[Hels]

I think that the current prices are more than fair. Sellers costs are going up just like our living costs are going up, and that drives prices up. Yet there are sales, which tells you it's hard times right now.

Linda, I see your point too, and I feel the pain of the costs big time, because I don't sell anything, I just spend money on glass stuff.

I'm very grateful for the suppliers sales. I agree with Bill, I think prices are going to go up too, as all costs continue to rise, which is why, as crippling as it is to be a newbie, I'm buying glass like crazy lately.

As Tink mentioned before, if you sell quality product you can buy a $60 lb of glass, and make $600, so $60 isn't very expensive in the scheme of things. But if I buy $60 worth of glass, and come out with 5 very amateurish pieces worth giving away... I am not able to keep that up for long, and I simply can't afford much glass.

It's very astute to notice that hobbyists are the cheapest, because we have the most to lose, literally. Some think that we can 'afford' it because we're new, and thus deserve to pay more because we are paying for our 'education', we can't, because it often means we can't play at all.

How many hobbyists would even get interested in glass if they were told up front, the MINIMUM to play for your first month will be $3000? And by the end of your 2nd month it's up to $5000? In parts of the US, that's enough for a downpayment on a house. And on top of that, you have monthly costs for as long as you are interested? Of course we have to be cheap.

Grant you, most hobbyists don't start out going after all their supplies their first month, but the costs don't change, there are things you need, and whether you get them in week 1 or week 30, you still have to have em.

I think we hobbyists drive the supply businesses through the hard times when things aren't selling, because we generally only buy the sales... we simply can't afford full price when we are only learning and not profiting to learn, and have already spent and spent and spent (ventilation system, table, fans, torch, hoses, regulators, kiln, propane, oxygen, tools, glasses, glass, books, videos, classes, etc etc)

Suppliers in this business can't afford to be greedy either, because there's always another supplier who NEEDS the money NOW... and to complete my point, I don't think any are. I think the glass suppliers we have, at least every single one I've dealt with so far, are among the most hardest working, giving people amongst all types of suppliers in general.... and just like their customers, deserve to be able to eat, and make a living at what they do. We are just all in a tough boat atm
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