A New Low (High).

[alaskanpiper]

Well. Party’s over. Our local B&M was an Esoterica Oasis for some time with lots of blends usually available. Although expensive due to AK tobacco tax, they were almost always there and not TOO heinous price-wise. Now all of the sudden, the prices doubled, with Stonehaven and Penzance higher still at a whopping $45 per ounce in bulk. With a 2oz minimum that makes it $90 per tin. I could roll most blends up in a $5 bill each smoke and it wouldn’t cost that much. The craze has finally taken its toll in little old Alaska.

It’s a bummer. Glad I got my cellar well stocked beforehand. I’m all for supporting the little local guys, but especially with the recent online drops, I’m not sure what I can continue to justify purchasing there

 

[jaytex1969]

They have to feed those sled dogs a lot of steak to get those tins from England to Alaska.

 

[alaskanpiper]

They have to feed those sled dogs a lot of steak to get those tins from England to Alaska.

Sled dogs eat Hooligan, Jay. Everybody knows that.....

 

[lawdawg]

That's rough man, but honestly I'm so tired of Esoterica flippers price gouging that I'd rather see the brick & mortar stores get the profit, rather than the flippers who buy it up at market rate, artificially increasing the scarcity and thus the price, and then flipping it for profit without adding any value in the process.

 

[alaskanpiper]

That's rough man, but honestly I'm so tired of Esoterica flippers price gouging that I'd rather see the brick & mortar stores get the profit, rather than the flippers who buy it up at market rate, artificially increasing the scarcity and thus the price, and then flipping it for profit without adding any value in the process.

I would certainly buy it there before ebay, for the same reason. Even the flippers are selling it for quite a bit less than $45 an oz though. But I think I'll stick with neither.....

 

[jaytex1969]

What (or who ? ) is Hooligan?

I just dropped $55 for that 8 ounce bag of Margate at my B&M last week.

Just guessing, but it seems like 20% higher than the last B&M bag I got.

As the saying goes, it will never be cheaper nor more available than it is right now.

 

[alaskanpiper]

What (or who ? ) is Hooligan?

Eulachon - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eulachon

I just dropped $55 for that 8 ounce bag of Margate at my B&M last week.

That would be $160 here at these new prices. If it were penzance or stonehaven, $360. A month ago it would have been half that. Literally cheaper to buy the equivalent weight in 2oz tins online. But yes, point taken. Everyone's prices seem to be rising, it was simply the degree at which they went up (double) that gave me the fear....

 

[lawdawg]

I would certainly buy it there before ebay, for the same reason. Even the flippers are selling it for quite a bit less than $45 an oz though. But I think I'll stick with neither.....

Yeah $45 per ounce is really pretty absurd any way you cut it

 

[SpookedPiper]

I have never seen the unicorn in bulk!

Yeah, 45/oz is absurd...

 

[brooklynpiper]

So Alaska has finally become Canada

 

[alaskanpiper]

I have never seen the unicorn in bulk!

It's not actually in bulk, they just cut the 8oz bags open and sell it that way. That way they can sell it by the oz. I guess you can call it bulk? IDK.

They will sell you the bags too if you like.........at the same price, haha.

 

[jaytex1969]

Yeah $45 per ounce is really pretty absurd any way you cut it

That's what Mexican (censored) cost when I first got to Texas in '97.

What a trip!

 

[alaskanpiper]

So Alaska has finally become Canada

Haha, we have been for a while with our 120% tobacco taxes. However, for the moment, we can still skirt those with online purchases from the lower 48 so AK remains > Canada. For the moment....

Outside the world of tobacco, I pray for AK to become part of Canada before I go to bed every night.

 

[alaskanpiper]

That's what Mexican (censored) cost when I first got to Texas in '97.

You don't have to censor Jumping Beans, Jay. They are legal now.

 

[warren]

WE seem to enjoy our high tobacco taxes up here. We do keep electing the culprits and, well ... they do give us a lot of free money every year. $1600.00 this go round deposited in my account next week. Oh, and no income tax. So, no nothing like Canada. I defy the Canucks to implement such a giveaway.

 

[alaskanpiper]

$1600.00 this go round

Should go in the bank tomorrow. Yes we do keep electing them. Should have been $3200. They've been taking half of it for what, 5 years now? Gotta do what we gotta do, but damn......

 

[SpookedPiper]

Well. Party’s over. Our local B&M was an Esoterica Oasis for some time with lots of blends usually available. Although expensive due to AK tobacco tax, they were almost always there and not TOO heinous price-wise. Now all of the sudden, the prices doubled, with Stonehaven and Penzance higher still at a whopping $45 per ounce in bulk. With a 2oz minimum that makes it $90 per tin. I could roll most blends up in a $5 bill each smoke and it wouldn’t cost that much. The craze has finally taken its toll in little old Alaska.

It’s a bummer. Glad I got my cellar well stocked beforehand. I’m all for supporting the little local guys, but especially with the recent online drops, I’m not sure what I can continue to justify purchasing there

View attachment 3856

I like the part above that says the premium brands @10.00 except for the aleution @10.50...then Bam!

Esoterica 45 dollars!

Their marketing sucks and after not selling any the will lower their prices or start shipping it out!

How big is the market in AK for tobacco's?

That's !

 

[trubka2]

Wow, that's nuts - not so much that they're asking so much, but that people actually pay it. What a bunch of jackasses.

My local B&M had a decent-sized drop. The guys that work there were just wishing it would sell out already (even at 25/tin, it's not moving all that fast). Sounds like it brings the assholes out of the woodwork and makes their lives miserable for a spell. They were complaining about some guy putting it on Instagram like he'd violated their sister. I swore I'd never go near the stuff, much less hustle for it, but it keeps falling in my lap lately, so I've tried some now. It's pretty good (the VaPers), but not all That, and I genuinely don't get the weird behavior it brings out. I'd way rather spend my dough on jumping beans.

 

[jaytex1969]

I'd way rather spend my dough on jumping beans.

Just look at the annual brain stem exercise known as Black Friday. It's apparently satisfying some deep rooted aggro hunter/gatherer urge that won't go away.

 

[cshubhra]

The thrill of the hunt is often more rewarding than the trophy
!

Just look at the annual brain stem exercise known as Black Friday. It's apparently satisfying some deep rooted aggro hunter/gatherer urge that won't go away.


View attachment 3880