Should I Buy This Pipe?

[sablebrush52]

I know a wedding photographer who was doing well enough at competitive rates in a major metro area. He decided to place a few ads in some select markets with a listed price of $20,000. Within a year his business was booming and he was well into six figures and working less than previously, with clients from around the world. It was a huge gamble but it paid off handsomely.
I know it doesn't work that way for most, but that perception of exclusivity based on price alone is a tempting draw for those who have the means.

It works a hell of a lot more often than one might think. When I started out freelancing as a matte painter, I figured that if I kept my prices "reasonable" it would help me get work and I could continue to build my skills and experience until I really deserved the prices that top matte painters could get. I struggled for a couple of years before a kindly producer (one of the very few of that particular species) informed me that I was underpricing myself and that no one would take me seriously as long as I continued to do so. So he tripled my invoice and said to stick with that for a few jobs and then gradually increase my rate. Suddenly I was winning more jobs and soon I had more work than I could handle, was booked months in advance, and it remained that way for many years. People were more interested in hiring me when I became more expensive. And people wanted to hire me because everyone else wanted to hire me. In regard to what I thought mattered, namely was I qualified and did I deliver the goods, they didn't seem to know, or care, at all.
It's not that people understand the value of anything or know what they're doing. While many do, most that I've met really don't have anything more than a very cursory understanding, if that. I know how that sounds, and I'm not apologizing for it. People know "price" and too often assume that a high price translates to high quality. I did my best to deliver a high quality product whether or not my clients knew or cared. Quality was important to me even if my client didn't give a shit. And I stopped being amazed at hacks who seemed to be in continual demand. I grew to understand it.
The pipe in question is a nice enough piece. The quality of the work is top notch from a visual standpoint, as an image on my monitor. The carver used an interesting block in a visually appealing way, did a really nice job of staining, and a good job of pretending to be Danish. And to the person who buys it, there will be the egocentric pleasure of being able to buy a $9000 pipe, not knowing or caring that it won't smoke any better than a pipe costing 5%. It's less about quality than about price and its connotations.

 

[timt]

I'll let you guys know how it smokes. Carter Hall for the first 20 bowls to build a nice cake. ::

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Carter Hall, hell, timt, just coat that bowl up in a mix of bacon grease and honey, and she'll smoke straighter than a Caterpillar turd.

 

[timt]

Hey, I never heard of the bacon grease thing. Everything tastes better with bacon.

 

[bnichols23]

I looked at that pipe (sold, of course, than God). My first thought was what my kid would say about it. (WARNING -- possibly offensive language coming. I apologize in advance.)
"Jebus."
My kid is 30 & has, should we say, a way with words. In this case I agree with him.
Bill

 

[lawdawg]

I have a very unique piece of autographed sports memorabilia, and its one-of-a-kind. This thread is inspiring me to see what I can get for it on eBay. I am considering it.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Jon11, don't toy with us. You bought that pipe didn't you. 'fess up.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Nice tamper! Wonder what the inscription means....

 

[warren]

my accountant might cluck his tongue a few times.

If my accountant so much as raises an eyebrow at one of my expenditures, he's gone! I employ him to be a facilitator not a "parent."

 

[jon11]

Peck, although a nice pipe and I am known to spend a good bit on a single pipe, this one unfortunately was a little out of my range. So congratulations on your new pipe, glad I could bring it to your attention. Enjoy it in good health Peck!

 

[sablebrush52]

Nice tamper! Wonder what the inscription means....

It says "PT Barnum was right!"

 

[canucklehead]

 Wonder what the inscription means..

Probably "caveat emptor", or perhaps, "gotcha".

 

[canucklehead]

It says "PT Barnum was right!"

Haha, too true! I can't imagine paying an extra $9700 for someone's name.

