[Hels]

Linda, good point. I think that won't happen, because like any other market, the more profit made in a product, the more competitors will see an advantage to entering the field.

If the greed level gets high enough, the large corporations will get in the act... corning may go right back to producing colored glass for example. With their equipment, R&A abilities, deep pockets (I own GLW stock, I can tell you, this company does it right... very very low corporate debt levels), and typically a very high cash level... Corning can kick anyone's butt for prices that are absurdly low. It's a matter of scale and demand. And once in, like Walmart, they can distroy all mom & pops to corner the market. No need for imports, which would require an even bigger scale to profitably enter the fray.

Soooo... it doesn't make sense for the mom's and pop's to attract that level of attention by producing the level of profits you worry about. Greed is self-destructive.

As it is, I'm a newbie, and I don't know if I want to obsess with glass forever. However, even with all my enthusiasm, I won't buy glass unless it's at a DEEP discount. I have never paid more than $45 a lb for the most coveted silver colors, including Momka murrini, and more like $19 a lb at GA's sale for $58 glass. I would imagine that most people do the same thing... refuse to buy any glass unless they are in dire need, or see an irresistable sale. Companies that don't have sales don't get as much business.

The market has a way of regulating itself... just as with products. If you produce a very superior product, you can charge a BIT more. If you produce an ordinary product for more than your competition, you will go out of business. If you are bad at customer service, you will eventually go out of business or become poorer by the day. People in glass go out of business every day, that means the market is still competitive.

When the pricing becomes uncompetitive, aka too profitable, you will see companies ENTERING the market in droves, not leaving it. As business is cyclical, that means that eventually, a good chunk of those selling glass, old and new, will no longer be in business once saturation is hit again.

If in fact hobbiests are prevented from entering the market due to pricing... then the businesses producing glass will begin failing... the prices will DROP to reduce inventory, and the hobbyists will be back buying again.

I think it is self-regulating. Again, greed, which is what you are worried about, breeds competition, which in turn, breeds loss of income.