Collectibles Markets vs Economy - Why does it have to be this way?

[bcbgcbrcb]

As we all know, we are well into year two now of insane price increases worldwide as never before seen inflation rates continue to soar. Every single thing from restaurant food to supermarket groceries (meats/dairy/grains/fruits/vegetables/paper goods) to every single item in retail stores (Walmart/Target/etc) to new and used vehicle prices to gas prices and on and on and on. Everything up roughly 30-40% from early 2022 prices. Of course, the supermarkets, retail stores, oil companies, etc. are not eating the losses as their expenses continued to increase, the cost just continues to be passed on to the end consumer to absorb everything.

At the same time, just about everything in every collectibles market that I am familiar with (sports cards, non-sports cards, comic books, vintage toys, etc) continues to see prices drop and drop across the board. If you rely on income from these sources to live on, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a recipe for disaster of epic proportions.

Why does the public have to just sit back and continue to tolerate price increases of everything and just keep paying up? Collectors are certainly not doing that by any means. If our income was increasing at a similar rate, it would be sustainable but income is falling, going in the opposite direction. Can people stop buying long enough to force an economic correction as we hobbyists have seen all to well happening to us over the past couple of years?

[slightlyrounded]

Discretionary vs non-discretionary spending. Pretty simple.

[bcbgcbrcb]

When money is tight, people should be limiting spending across the board, shouldn’t matter.

[cgjackson222]

Target inflation is 2%.

Monthly inflation has been between 3 and 4% for a few months.
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com...nflation-rates

Not ideal, but not disastrous either.

High interest rates are taking a toll and slowing the economy, possibly to recession. Hopefully, inflation gets under 3% soon and interest rates go back down to a sustainable level.

Until that happens, there may be more pain.

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Why does the public have to just sit back and continue to tolerate price increases of everything and just keep paying up? Collectors are certainly not doing that by any means. If our income was increasing at a similar rate, it would be sustainable but income is falling, going in the opposite direction. Can people stop buying long enough to force an economic correction as we hobbyists have seen all to well happening to us over the past couple of years?

I think it is really difficult to compare collectibles to things like oil or other staples. People can't so easily reduce spending on food, fuel and basic services. But any normal person can easily cut back on their collectibles spending.

[Michael B]

Gas, on average, is 40-45¢ less than one year ago. I have not noticed large increases on the prices of items I buy on a regular basis. Some items have even gone down. This is mainly groceries. Fortunately, I have 13 grocery stores (including Target and Walmart) within a 3 mile radius. It makes it easy to keep track of prices. I mainly shop at Aldi (1 mile away) and Target (across the street) with a few items from Lidl, Giant and Wegman's. The one place I have noticed the increase is restaurants, sit down and fast casual.

[oldjudge]

Phil--what are you talking about? EVERYTHING is up roughly 30-40% from 2022? I believe that US inflation peaked at roughly 9% and now is in the 4% range. What are you seeing that is up 40% in the last year?

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

When money is tight, people should be limiting spending across the board, shouldn’t matter.

Speaking personally, I do cut spending across the board when money is tight. I cut the old cardboard budget much more deeply I do the food/clothing/shelter budgets though. I suspect that's true for most people. If things get really tough, I can cut the card budget entirely. Not really an option with food.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Ground beef was $7.99 two years ago, now $11.99. Bag of chips was $3.49 two years ago, today $5.29. 2L bottle of Coke was $2.75 two years ago, today $3.75. Box of cereal was $4.99, today $6.79. I could keep going on and on and on. EVERYTHING is indeed up 30-40% over the past two years. Where in history have we seen price increases at this rate? Of course, let's blame it all on COVID like everything else. While sports cards are average DOWN 30-40% over the past two years. At the start of 2021, gas was $1.99/gal., been over $3.00/gl. since the start of 2022.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Ground beef was $7.99 two years ago, now $11.99. Bag of chips was $3.49 two years ago, today $5.29. 2L bottle of Coke was $2.75 two years ago, today $3.75. Box of cereal was $4.99, today $6.79. I could keep going on and on and on. EVERYTHING is indeed up 30-40% over the past two years. Where in history have we seen price increases at this rate? Of course, let's blame it all on COVID like everything else. While sports cards are average DOWN 30-40% over the past two years. At the start of 2021, gas was $1.99/gal., been over $3.00/gl. since the start of 2022.

I guess you are not a history buff.