 

[alan73]

In addition to the Lars connection, Xu Hai is a famous artist in China...art collectors are a different breed and tend to have lots of money. Imagine a wealthy art collecting pipe smoker, nirvana.
In the big picture, $9k is peanuts for millions of people. There comes a point where rich people get tired of hoarding cash and investments, and then they buy things. That is a very good thing for the world and economies in general.
And for those of you who say "even if I had a lot money I'd never pay $9k for a pipe" I say you haven't properly put yourself in the shoes of a rich person, let alone a wealthy one. I've witnessed guys blow crazy amounts of money on gambling, escorts, mistresses, and other random craziness.

 

[sablebrush52]

And for those of you who say "even if I had a lot money I'd never pay $9k for a pipe" I say you haven't properly put yourself in the shoes of a rich person, let alone a wealthy one. I've witnessed guys blow crazy amounts of money on gambling, escorts, mistresses, and other random craziness.

I know some very wealthy people. All of them tend to be very careful with their money. They might spend big on a family related expense, like tuition, or a wedding, or the down payment on a house for one of their kids. Or they give to various charities, cultural institutions, and other causes. Not one of them would drop this kind of money on something like a pipe. They may live in some first class real estate, but that's an investment. Overall, they live very modestly. They don't pick up the check. That's partly why they have money.

 

[tennesseetinnote]

I think it's so expensive because it has "panda" in it.
By the way, nice language Jon11.

 

[alan73]

I hear that sablebrush....there was a funny story today on Bloomberg on how Warren Buffett eats. He eats McDonald’s every day for breakfast, if the market has been doing poorly he orders a less expensive sandwich to save 40 cents, it was comical given his net worth.
I am mostly frugal and highly advocate that lifestyle to everybody. BUT, someone is buying all those Mercedes, Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, boats, yachts, 5th homes, jets, designer clothes, jewelry, etc...you should watch my wife’s favorite show Real House Wives of wherever.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

And for those of you who say "even if I had a lot money I'd never pay $9k for a pipe" I say you haven't properly put yourself in the shoes of a rich person, let alone a wealthy one. I've witnessed guys blow crazy amounts of money on gambling, escorts, mistresses, and other random craziness.

Living in Las Vegas I see a lot of the extravagant lifestyle. Where I live you go about three blocks in one direction and you're in old school rich Vegas and the other direction you're in one of the poorer parts of town. The parking lot at the local grocer is very interesting. You can see Ed Bernstein, a local attorney, parking his brand new Jaguar next to some beat up 1982 Honda CRX with a cracked windshield and three spare tires.
Personally I try and get the best things I can afford while still funding a Roth IRA. If somehow I did hit the MegaBucks (Vegas doesn't do lotteries - MegaBucks is slot machines linked between multiple local casinos that usually hits around 20-40 million) I definitely would be looking for a Bo Nordh or Lars Ivarsson or Xu Hai just to see how they smoke.

 

[sablebrush52]

BUT, someone is buying all those Mercedes, Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, boats, yachts, 5th homes, jets, designer clothes, jewelry, etc...

Yeah, but they're mostly people to whom the money came easily, either through inheritance, marriage, or a bit of luck. The people I know who've worked their collective asses off over years to earn it are very careful about spending it. They may buy an expensive piece of property, but chances are they can find ways to make their living in an expensive area pay off monetarily. Their neighbors are all potential business contacts.

One of my closest friends owns a lot of apartments in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Her parents came to this country after WW2 with not much more than the clothes they wore. They worked hard, created a business that was successful, and bought property. She remembers living in Beverly Hills with crates for furniture and one of those large wooden wire spools converted into a dinner table. They didn't spend money on furniture because that was a luxury. They put the money into another property, and then another. Eventually they were able to replace the crates with furniture and develop a comfortable lifestyle, but they remained very frugal and very tight with a dollar.
On the flip side, the last house I was partnered in was sold to the son of a Texas billionaire. I thought that we had set the price of the house too high, but junior was looking for a bachelor pad and this one fit the bill. He then proceeded to change it, including mounting an exotic sports car on the wall of the living room, and spent another ungodly sum on satisfying his whims. Daddy got tired of paying for all of this and junior was forced to sell the property at a substantial loss.

 

[bnichols23]

Gawd, Jesse. -smh- All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. :twisted: