Gauging the Popularity of Pipes...

[briarbuck]

I've read how shortages of many blends + the increased cost of pipes are an indicator of increased demand and popularity of piping. I am not sure that this is the case. Collectors are buying the supply of tobacco and driving prices up.

There have to be other ways to gauge if the industry is increasing or deceasing in popularity other than shortages of FVF and prices of Rad's pipes doubling.

Perhaps a better indication of the health of the pipe industry may be....sales of pipe cleaners? People don't collect cleaners, they just use them. More cleaners sold would be a good indication that more pipes are being smoked.

IMHO accessories may be a better indicator than availability of tobacco.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't think any gauge is needed. Aside from tobacco shops or a pipe show, I've seen 2 or 3 pipe smokers in public (both were driving a car) in the past two years.

 

[briarbuck]

I don't think any gauge is needed. Aside from tobacco shops or a pipe show, I've seen 2 or 3 pipe smokers in public (both were driving a car) in the past two years.

Well that settles it...lol

 

[whsergent]

Pipe cleaners are more craft, hobby, utility items. Idk if that would be a good meter.
Actually i cant really think of a good measure.

Except for a guy i used to see by my building, (I live in a seniors bldg) who claimed to only own one pipe at a time and only smoked carter hall. i dont think there is a pipe smoker that doesnt have more than the pipes and tobacco they need.

How many pipes and how much tobacco do you actually need to be a pipe smoker anyway.

I think fears about vaping might have a short term slightly positive effect on the number of pipe smokers.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Maybe it will be on the census, ha ha.

I would think that retailers would have a good calculation of how many customers are ordering from them, and not just how much tobacco they sell. Of course, adding in all of us who just support local B&M's... it could be calculated, but I don't think anything good could come from someone doing that.

 

[BROBS]

I think this would be very hard to track because you might have one customer that buys a ridiculous amount of tobacco and another that buys very little. Maybe they both smoke the same amount..
maybe the one with all the tobacco has 1 pipe and the guy with little tobacco has 100?
so many variables etc.

and numbers of customers is a hard thing too.. I'm sure there are plenty who smoke a pipe who haven't ordered from smokingpipes in years.

 

[docrameous]

The interesting thing is that I follow the r/PipeTobacco reddit group and it seems every day there is a new pipe smoker on there posting a first pipe or tobacco smoked reddit. This is not obviously a conclusive indicator for many reasons, but interesting to see.

 

[BROBS]

god.. don't even mention those idiots on here.
probably smoking a cobbit reading lord of the rings.

 

[whsergent]

god.. don't even mention those idiots on here.
probably smoking a cobbit reading lord of the rings.

Idk sounds like a good time to me. Just recently thought about rereading those.

 

[gervais]

god.. don't even mention those idiots on here.
probably smoking a cobbit reading lord of the rings.

That’s probably half the people in here too, lol

 

[briarbuck]

I enjoy the hobby, but I also am interested in the dynamics of the pipe marketplace. I like trying to understand how the business side works...because that's what I do. In business you look for indicators and trends. "I saw 2 guys down and Joes and now there's 3" is not market research.

My best guess is that pipe accessories could give you broader market trends because they are less subject to hoarders.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Marketing amazes me. It has so much power. At one point in time, when gas stations had free coffee... everywhere had free coffee, I would have sworn that you would never get someone to spend over $0.50 for a cup... nor, ever stand in line to get it. But...

Water, I would never have dreamed that someone could sell it to people, much less EVERYONE.

 

[mso489]

I hesitate to say it, but early adaptors of any trend tend to be exhibitionistic and prone to public performances, so if pipes have some kind of precipitous increase in popularity, the early adaptors of the trend will be out in public and in your face and most probably decidedly annoying. Sorry, but that is sort of the way it works. Watch for men in berets and women in top hats, wearing stripes and plaids together, and walking their pet armadillos.

 

[Casual]

As an inconclusive but interesting data point, it’s been almost a year since I placed my first order at SP.com. The order numbers imply they’ve filled 180,000 orders in about the last year. That’s way more than I expected. It’s a good business even if the average order value is small.

I suppose they may have a check digit on that order number and it’s 18,000 orders in a year. More reasonable, I suppose.

I find it interesting that I know so little about the industry, I can’t tell which order of magnitude fits the amount of orders Laudisi fills.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

the early adaptors of the trend will be out in public and in your face and most probably decidedly annoying.

Not really. To get people to spend as much for a bottle water as they would a soda, all they had to do is put it in the stores. And, I saw them open up a Starbucks, long before I ever saw a commercial for them. It doesn't take much to sway the masses. And, actually the number 1 marketing tool for pipesmoking in general... IS US. On HERE. I think most people see this forum long before they ever see the smokingpipes website. This is why I think P&C screwed the pooch by dropping us... if this is what they did.

 

[briarbuck]

Marketing amazes me. It has so much power. At one point in time, when gas stations had free coffee... everywhere had free coffee, I would have sworn that you would never get someone to spend over $0.50 for a cup... nor, ever stand in line to get it. But...

Water, I would never have dreamed that someone could sell it to people, much less EVERYONE.

Marketing these days is easy as compared to the free coffee days. Back then it was billboards radio and Newspaper. Now you just pay Amazon, Facebook and google a bunch of $$$$.

 

[Casual]

And, actually the number 1 marketing tool for pipesmoking in general... IS US. On HERE.

Oh my. They’re all screwed.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Marketing these days is easy as compared to the free coffee days.

I don't know. More people see the inside of a gas station than anything else. Billboards and such help, and definitely help get a point across, but sometimes all you have to do to get people... well... Build it and they will come... put it in front of them,

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Purchases in the past year from large retailers is not much of an indicator. I'd wager more people than ever are aware of and believing, to some extent, the tobacco apocolypse. So the numbers look more positive on retail sales because people are not just purchasing for immediate needs.

I doubt at any time there's more than 1500 people at the Chicago pipe show. Even if that number is 2500, what does it say if the world's largest pipe show has a maximum of 2500 people in attendance at any single moment?

I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just being realistic. We're a bunch of freaking dinosaurs. Nothing wrong with that either. In fact, given the tobacco supply at present, if pipe smoking were rapidly growing, you wouldn't be able to fit a can of Captain Black for $100.

 

[bullet08]

i haven't seen anyone with a pipe since i don't know when. local b&m i go to for this and that usually has no customer. so it's either no one's smoking pipe or i'm missing out on something special.