saya pricing

Why is there such a big difference between each makers sayas, one says 15,000 Yen ,the other says 2500 and another says its free,and its just Standard ho wood what's up with this pricing ?

there are a variety of quality levels out there, and also, companies buy in different quantities, which effects the bottom line. Some choose to incorporate this into the price, while others partially subsidize the cost, and yet others choose to pass on the entire cost. Also, different regions employ different saya makers (some with more companies as options and others with less). All of these things effect price.

Yea that makes Sense, Cheers j for clearing that up So there is different qualities of ho wood to justify the price differences.
When Bearing in mind all other variables you just mentioned.

not so much in wood, but in the craftsmanship and fit and finish... i.e. machine made vs. entirely hand made or a basic finish vs. a well sanded and shaped finish

O.k now i get the picture cheers bro.

One more.... how can you tell who will have the handmade and who will have machine Made its a guessing game
Unless you ask them outright,and of course you would not want to disrespect them .

i would bet that most people wouldnt even know that far to be honest... they just buy sayas from the saya company for the most part... and the truth is, almost none of it is entirely machine made... i would venture to say 99% have some hand done aspect

From what I've seen $30 seems to be a regular price for standard ho wood saya.