Like me most growers and vendors I deal with aren't in their right
mind. Having been in the industry for over 30 years and having many
friends at all levels of the business most freely share their mark ups
with me. Of course. I agree with your position Cowboy most vendors
won't reveal their mark ups to the general public. But most vendors and
growers I deal with regularly tell me their wholesale prices, in part,
because I still buy from them and in part because they are giving me
face since they know I already know the wholesale and auction prices.

As for guessing a vendors mark up it isn't really too hard. Just look
where they are getting their tea and where they are selling it. As I
posted earlier, if you are selling tea in LA or Manhattan in the states
your mark up is going to be far higher than say Pittsburg, PA. Afterall
brick and mortar tea stores do have to pay their overhead costs.

Internet vendors are a bit more tricky but based on location,
complexity of site, size of inventory and quality one can still get a
good idea of the mark ups based on wholesale and recent auction prices.

Realizing that the Xi Hu Long Jing on Huang Zhou recently skyrocketed
to $900 USD per kg you can factor how much it is going to cost per gram
by the time it reaches you in your local market.

Allen Miller