Annual inflation was almost 10% during the start of WW2, and over 10% at the start of the Cold War a few years later. Inflation was over 12% in 1974 and over 13% in 1979. The highest annual inflation we have seen in the last few years was 7% in 2021.

https://www.investopedia.com/inflati...y-year-7253832

[bobbyw8469]

I can't add anything to this conversation without someone making it political. So I won't say anything. However, something HAS to change.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I can't add anything to this conversation without someone making it political. So I won't say anything. However, something HAS to change.

While some may try to politicize it, it's not really a partisan issue. It wouldn't matter which party is in charge. This is a global issue. Nearly every country is experiencing significant inflation right now. We're actually doing much better than the entire western world with respect to inflation.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Snowman

While some may try to politicize it, it's not really a partisan issue. It wouldn't matter which party is in charge. This is a global issue. Nearly every country is experiencing significant inflation right now. We're actually doing much better than the entire western world with respect to inflation.

It kinda does. You do realize gas is a worldwide commodity?? That is why it is a worldwide issue.

[SteveMitchell]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I can't add anything to this conversation without someone making it political. So I won't say anything. However, something HAS to change.

Without specifically being political, many problems we are confronting today stem, at least in part, from political action. Inflation itself (which has been debated many times in my lifetime) IS a function of government. Price increases (or decreases) are generally reflections of a free market responding to a distorted money supply which, again, is a function of government or approved agencies (such as the FED). Our elected officials have distanced themselves (to varying degrees for decades) from the U.S. Constitution to the point that today's dollar (quite literally) buys what pennies purchased when T206's were issued. A mere 2% inflation rate devalues our dollars considerably within just a few years and given that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) no longer includes such fundamentals as food and energy, what can such government figures truly mean? If CPI were calculated as it was during an earlier great inflation (the 1970s), the official government numbers would be, as has been mentioned by others, 4X to 5X today's "official" figures.

[chalupacollects]

This economy was caused by the self-inflicted pain caused by this inept president and his administration the people voted for. Sure, there were supply issues due to covid but that was now 2 years ago. And even some of that was self-inflicted by keeping ships out of harbor in NY, LA and Baltimore...that's why prices increased because people aren't quite sure when the shoe will drop us straight into a recession/depression...or a war...

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

This economy was caused by the self-inflicted pain caused by this inept president and his administration the people voted for. Sure, there were supply issues due to covid but that was now 2 years ago. And even some of that was self-inflicted by keeping ships out of harbor in NY, LA and Baltimore...that's why prices increased because people aren't quite sure when the shoe will drop us straight into a recession/depression...or a war...

Yay, politics on Net54! Everyone's favorite subject. Not.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

Yay, politics on Net54! Everyone's favorite subject. Not.

The economy worldwide is a mess for a variety of reasons and the US’s problems would be the envy of most of Europe and the world. But sure it was caused by one guy and some boats.

[chalupacollects]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

Yay, politics on Net54! Everyone's favorite subject. Not.

Ok that's on me, my bad, was trying to toe the line but guess not.

One really needs to look at oil prices as oil is used to make virtually everything we use day to day and then ship it to its end destination. When it costs more to manufacture and ship, costs for end products are going to rise...

[Leon]

No politics please.

On the subject of price increases, look no further than WalMart gallon water. It's up about 65% over the last year or two. It was .80 and now it's $1.34.....Small item but indicative of the economy. I never understood where some were saying things were going up less than 10%. It seems everything has gone up a lot further than that.

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

This economy was caused by the self-inflicted pain caused by this inept president and his administration the people voted for. Sure, there were supply issues due to covid but that was now 2 years ago. And even some of that was self-inflicted by keeping ships out of harbor in NY, LA and Baltimore...that's why prices increased because people aren't quite sure when the shoe will drop us straight into a recession/depression...or a war...

and a card for the thread...

[BobbyStrawberry]

I'm not an economist, but it might be worth trying to distinguish between the effects of inflation and straight-up price gouging. It seems to me that for food (and water jugs), companies keep raising prices knowing that people have to eat (and drink). And few people in this country grow/raise enough food on their own to be able to sidestep that.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Target inflation is 2%.

Monthly inflation has been between 3 and 4% for a few months. .
.

The economist I read says the new normal will likely not be 2% again. Economists will be happy with 3-4%. So we might now be back to normal.

