A 40% price hike for badminton shuttlecocks in China is linked to the lower cost of pork. What’s the deal?

SINGAPORE: Mr Chow Zhengyang is not having a smashing good time on the badminton court.

“I can’t afford to play anymore,” said the frustrated 28-year-old Malaysian who has been studying in Beijing for 15 years, and plays badminton at least twice a week for leisure and to socialise.

Shuttlecocks are the reason. Prices have shot up, forcing him to spend an additional 180 yuan (US$24) a month on them, compared to his usual 280 yuan expenditure before the pandemic.

“I have been using RSL No 5 shuttlecock. It was 70 yuan before the pandemic, increased to 80, then 90, and now it’s 115 yuan,” complained the fresh graduate.

Shuttle prices in China have gone up by over 40 per cent in the past six months for some brands, sparking plenty of online talk and complaints in a country of 1.4 billion people where badminton is arguably seen as a national sport.

Industry sources told CNA that price hikes in goose and duck feathers are a key factor. They are used in feather shuttlecocks, which are by far the preferred choice compared to their synthetic counterparts.

But this has also been linked back to declining pork prices, highlighting the interconnectedness of supply chains and the knock-on effects due to disruption or change.

At least three badminton companies, Yonex, RSL and Ling-Mei, issued notices at the end of June notifying distributors that shuttlecock prices would be raised due to increased production costs. CNA has seen these notices.

One popular model, the Yonex AS-05, was 210 yuan in February and has now increased to 275 yuan, a 30 per cent increase. 

Other shuttle models now cost more as well - some by over 40 per cent - after the companies made price adjustments in April and June.

Staff from Shenzhen-based Chaopai Sporting Goods, a