Zazzle now lets you create custom skateboards
(Credit:
Zazzle)
On-demand retail site Zazzle launched on Wednesday its Custom Skate Shop, selling both pre-designed and custom skateboards.
It's the most "niche" product that the company has offered so far--Zazzle got its start selling t-shirts, posters, mouse pads, and the like.
It's the latest move that Zazzle has made to draw in the action sports community, which has strong ties to underground art and design as well as customization--and the need for gear. The company recently launched a division called Artsprojekt in collaboration with artist and former pro skateboarder Andy Howell. It's an outlet for edgy new artists and brands to put up a presence and sell their art through Zazzle.
The manufacturing process used to make Zazzle skateboards has a patent pending; the boards' decks are made of seven-ply North American maple, and pricing starts around $60.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