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

This economy was caused by the self-inflicted pain caused by this inept president and his administration the people voted for. Sure, there were supply issues due to covid but that was now 2 years ago. And even some of that was self-inflicted by keeping ships out of harbor in NY, LA and Baltimore...that's why prices increased because people aren't quite sure when the shoe will drop us straight into a recession/depression...or a war...

Not being political, but Pres Trumps tax cuts and import/export war with China caused inflation before COVID. The trade war with China caused prices on clothing to soar even before the factories shut down. My mom, a quilter, was complaining about prices of cloth in 2018. Both economic policies had unintended consequences when paired with COVID and stimulus legislation.

Trumps replica across the pond, Liz Truss, tried to pass tax deductions in 2022 (while already mired in deep inflation) and lost her job after just 6 weeks.

The US is going to see a lot of belts tighten significantly after Christmas due to college loan payments restarting. Mine are $450/month, and I have fewer loans than the average college graduate. I also have an advanced degree. It's probably a good thing. Not sure if it will cause a recession.

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[gunboat82]

Originally Posted by todeen

The economist I read says the new normal will likely not be 2% again. Economists will be happy with 3-4%. So we might now be back to normal.



Not being political, but Pres Trumps tax cuts and import/export war with China caused inflation before COVID. The trade war with China caused prices on clothing to soar even before the factories shut down. My mom, a quilter, was complaining about prices of cloth in 2018. Both economic policies had unintended consequences when paired with COVID and stimulus legislation.

Trumps replica across the pond, Liz Truss, tried to pass tax deductions in 2022 (while already mired in deep inflation) and lost her job after just 6 weeks.

The US is going to see a lot of belts tighten significantly after Christmas due to college loan payments restarting. Mine are $450/month, and I have fewer loans than the average college graduate. I also have an advanced degree. It's probably a good thing. Not sure if it will cause a recession.

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

The student loan thing is a good point. For several years, that was an extra $12K per year or so that I had to spend on luxuries like baseball cards, travel, and dining out. Mine have already restarted, and baseball cards are the first thing on the chopping block.

[Rhotchkiss]

No comment or political objective here. I just want to point out that everyone around the world is experiencing inflation and the US is actually doing better than most countries. The picture below is one of many out there showing global inflation.

I understand that inflation rates may not always reflect actual price increases - inflation may be 4% (since last year) but the cost of dog food could be up 40% (since last year). But I am willing to bet that actual price increases are higher in countries with high inflation than lower inflation.

Again, we are lucky to live in this country for many reasons, one of which is that we are likely feeling it less than most other countries.

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

No comment or political objective here. I just want to point out that everyone around the world is experiencing inflation and the US is actually doing better than most countries. The picture below is one of many out there showing global inflation.

I understand that inflation rates may not always reflect actual price increases - inflation may be 4% (since last year) but the cost of dog food could be up 40% (since last year). But I am willing to bet that actual price increases are higher in countries with high inflation than lower inflation.

Again, we are lucky to live in this country for many reasons, one of which is that we are likely feeling it less than most other countries.

I don't think it makes sense to compare the US to European countries that were much more impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine - their energy prices went up much more than ours due to natural gas being a more localized market, they also have increased demand from large numbers of refugees, etc.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Ground beef was $7.99 two years ago, now $11.99. Bag of chips was $3.49 two years ago, today $5.29. 2L bottle of Coke was $2.75 two years ago, today $3.75. Box of cereal was $4.99, today $6.79. I could keep going on and on and on. EVERYTHING is indeed up 30-40% over the past two years. Where in history have we seen price increases at this rate? Of course, let's blame it all on COVID like everything else. While sports cards are average DOWN 30-40% over the past two years. At the start of 2021, gas was $1.99/gal., been over $3.00/gl. since the start of 2022.

Thank you for posting real time, boots on the ground numbers. Others in the arm chairs sitting back quoting figures the see on TV are in the dark. Electricity rates are double what they were as well. Gone from .07 khw to .15 khw and up to .25 during peak summer hours

[bcbgcbrcb]

Ok, this is my last post here regarding this subject. You guys can continue to have at it if you want. Nothing positive is going to come out of this for me. This is really just my social media outlet as I don't participate on FB, IG or anything else. Everybody has to get their frustrations out to the world somewhere, I guess. My apologies, starting this thread was not the best way of handling my anger.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Ok, this is my last post here regarding this subject. You guys can continue to have at it if you want. Nothing positive is going to come out of this for me. This is really just my social media outlet as I don't participate on FB, IG or anything else. Everybody has to get their frustrations out to the world somewhere, I guess. My apologies, starting this thread was not the best way of handling my anger.

