Yeah, that's basically the way I looked at it.crfriend wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 3:55 pmDo not feel guilty in the least. First, they're going to get used for a decent and honest purpose and second, they're not going to be bought by someone who's trying simply to make a quick buck at somebody else's expense. That's two birds with one lucky shot.moonshadow wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 3:34 amI felt a little guilty about buying so many, but at least I'm actually going to USE THEM and NOT SELL THEM FOR $15 PER BOX!
That's the trouble with Amazon, Ebay, and even sites like walmart.com seem to host private sellers. And while this could be a good in the way it allows ordinary people to have "virtual store" and make money, it has also created a beast of sorts where people speculate future shortages, clear out retailers shelves and then turn around and sell them online for a substantial markup.
Though it would have thwarted my attempt to purchase a years supply of canning lids last night, a part of me thinks that major retailers should limit the number of items people are allowed to purchase at one time.
I know some retailers put little stickers on some of their inventory requesting that anyone who purchases said inventory from any other merchant other than the original retailer, to report it.
Another option is for Amazon, Ebay, Walmart.com, etc to STEP UP and CAP the markup on certain items. Put it in the terms of service that no item offered for sale may be offered at a higher rate than the suggested retail price from the manufacturer. As Amazon, Ebay, Walmart.com, etc are private entities, I suspect they are within their right to make such requirements among their merchants.
If a merchant has an issue with it, that merchant is within their right to find a different platform to sell their wares, or launch their own, or just peddle them at yard sales and flea markets... good luck with that...
At any rate, I encourage all canners to be patient, and purchase items at reasonable prices. The only way to put a stop to this is for consumers to say "no more!" and refuse to buy the lids.
Remember, canning is a hobby, not a life requirement. We're not talking toilet paper or gasoline here. Hoarding canning supplies is like hoarding artist paint brushes... we don't have to pay for things we don't really need... I absolutely REFUSE to pay higher than MSRP for canning supplies. I'll till my entire harvest into compost before I do that. I also get a chuckle when I hear on the news that some schmuck [0] got stuck with a basement full of overpriced commodities that he now can't even give away because the supply chain finally adjusted. Serves him right!
[0] We are still allowed to say that right? Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the long list of canceled words folks are no longer permitted to speak...