Complete Skateboard or Custom Build: Which Should You Buy?
The instinct is that building your own must be cheaper, or at least better. Neither is usually true, and the maths is not close.
Here is the honest comparison, including the part most shops leave out.
The short version
- First board: buy a complete. Not a compromise, the right answer.
- Cost: a complete is roughly half the price of the same parts separately.
- Complete from a real skate brand: $130 to $200, properly built.
- Mid range custom build: around $337 in parts.
- You build for specification, not savings.
- Build when you can name the deck width, trucks and wheels you want.
- Upgrading a complete piecemeal is the cheapest path to a custom setup.
- Under $80 is neither. That is a different product.
What we cover
The comparison · The real cost difference · Who should buy a complete · Who should build · Is a complete lower quality? · The third option · FAQ
Complete or custom, compared
| Complete | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $130 to $200 | $275 to $530 in parts |
| Ready to ride | Immediately | After assembly, about 45 minutes |
| Component choice | Chosen for you | Every part |
| Deck quality | Good from real brands | Whatever you choose |
| Set up correctly | Yes, out of the box | Depends who builds it |
| Best for | First boards, gifts, returning riders | Riders with formed preferences |
| Upgrade path | Replace parts as they wear | Already what you want |
The real cost difference
This surprises people, so here is the maths with real prices.
| Build | What goes in it | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Budget custom | Budget deck, entry trucks, basic wheels and bearings, grip, hardware | about $275 |
| Mid range custom | Pro deck, name trucks, quality wheels and bearings, grip, hardware | about $337 |
| Premium custom | Premium deck, forged trucks, top wheels and bearings | about $530 |
| Comparable complete | All of the above, assembled | $140 to $200 |
Prices current as at August 2026.
Why the gap exists. Brands assemble completes from components bought in volume, often their own or partner parts, and price the finished board as a package. Buying the same categories of part individually at retail costs roughly twice as much.
That is not a trick and the complete is not worse for it. It is simply how the economics work, and it means building your own is a decision about specification, not budget. Anyone telling you to build to save money has not done the sums.
Full skateboard cost breakdown
Who should buy a complete?
First-time buyers. Every single one. You do not yet know whether you prefer an 8.0 or an 8.25, whether you want steep or mellow concave, or whether you like your trucks loose. Paying double to choose things you have no opinion on is the wrong way round.
Anyone buying a gift. Guessing someone else's preferences and paying a premium for the privilege makes no sense.
Returning riders. If you skated years ago, boards have changed. Get a complete, ride it for a season, then build with current knowledge.
Kids. They will outgrow the size before they outgrow the components. A youth complete at $90 to $140 is exactly right.
Anyone on a budget. A $170 complete is a genuinely good skateboard. A $170 custom build is a compromised one, because you have had to cut corners on every component.
Who should build their own?
The test is simple. Can you name what you want and why?
- A specific deck width and concave, because you have ridden something and know what you prefer.
- Trucks you have used before and want again, or a height you need for your wheels.
- Wheels matched to your actual terrain, rather than whatever the complete came with.
- A specific graphic or brand you want to support. This is a perfectly legitimate reason and nobody should pretend otherwise.
- Replacing a worn setup where you already know what worked.
If you cannot fill in those blanks, you are not ready to build, and that is not a criticism. Preferences come from riding, not from reading.
Is a complete actually lower quality?
From a real skate brand, no. This is the myth worth killing.
A complete from an established brand uses a proper seven-ply maple deck, trucks that hold their shape, and wheels that roll. What you give up is choice, not quality. The components are matched sensibly for general use rather than optimised for your specific preferences.
Where you might notice a difference is at the margins: bearings on entry completes are often basic, and grip tape is sometimes thinner. Both are cheap to upgrade later, and neither stops you learning anything.
The genuine quality cliff is elsewhere. Boards under about $80, typically from department stores, use pressed multi-ply that delaminates, cast trucks that bend under an adult and wheels with no rebound. That is not a cheap complete, it is a different product, and it is the most common reason someone decides skateboarding is not for them within a fortnight.
The third option most people should take
Buy a complete, then upgrade it piece by piece as things wear out.
This is how most skaters actually end up with a custom setup, and it is the cheapest route to one. Bearings die, you buy better ones. Wheels cone, you replace them with the size and durometer you have decided you want. The deck goes, you choose a width based on a year of riding rather than a chart.
Within about eighteen months you have a fully custom board, you have spread the cost across several small purchases, and every choice was made with actual experience behind it. Nothing is wasted, because you were replacing those parts anyway.
The only thing you keep longest is the trucks, which is why they are worth buying well whenever you do replace them.
Complete vs custom FAQ
Is it better to buy a complete skateboard or build your own?
For a first board, buy a complete. It costs roughly half as much and arrives set up correctly. Build your own once you know which deck width, trucks and wheels you actually want, because that is what you are paying the premium for.
How much more does it cost to build a skateboard?
Roughly double. A mid range custom build comes to about $337 in parts against $130 to $200 for a comparable complete. Completes are assembled from components bought in volume and that saving gets passed on to you.
Are complete skateboards lower quality?
Not from real skate brands. A complete from an established brand uses a proper maple deck with trucks and wheels that work. What you give up is choice, not quality. Department store boards under about $80 are a different product entirely.
When should you build your own skateboard?
When you have a specific deck width and concave in mind, trucks you have ridden before, or wheels matched to terrain you actually skate. If you cannot name those preferences yet, you do not have anything to gain from building.
Can you upgrade a complete skateboard later?
Yes, and it is the sensible path. Every part is replaceable individually. Most riders start on a complete and replace pieces as they wear out or as preferences form, which spreads the cost and means you upgrade with knowledge.
Do you build custom skateboards in store?
Yes. Pick your deck, trucks, wheels, bearings and grip and we will build it at our Richmond store, including gripping it and setting the truck tension. Bring it back any time for adjustment at no charge.
We build boards at Richmond
If you do want a custom build, pick your parts and we will put it together at 435A Bridge Road, Richmond. We grip it, match the truck width to the deck, set the tension and adjust the axle nuts. Bring it back any time and we will tune it, no charge.
And if a complete is the right call for you, that is what we will say. Nobody on our floor works on commission, so there is no reason for us to talk you into the more expensive option.
Free shipping Australia wide on orders over $90. Call 03 9421 2293.
Keep reading: How to Choose a Skateboard · What Does a Skateboard Cost? · How to Set Up a Skateboard · Choosing a Deck · Beginner Checklist
Shop: Complete Skateboards · Decks and Parts · Bearings