Lloyd said:

> I know of no one source for prices in different countries.  However, a few
> years ago I was involved in a discussion where it was reported that there is
> a cartel (which are legal in most countries) that reported such prices among
> themselves.  Members were the major honey importers in each country (other
> than those in America, as it would be illegal for them to be a member).

While an actual "cartel" would run afoul of US anti-trust laws,
I think we can all assume without fear of error that the people
who buy honey from beekeepers have at least a "grapevine" where
they share information on who had to pay what for what, where.

Beekeepers don't share sales prices among themselves, so buyers
have a serious negotiating advantage, and paranoia among beekeepers
means that many of them get less than they could for their honey.

Would anyone be interested in reporting sales prices, quantities,
and such on an anonymous basis?  Some months ago we built a
prototype web-based price tracking database with the intent of
attaching it to the "Bee Culture" web site, but the project stalled
due to concerns that the "user interface" was too complicated.

As it is, it may well be too complicated, as it tries to track
every possible combination of grade, floral source, package
type/size, and so on.  Some of the rare combinations might be
eliminated, or some of the categories might be combined to make
the "reporting" screen look less like the cockpit of a 767.

A group of people willing to try using the facility and provide
feedback would be a big help, if there is any interest in knowing
the "best prices" obtained at both wholesale and retail in various
areas.

I had not planned to track prices beyond the borders of the USA,
but databases were made to be modified, so this would be a minor
tweak.

Tell me what you think.  One of the primary components of a
"perfect market" would be that buyers and sellers know about
other sales.


                jim

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