The Secondary Market = Comic Relief
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Honestly, I don’t see the difference.
A particularly good and rare wine naturally makes the price of that vintage more expensive. There will be no more when those bottles are consumed. The scarcer the vintage the higher the price.
There are those willing to purchase scarce and increasingly rare tobacco blends. There will be no more when they are gone.
I would be beside myself if Granger was no longer in production. But I have 10 years of it cellared. That said, I’d be willing to pay quite a bit in the secondary market to obtain my old friend - if it came to that. And I’d likely smile ear to ear when it arrived, preferring the enjoyment it would provide vs the expense.
BTW… I have a full tub of Original Middleton SugerBarrel. Just sayin…. first $1000 takes it. Kidding
A particularly good and rare wine naturally makes the price of that vintage more expensive. There will be no more when those bottles are consumed. The scarcer the vintage the higher the price.
There are those willing to purchase scarce and increasingly rare tobacco blends. There will be no more when they are gone.
I would be beside myself if Granger was no longer in production. But I have 10 years of it cellared. That said, I’d be willing to pay quite a bit in the secondary market to obtain my old friend - if it came to that. And I’d likely smile ear to ear when it arrived, preferring the enjoyment it would provide vs the expense.
BTW… I have a full tub of Original Middleton SugerBarrel. Just sayin…. first $1000 takes it. Kidding
I don’t think anyone is arguing market driven prices. The main point here is that this is way above market price. Case in point - Pipestud just sold some much older Darkstar for $100. McClellands is still fairly fresh off the market and there is a lot of stock in various cellars, unlike 70’s Balkan Sobranie, or as others have pointed out, limited run products. Demand drives the market but this is priced above demand.
Not an alternate reality at all. Just an alternate income level to what many people may be familiar with. Many people may not think twice about dropping $10 to fill up their pipe from an open McClelland tin were such a thing available in a store or at a show. People spend that and more every day for a cigar, thousands of them. But not many people walk out of the shop with a $300 box of cigars, even if buying by the box would save 10%. They prefer death by a thousand cuts.
I have to disagree. In the first place if Darkstar is selling at $100 in an arms-length transaction by definition it’s not “priced above demand”. Pricing in many goods is established at the margin.
In the second in my opinion Steve deliberately prices at the low end of market to ensure rapid turnover. Clearly any product that sells in seconds (and the vast majority of his offerings disappear while they’re in your cart if you don’t purchase very quickly) is priced below revenue optimization.
My reference was to the original post which has 2017 100g Dark Star at $285. This is way above the average current market.
Steve’s prices are low but not that low. The rationale of the speed of sales isn’t based on price alone. It’s also largely related to the direct competition for certain items and the FOMO of certain buyers. The fact that Steve’s prices are fair and that he is a known seller with a standup reputation makes his Saturday sales even more of a feeding frenzy. And as you said, Steve is in the business of secondary tobacco sales. He aims for steady turn over.
The other seller is not relying on that as the main part of their business so they can post an exorbitant price. If it seeks, great. And yes, $285 is way above the average asking price for a 100g tin of MC that is 4 years old.
When they came for my Weller 12, I said nothing because I don't like wheated bourbon.
When they came for my Pappy, I said nothing because of the same and it was a little pricey.
When they came for my Blanton's and Elmer T Lee, I said nothing but was a little concerned as it hit close to home.
Now, they're after my Eagle Rare and Old Grand Dad Bonded and there is no one left to speak for me.
Or something like that. I'm becoming well-acquainted with vodkas and rhums and imported beer. I'm back living rurally, so find rare bourbon a little more often as most folks around here grab the Beam and the Kessler's and the Jack. Saw a few bottles of Willett Rye last weekend and really need to go scoop those puppies up. Price was a little high in the low $60s.
I think an alternate income level does give one an alternate reality. I suppose you can just buy the whole store for thousands of dollars in order to save money on tobacco. That would be an alternate income level AND an alternate reality. One persons reality might say, "Youza! You are nuts. I need to feed my family!" and another persons reality might say, "Sure, why not. In the long run you save $22,561 on pipe tobacco if you buy the whole store". They both make sense depending on what your real life is like.
Why in the hell would I want to save money? That’s what poor people do.
I think you missed the point. When your wealth is at a certain level, buying expensive items, even if over priced, becomes reality if not being common day to day. It may be an alternate reality for you but not to someone with more than enough disposable income. An alternate reality for the wealthy would be just the opposite. Living in a small house, driving a compact car and smoking cheap tobacco in a basket pipe. It's all in your perception.
BTW, I started reading Watermelon Sugar, by Richard Brautigan. I’m halfway in, and I’m wondering if I was supposed to have taken acid before starting this. Is it required? Or will I understand where it’s going sober?
Funny..... I agree. That's the point (I thought) I made in my last post. For the poor, the wealthy lifestyle is an alternate reality and for the wealthy, a poor existence is an alternate reality.
I don't think acid is required but it helps.Being young, idealistic and mushy-brained helps too. That's something I'm missing at my age. You can't have your feet on the ground and expect to follow it.
When you have little money you learn its value.
To have money you can't spend it.
Not having money allows you to step outside the poverty of bourgeoise culture.
To have money you can't spend it.
Not having money allows you to step outside the poverty of bourgeoise culture.
I don't know about that. From my own experience, it just makes you stressed and miserable, for starters. And hungry and hot or cold, depending on where you are. Those who say money can't buy happiness have never been broke, I guarantee you.
I'm not talking about food and shelter but the perceived necessity to buy what you can't afford and don't need. Every known object that can be sold is, wrapped in the shiny paper of the marketers, those soulless pieces of shit that have no motive whatsoever other than maximum profit. Corporations are also good at this. The US sold out to greed a very long time ago.
Greed is the very backbone of capitalism. The US was founded on greed. Greed saves us from the despots and totalitarianism of communism.
and…. what the hell is wrong with the bourgeoisie? One of the lessons that Cuba learned was that the wealthy leave behind the best buildings…. which turn to shit when you kill off the rich.
Buddhism, like all religions, is great for self improvement, mental health, and “the soul,” but sucks as a basis of an economy and government.
The marketers and the economic system as a whole is set up to keep people in a scarcity mindset, keeping the focus on what you don't have instead of being happy and grateful with what you do have. I'm logically aware of this in myself, but I personally haven't been able to shift to an abundance mindset.
Try his, 'Confederate General from Big Sur.' It's pretty funny & more 'accessible'. You'll appreciate his friend's tobacco harvesting technique.
I built a 20-25 year cellar of pipe tobacco for only around 20,000.00. I used to spend 25,000 a year for cigars. There is no such thing as an expensive tin of new tobacco. Now when you are talking about aged tins for 200 plus, then that is a different game. The most I have ever spent for an aged tin is 65.00, and it was totally worth it.
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