Anyway the Vibrams FF are made in China - probably in a sweat shop. The real ones, not the fakes. I really wonder if the 'fakes' aren't even made in the same factories. Maybe as this all gets more mainstream the prices will come down.

That's a good point about vff. I really hope prices do go down in the near future cause I have a bit of a problem when it comes to buying running shoes. I can't seem to stop.

In the beginning, prices are high because it is a niche product with small companies and low production runs. Prices will probably come down a bit in time, but it will have to probably hit a pretty big scale before we will see that happen... but I could be wrong.

I kinda understand how a shoe like the VFF's could cost as much as a regular running shoe. Especially when you figure in any extra sewing time for all the toe pockets....But what I don't understand is when I see a pair of flipflop style sandals selling for the same price or more then a regular pair of shoes....I mean come on, I don't care what brand name you stamp on them, one is nothing but a rubber or leather sole with a couple of straps to kinda hold them on, versus the other, which has far more time and materials involved in its creation, yet they both cost the same or in some cases the sandal is more....I don't get that at all.

The price of shoes has little to do with the manufacturing cost. Marketing, advertising, shipping, and the profits of all the middlemen are the reason shoes cost what they do. The actual cost between a minimalist shoe and the most advance non-minimalist shoe is virtually zero.

My thoughts:

1) Suppy and Demand - Right now demand far outweighs suppy. Businesses will charge as much as they can get for a product. That's capitalism.

2) A lot of the shoe companies, even "minimalist" companies, are approaching minimalist R & D using the same model used to develop traditional shoes. They are battling to become the minimal brand that has the pre-eminint "minimalist technology". So they are spending a lot for R & D, and a lot for advertising to promote their technology. This drives shoe price up. AND if they successfully capture the perception that they are the "BEST", they will charge as much extra as they can (think Nike). Of course this is all bullshit. Minimalist shoes are by definition zero-technology. We do not want or need anything but a thin, hard, simple rubber sole, some effective way to keep the rubber on our feet, and if an enclosed shoe, enough room to allow all the midfoot/forefoot/toe motion that we have when barefoot.

3) As stated above, new product, relatively small production runs, U.S. based manufacturing is more expensive.

4) In the special case of VFF, perhaps the manufacturing process is significantly more expensive.

My reaction: We should not buy expensive minimalist shoes. We should do everything possible to communicate to manufacturers that we do not want their technology, and will not pay for it. BUT, that we will happily pay a fair price for simple minimalist footwear of all varieties: Hurraches, Sandals, Dress Shoes, Winter Shoes, Hiking Shoes, Basketball Shoes, etc.

The big shoe companies will resist this like crazy. They make their money by charging a lot for useless footwear "technology", and then they use their Brand name to sell lots of other gear.

If we keep supporting the companies who give us EXACLY what we want, the prices will slowly come down. Eventually they will be much cheaper than regular shoes/sneakers because the materials will be cheaper, and R & D will be eliminated.

Eventually, minimalist footwear will become a commodily, like white undershirts. Sure you can pay $100 for a gucci undershirt. It may even be slightly better quality. But for $10 you can get a 3-pack of Hanes which are great too.