Rants are always welcome!

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by raulus

Rants are always welcome!

as is projecting and redirected anger!

Still waiting for some to ADMIT (again) they sent their PPP money ON CARDS!

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Thank you for posting real time, boots on the ground numbers. Others in the arm chairs sitting back quoting figures the see on TV are in the dark. Electricity rates are double what they were as well. Gone from .07 khw to .15 khw and up to .25 during peak summer hours

We are lucky in the electricity part here. It has been .09 to .11 here since the 80s that I have been paying a bill. It still doesn't stop the locals from saying how much the price of electricity has gone up by complaining constantly when in reality it hasn't.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by bnorth

We are lucky in the electricity part here. It has been .09 to .11 here since the 80s that I have been paying a bill. It still doesn't stop the locals from saying how much the price of electricity has gone up by complaining constantly when in reality it hasn't.

HA! Amazing isnt it? My bill Only 20% of other similar homes since I am just mindful about usage. The 7 cents on 34 KWH per MONTH wont kill me, but eventually it will hurt others.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by bnorth

We are lucky in the electricity part here. It has been .09 to .11 here since the 80s that I have been paying a bill. It still doesn't stop the locals from saying how much the price of electricity has gone up by complaining constantly when in reality it hasn't.

Don't move to San Jose, CA. Our peak rates here are 54¢ per kWh, and our average rate paid is 38¢.

And I haven't seen gas prices below $5 per gallon here in over a decade. We were over $7 per gallon last year during the peak. It's still about $6/gal today for premium here.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Thank you for posting real time, boots on the ground numbers. Others in the arm chairs sitting back quoting figures the see on TV are in the dark. Electricity rates are double what they were as well. Gone from .07 khw to .15 khw and up to .25 during peak summer hours

Yeah anecdotal numbers are much better than aggregated figures....

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Yeah anecdotal numbers are much better than aggregated figures....

You bill likely doubled

Maybe I misinterpreted your comment.

People in my neighborhood with pool heaters and lights on all day said their bills WERE 600-1k per month, I havent checked in recently

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

You bill likely doubled

Maybe I misinterpreted your comment.

People in my neighborhood with pool heaters and lights on all day said their bills WERE 600-1k per month, I haven't checked in recently

My total average cost of electricity was 14.0 cents per kWh in 2020.

My total average cost of electricity was 16.0 cents per kWh over the last 12 bills ending in November, 2023.

Do I think this modest increase is indicative of national inflationary trends?
No, I do not. It is a mere localized sample.

You can't draw broad conclusions from the cost of an item at your local store.

Also, people don't seem to understand how compound interest works. If inflation was 7% annually, the cost of goods would nearly double every ten years. Even moderate amounts of inflation cause the cost of goods to go up significantly (in nominal, not real values).

[gunboat82]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Ground beef was $7.99 two years ago, now $11.99. Bag of chips was $3.49 two years ago, today $5.29. 2L bottle of Coke was $2.75 two years ago, today $3.75. Box of cereal was $4.99, today $6.79. I could keep going on and on and on. EVERYTHING is indeed up 30-40% over the past two years. Where in history have we seen price increases at this rate? Of course, let's blame it all on COVID like everything else. While sports cards are average DOWN 30-40% over the past two years. At the start of 2021, gas was $1.99/gal., been over $3.00/gl. since the start of 2022.

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Thank you for posting real time, boots on the ground numbers. Others in the arm chairs sitting back quoting figures the see on TV are in the dark. Electricity rates are double what they were as well. Gone from .07 khw to .15 khw and up to .25 during peak summer hours

"Boots on the ground" numbers where? The organic section of a Whole Foods on Oahu?

Yes, prices are generally up on groceries and other essentials.
Yes, the Consumer Price Index fails to account for the whole picture.
No, anecdotal references to $11.99/lb. ground beef do not provide a boots-on-the-ground glimpse into the state of the economy.

I live in Massachusetts, which is often the butt of jokes about being overpriced. Just last week, I purchased $3.99/lb. ground beef at Roche Bros., a chain that is often the butt of jokes for being overpriced. The most I've paid anywhere since COVID is $5.99/lb. And the last time I saw a $3.75 2L bottle of Coke was at a mom-and-pop convenience store with low inventory and low turnover.

