As some of you know, I am pretty firmly free-market on these things, but seeing someone selling six and hearing about someone who bought nine is really a bit hard to accept. The market solutions (increase volume, increase price) are probably the only easy solutions, but in some cases there won't be (hasn't been) enough steel to double or triple the run, and in any case doubling or tripling the price would have some obvious and very unattractive consequences. Like Yablanowitz, I have been buying one or two of these since MT01 and I would hate to see the fundamentals of this program change.cckw wrote:It is annoying that flippers beat enthusiasts to these products, no doubt about that. But trying to control it would be likely to offend many of us by over reaching the norms of business, yet still not succeeding in affecting the market (because the market rules the market). I am a collector of many things including Mules. I have both bought and sold Mules at aftermarket prices and am happy to have the option for both. I also have a collector friend in Europe that buys knives including Mules and has them sent to me, I combine several of his purchases and ship in one box saving him hundred each year. I would hate to be scrutinized for doing this favor as there are always 4 of each mule coming to my address.
Back to my point of only the market can rule the market. Doubling the size of each run would make it a less lucrative prospect as there would then be enough to go around to the enthusiasts even with the flipper taking their cut out. Stick the flippers with some unprofitable blades and they won't be so eager to buy the next batch.
So there is a question: how much do we hate speculation? - to what lengths would we go to end it? :confused: