Space Cowboy wrote:
> TaoBao is a market place where you can check prices in the current
> Chinese economy. I've been doing that since I found it. All I'm
> saying you can find plenty of 10 year pu for $30.

TaoBao appears quite similar to our Ebay, as in buyer beware because
the sellers may or may not be reputable and the goods may or may not be
authentic. I would not trust their goods any more than I would trust
somebody on Ebay, and Ebay is rife with scam artists especially when
dealing in antique goods (such as aged puerh). Yes there are good
dealers there but one would need to know the culture really well before
venturing into those waters.

> I think to pretend that there is any
> real market for aged pu is misinformation. The high pricing is based
> on limited collectors and not demand.

Nobody is "pretending" Jim, it is a fact that I have personally
confirmed many times over. To say that it is misinformation would be
like saying that a "wine collector's market" in the USA is also
misinformation. The two genres are extremely similar in their
respective cultures, both in popularity and in fanaticism. Many people
in China boast about their puerh collections, and it is quite true that
few of them will ever really sell, only the speculators and those in
need of cash actually sell. It is common for a guest to be shown this
collection, although most Western guests fail to realize the pride that
their host is really exhibiting. The high demand is further
demonstrated by that fact that wholesale prices for young Puerh have
tripled this year compared to the same time last year. This has been
attributed to a bad growing season AND higher than ever demand. The
existance of so many forgeries also substantiates the demand, if there
were no demand there would be no market for forgeries. Finally let us
not forget the laws of supply and demand, the reality is that the
demand exceeds the supply hence the high prices.

>I haven't seen any of the big ticket items on TaoBao sell.

The main reason is that very few Chinese collectors will buy a cake
without first seeing, smelling, and tasting it. To try a tea before you
buy is definitely the custom in China, collectors will often bring
their own teas to brew and compare to the prospective purchase as a
means of authenticating it. So why would they buy an aged cake site
unseen? It is like asking to get ripped off.

Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net