Perhaps Massachusetts grocery stores have tapped into some supply-chain mojo that allows them to sell hamburger for 50-67% less than the rest of the country pays. But my takeaway is that we shouldn't use what one person reportedly pays for hamburger or Coke as a barometer for the entire national economy.

I'm too young to remember 10% mortgage rates, but I'm old enough to remember mid-2008, when gas prices were over $4.00/gallon after nearly doubling over a three-year span. 15 years later, folks are complaining that gas is over $3.00/gallon and treating it like a sign of the apocalypse.

I'm not smart enough to know whether we're headed for economic collapse. But I do know that, if we are, we can't reliably predict it using short-term fluctuations in food and fossil fuel prices.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Thank you for posting real time, boots on the ground numbers. Others in the arm chairs sitting back quoting figures the see on TV are in the dark. Electricity rates are double what they were as well. Gone from .07 khw to .15 khw and up to .25 during peak summer hours

Where the heck are you shopping?
I'm going today, I'll make a note of those prices.

Gut feeling having done the grocery shopping for a long time now, most will be about half.

I haven't been to a whole foods or anything like that those places are probably close to the claimed prices.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by steve B

Where the heck are you shopping?
I'm going today, I'll make a note of those prices.

Gut feeling having done the grocery shopping for a long time now, most will be about half.

I haven't been to a whole foods or anything like that those places are probably close to the claimed prices.

Ok, went this afternoon, and wrote down some prices. I got a few, because obviously it can vary by product. Ans because comparisons are sometimes interesting
Fairly big local chain (Market basket) right on the line between a fairly affluent suburb and a not as well off city. Stop and shop across the street, so competition may affect the pricing a little.

Ground beef
Claim 11.99
Basic 4.49/lb
"fancy" angus 4.49/lb


2L Coke
Claim 3.75
Coke 3/5.00 = 1.67 each
Pepsi 2/4.00 = 2.00 each
Store brand .99 which is the same price the store brand was when I was in a convenience store IN 1983!
Some places including this grocery store sell he coke 20oz for way more, usually around 2.45.

Cereal
claim, no particular brand or type or size mentioned 6.79
Raisin Bran 3.99
Special K family size 4.99
Chex 2/6.00
Giant size frosted flakes 5.99
Those were typical by company, so every normal sized box by the same company as Raisin Bran was 3.99
Some of the fancy granola type stuff in smallish bags can get into the $6-7 range, but some of it is less.

Chips - here it almost gets interesting
Claimed 5.29
cape cod party size 4.99
ruffles 4.99
Lays 2/6.00
Utz 2/5.00
Store brand about like Utz, but much bigger bag.

Some are closeish, but the claimed prices seem wildly overpriced for almost everything.

Overall, the biggest bargain is the store brand soda, which hasn't increased in 40 years.

Either
Shop around a little, wherever is charging like that is very expensive.
OR
Don't get your pricing from Some blog or Fox or whoever that cherry picks from the most insane stores and most expensive format for each item to make some point. I mean, I once saw some sort of ham that was imported and well over $100/lb. I think it was made from unicorns or something. But I know that's not even close to a regular pound of ham, and wouldn't claim that ham is now $129.99/lb

[Exhibitman]

I hear unicorn ham tastes like chicken

[Republicaninmass]

Apparently nobody here does their own food shopping. Our bill is 25-30% higher. I tend not to believe a number that doesnt include what I'm buying or spending. Food /shelter/insurance

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Editing this is raw foods picked up a varierty of stores, Shoprite, traders Joes, and small amounts at HMart

rarely eat out, as yes those costs have dramatically increased. One restaurant I know said they can no longer off "buffalo"(chicken) wings because they would need to charge 15$ an order and people wont pay that for 6 wings

[Exhibitman]

I haven't seen the massive spike in my food costs. It has been in line with the inflation figures. That said, I am a cook and we do not buy much in the way of processed foods (no soda, cereal, chips, prepared meals, etc.), so I don't know how much those have changed relative to raw ingredients. Also helps that I live in one of the best agricultural states and I get a lot of my produce, eggs and meat locally. My utility costs have been pretty steady too, but that is probably more the weather than anything else. We had a very mild summer in SoCal this year so we rarely ran the AC for more than a few hours and we are technically out of drought so there are no premium water charges. The only really vicious cost increase for us is medical: 17% premium increase for 2024.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Our food buying is pretty much like yours but our bills are way up.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Our food buying is pretty much like yours but our bills are way up.

