but I don't owe it to anyone.

But maybe the Japanese value some of their traditions and want to keep them alive. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#37

Post by dukeofdoom »

Seems like a great way to ensure money is spent within the local economy. The backpacks look amazing.

In Canada catholic high schools students still wear uniforms. The uniforms are made to last. And the Canadian company that makes them has been in business for 50 years.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#38

Post by GuB-42 »

metadat wrote: post #2

The article tries to articulate the value add through attention to detail in manufacturing "so the bags survive 6 years of rough and tumble ", but I'm not really getting it. What am I missing? I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day, walking and biking to middle school and highschool. It worked fine, in fact my dad still uses it (30 years later) to hold and…

> Today, kids in the U.S. don't even tote many (or any) books, most of the content and schoolwork takes place on a lightweight Chromebook that stays in the classroom.

Not in Japan, according to the article.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#39

Post by JohnBooty »

wraptile wrote: post #16
metadat wrote: post #2

The article tries to articulate the value add through attention to detail in manufacturing "so the bags survive 6 years of rough and tumble ", but I'm not really getting it. What am I missing? I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day, walking and biking to middle school and highschool. It worked fine, in fact my dad still uses it (30 years later) to hold and…

I enjoyed the article but like much of online content about Japan it comes off like obsessive fan service. Can you imagine carrying 1-2kg empty backpack with you every day? Just because something took long to make doesn't mean it's superior in production or quality or even perception. It's pretty, fashionable and the tradition is wholesome but that's where it ends. I got a free backpack with my new Thinkpad laptop re…

    I got a free backpack with my new Thinkpad laptop recently. 
    It's light, well designed, mass produced, easy to personalize 
    - would take this over the 450$ school bags any time of the year.
Just to be clear: you're using your freebie bag to carry a laptop and not 6kg/13lb of schoolbooks, correct?

Something tells me the answer is "yes" which kind of makes me wonder why you're mentioning it

Do you also drive around in a compact car and think "man this is so much better than a school bus" and pat yourself on the back every time you see a school bus

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#40

Post by paxys »

JohnBooty wrote: post #34

I'd love to know the relative environmental impact of buying: 1. A single high-quality $400 leather randoseru to last six years 2. A single high-quality $200-$400 ripstop nylon bag with high quality zippers, etc (essentially, GoRuck quality level) to last for life 3. Six years' worth of $50 Jansports that last maybe ~3 years each 4. Six years' worth of cheapass $15 Amazon Essentials level nylon bags that last ~1 year…

This isn't really the math. A $50 backpack from a decent brand will easily last 5-10 years under normal use. You aren't getting anything extra in terms of durability from the $400+ worth of exotic materials and handcrafting. It's a signal of social status, like any other piece of luxury fashion, but not much more than that.
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