Adam Smith, Penzance and a declaration

[jackswilling]

The solution is simple: Manufacturer, distributor, retailer all cooperate to get the retail price of an 8 ounce bag Penzance up to $125.00, and the resale/speculator market will/should dry up. Further, forum decorum will be restored as it relates to alleged gouging.

 

[tslex]

My 60 was named Glamdring the Foe Hammer.

Never ever did the Pig bear so noble and wonderful a name. Good on you. Huah!

 

[deathmetal]

This forum does have a generous almost family type of feel to it. So to use a military euphemism "don't be a buddy fucker" has been violated.

And that, my friends, is culture.
Forums are communities and ecosystems of personalities.
They tend to develop balances and from that, informal standards.

 

[tslex]

should not have the right to voice their distaste in the sellers WTS thread

Again Peteguy, I completely agree with this. Precisely why I started my own thread.

 

[aldecaker]

If anyone's interested, we're workin' on crucifying a suspected Nazi over in the WWII Revisionist thread... :twisted:

 

[peteguy]

Again Peteguy, I completely agree with this. Precisely why I started my own thread.

You are ok in my book

 

[davet]

I find the whole ongoing buy/sell Penzance saga an annoying part of the forum. There is a lot of entertainment that comes with it though and just to put things in perspective for those of you south of the border, your northern neighbours can pay that much or more for drugstore blends. Captain Black and Borkum Riff can cost thirty to fifty for a pouch. As to the comments in a "sale thread" its the same as any other thread in that you are open to replies good, bad or ridiculous. Now I gotta go check on them Nazi's

 

[jackswilling]

"Captain Black and Borkum Riff can cost thirty to fifty for a pouch."
Brutal

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

However, since there is a section for selling pipes and tobaccos and there is no rule, bylaw, etc. against it, in my opinion, a poster on this forum should not have the right to voice their distaste in the sellers WTS thread. That is a bigger violation to our sense of community! than asking a price deemed to high by some, isnt it?

Exactly. If business ventures aren't welcome on this forum, then why is there a forum page specifically devoted to business ventures?

you said that those who believe what I believe are ignorant or commies

Nope, I said your ATTITUDE is either ignorant or communist. I have no idea what your personal beliefs are, I just know what you said. I am perfectly able to google a word definition, I just wanted to know why you thought the two were so different, because I do not. I am through with this pointless banter, I will choose to take the high ground. Slam me all you want.

 

[aggravatedfarmer]

If you don't like the price, don't buy the meat. Once again, it is supply and demand. Do I wish it were not scooped up and gouged? Yes. Do I like it? Yes. Am I willing to pay for more than retail price? No. It's up to us, to pull our funds together and buy the rights to Germain and then only then, produce Penzance for ourselves and no one else.

 

[peteguy]

As to the comments in a "sale thread" its the same as any other thread in that you are open to replies good, bad or ridiculous. Now I gotta go check on them Nazi's

You didn't just go there did you?
I obviously have a different take. The buy and sell threads are not an open discussion, unless of course the originator asks for help with pricing, then all bets are off. You can always private message the seller with your thoughts, offers, etc. and that is the "common courtesy" method for interaction.
"The sale price must be clearly listed for each item. No offers only, silent auctions, etc. Please complete any offers or bartering via Private Message. Pipe or tobacco discussions should be completed in those sections, not in the Sell/Trade area."

 

[aldecaker]

@Peteguy: I think he was talking about checking on the Nazis over in the WWII thread I mentioned earlier.

 

[perdurabo]

Damn, Penzance caused all this mess? I going to break some down and snorted it after reading through this alphabet soup.

 

[fordm60]

Thank you tslex I always thought Glamdring was perfect myself! Foe hammer just seemed right after I saw the first M-60 initiation on a objective, they just beat the targets down!
7.62 hail of death,

We ain't through till there's nothing left. (A cadence from back in my day lol)

 

[tslex]

Maintain your base of fire until the target assumes a different shape or catches fire.

 

[moriarty]

These things are simply a question of manners and consideration for others.
No, they aren't. If you buy a second hand vehicle from some one, are you going to get mad if you find out they made money on the deal? Some of you seem to have a really difficult time telling the difference between a business transaction and a generous gesture. I have seen forum members both sell something for profit and give tobacco away. Your attitude is either ignorant, or downright communist. Not cool.