Mine are up, but up in line with the inflation stats. Might be the local aspect. On my last trip to NY, I noticed that produce costs a lot more in the East than it does out here. Moving veggies from Bakersfield to LA is a heck of a lot cheaper than from Bakersfield to MA or NY. But our average pizza sucks, so you have that going for you, which is nice.

[packs]

Do you guys go out to eat at all? I'm paying $8 for a medium coffee and plain croissant every morning in NYC. And that's at Pret A Manger. Not even a fancy independent place.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Also helps that I live in one of the best agricultural states and I get a lot of my produce, eggs and meat locally.

California and Arizona produce/meat and most non-processed food costs are way out of whack with most of the nation. The meat is generally reasonably priced and they're practically giving away produce compared to what is going on in the Mid-West and East-Coast.

I'm not talking about a 10-pound bag of dried beans (though it's also very cheap), but a variety of field-fresh stuff.

You can eat very well on the cheap in most of Cali and Arizona if you're cooking it yourself and you shop to value availability rather than simply whatever your heart desires.

I'm uh...staying out of the other parts of this thread. I'm just really impressed by how much fresh produce I can get for next to nothing when I'm around that part of the West Coast and the meat is rather reasonably price, too.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

California and Arizona produce/meat and most non-processed food costs are way out of whack with most of the nation. The meat is generally reasonably priced and they're practically giving away produce compared to what is going on in the Mid-West and East-Coast.

I'm not talking about a 10-pound bag of dried beans (though it's also very cheap), but a variety of field-fresh stuff.

You can eat very well on the cheap in most of Cali and Arizona if you're cooking it yourself and you shop to value availability rather than simply whatever your heart desires.

I'm uh...staying out of the other parts of this thread. I'm just really impressed by how much fresh produce I can get for next to nothing when I'm around that part of the West Coast and the meat is rather reasonably price, too.

I was extremely impressed by the large number of very large greenhouses growing produce in Arizona. When attending the U of A for growing produce in greenhouses we got to tour a few. As someone who grew produce commercially for a few years. Price is mostly determined by the subsidies received. It is in all honesty the most important part of growing produce for profit.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I was extremely impressed by the large number of very large greenhouses growing produce in Arizona. When attending the U of A for growing produce in greenhouses we got to tour a few. As someone who grew produce commercially for a few years. Price is mostly determined by the subsidies received. It is in all honesty the most important part of growing produce for profit.

I miss UArizona's greenhouse webcams. It was nice to see what they happened to be working on.

I used to work in research agriculture (BASF, Syngenta), but I currently work in a lab environment government position focusing on post-harvest testing.

[joshuanip]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

As we all know, we are well into year two now of insane price increases worldwide as never before seen inflation rates continue to soar. Every single thing from restaurant food to supermarket groceries (meats/dairy/grains/fruits/vegetables/paper goods) to every single item in retail stores (Walmart/Target/etc) to new and used vehicle prices to gas prices and on and on and on. Everything up roughly 30-40% from early 2022 prices. Of course, the supermarkets, retail stores, oil companies, etc. are not eating the losses as their expenses continued to increase, the cost just continues to be passed on to the end consumer to absorb everything.

At the same time, just about everything in every collectibles market that I am familiar with (sports cards, non-sports cards, comic books, vintage toys, etc) continues to see prices drop and drop across the board. If you rely on income from these sources to live on, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a recipe for disaster of epic proportions.

Why does the public have to just sit back and continue to tolerate price increases of everything and just keep paying up? Collectors are certainly not doing that by any means. If our income was increasing at a similar rate, it would be sustainable but income is falling, going in the opposite direction. Can people stop buying long enough to force an economic correction as we hobbyists have seen all to well happening to us over the past couple of years?

Nothing goes up in a straight line and everything has a cycle.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by joshuanip

Nothing goes up in a straight line and everything has a cycle.

And politicians IMO get too much credit when things are up and too much blame when they are down.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

And politicians IMO get too much credit when things are up and too much blame when they are down.

Very true

[bmattioli]

Let's try this:

List the manager or Head coach that:

" Gets too much credit when things go up and too much blame when they are down"

My choice is Bill Belichick

Second is Billy Martin

[Peter_Spaeth]

Andy Reid.