guys, you gotta understand the system. Its the system that causes prices to rise. That 1000 dollar board you buy is supporting possibly 3-6 livelihoods. The person that cuts or manufactures the raw materials, puts a 20% mark up on their products. The the board manufacturer puts a markup on the board that they manufacture, while other people like graphic designers and marketing people take a cut. The the brand buys the product and puts a markup and takes profit. Then they have a national distrubutor that then sells the boards to retailers at a markup, then the retailers sell the board to you at a mark up. Thats a LOT of marking up over the price of the original board. vut out the middle men and you will save money, and thats the bottom line.
ok, so what I did was buy a carbon board at the middle of this year. It was secondhand and was quite heavily scratched. I got it at a third of the price it would cost new. I spent a weekend sanding all the scratches out of the board. Then I sent it to a smash repairer to spray 4 coats of clear on it. It looks and rides magnificently! After a season of use it has developed a more scratches, so at the end of this season, I will re sand the board and have it clear coated again ready for next season. I already have an idea of the kinds of graphics that I want for next season, so can personalise my board the way I like it every season. It just costs me a weekend of sanding and 200 bucks for a really good paint job! Most boards that are manufactured now cannot be repaired or rejuvenated and still look good, so why spend so much money on them. Carbon fibre is still the ultimate material, and will be the ultimate material for many years to come. Look into brands like Newind, Carved, nomad etc and buy something that will last! You'll still spend over 1000 dollars, but it will last much much longer!