Hiplainsdrifer, what I'm referring to as inconsiderate is going into a shop and buying their entire stock of Penzance in full knowledge that you don't need it all and there are a lot of other people who enjoy the blend and would be keen to buy some. Now they can't. Sure, there's nothing to stop you doing it unless you feel it would be good manners to just buy a reasonable amount and leave some for others. The fact that you then might sell the excess just shows that the original purchase was excessive.
It's greedy. That's all. You can decide that greedy behaviour is ok, but I was brought-up differently.
And it's quite possible that if everyone just bought in reasonable amounts then there would actually be plenty to go around. Then there would be no reason to rush to buy everything and leave none for others. If a few people behave this way then it means everyone else feels they must buy more than they need because they don't know if they'll be able to get more once they've run out in a couple of years.
On your second-hand car analogy, no I would have no problem if I overpaid. I paid what I was happy to pay. I'm not talking about pricing and you misunderstood my point. If, however, you bought the entire stock of second-hand cars in your area because supplies were scarce and you wanted to make sure you'd never in your life be without a car, then I'd look at all the other people who needed to buy a car and can't, and I'd think you had been selfish.

 

[moriarty]

And, hiplainsdrifter, please don't take it that I'm down on you, or anyone, really. I'm not really suggesting any solution. It's just my observation that there is this phenomenon in the pipe community and it boils down to a lack of consideration. I imagine that if you buy a shop's entire stock of Penzance then you're probably only doing this because you believe that if you didn't then someone else would. So rather you than them. I totally sympathise with that. Nobody is really a bad guy in this.
You know, several tobacco retailers have a one or two bag limit for buying Penzance. What does it say about us as a community when the retailers start to think they need to regulate our behaviour like this?
Nobody's fault. It's just what's happening and if a few start hoarding a scarce and sought-after tobacco then it inevitably causes more people to do it. Then, suddenly, it is near impossible to get hold of.
Price gouging is something I don't care greatly about. I probably have a vague feeling against it but I really don't think the prices are the problem. It's the greedy and inconsiderate buying that we as a community have found ourselves doing. It is interesting, though, that the manufacturer and distributor of Penzance have not raised prices. You would think they could do that and most people would accept it.
I'm not a communist (I'm actually a banker and we are rarely accused of communism), and I'm probably less ignorant than the average person about most things. But I didn't take offence - I understand where you're coming from. Forget the economics, accept that profit is ok - that's all fine - and then search your heart about buying entire stocks of Penzance and depriving others who just really enjoy smoking the stuff. That's what I mean. Being called inconsiderate may not be nice, but what else should we call this thing that we're doing?

 

[michaelmirza]

I'm incredibly thankful for the tin of Penzance that iamn8 sent me as a gift. But as far as my regular purchasing goes, I'm just trying to cultivate appreciation and taste for much cheaper and more consistently available blends. You define your own standards.

 

[peteguy]

moriarty - there are people who have cellars that are larger than a retail stores current stock. Some of them exist on this board and are far from greedy.
I assume you are talking about the buyers that are just buying to turn around and sell for a profit. I believe that would entail a socialism or communism thread.

 

[deathmetal]

And it's quite possible that if everyone just bought in reasonable amounts then there would actually be plenty to go around.

It would seem that way. But it's not so.
Nature's model: a few people become essentially distributors by buying it all and re-selling or trading it, getting it into circular. Less efficient in money.
Your model: everyone buys a reasonable amount, which means everyone has to contact their local B&M etc. Less efficient in time, has a higher requirement (group conformity and norming) with high negative effects.
Nature works in the ecosystem model for a reason. Penzance is distributed well by the current system; what's screwing it up is the appearance of clueless people who will pay way too much, raising prices across the board, and for more than Penzance. If you signal to manufacturers that you as a group are wealthy, they will raise prices. Sorry -- I mean impose price minimums.
I saw this same problem in record collecting. The market was efficient until outsiders entered who did not mind spending $200-$1000 for a rare vinyl or disc. At that point, everything went up in price and quality of new releases declined as all the sheep in the market chased the trend.
This is one reason why I do not support freedom, liberty, etc. The idiots always outnumber the good unless you impose standards that keep the idiots at bay. That is what people are trying to do here: set a price standard for resale of Penzance.