teabug wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 8:15 am
And for the vendors that operate from Europe or US/Canada, they buy the goods produced in China and only sell them. They do not produce the actual goods in Europe and have to bear higher production costs.
"Cost" is based on a number of components, the actual tea leaves or wares (the end product for sale) is only one of many factors a teashop/vendor has to take into account. Vendors operating from Europe must pay a salary commensurate with the cost of living here. If they have a storefront too, then rent etc. enters the equation. Some Western vendors operating out of Asia probably also factor in "expenses at home" (e.g. a house left behind in country X) that they have at the present or in the future (not like it's easy to get a permanent residency in China!).
That's the cost side of thing. Of course price is not the same as cost, and in some cases there are extreme markups at play too. Goes both ways as
@Bok pointed out. A bottle of Norwegian fish oil is generally 3x the price in China compared to here and import duties are only a small part of the reason. That's why when I go to China, fish oil usually takes up 50% of my allowed baggage weight
(And when I fly back, tea takes up the same amount)
This is kind of a pointless argument, though. Buying as close to the source as possible is almost always going to be the cheapest option. To put it cynically, you are subsidizing higher living expenses and "other kinds of cost" when you buy from most Western vendors. The additional price may or may not be worth it to you, depending on how much you value the vendor's sourcing or having a decent tea store available locally.