Teachronicles wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 5:50 pm
To be honest, I'm not sure my statement of we are paying for their expertise is wholly true. This is just what these pieces go for. I don't think we are paying a "westerners premium." Tho maybe I'm wrong, maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in.
I think your statement is true... at least sometimes. I'll give you an example:
I purchased a plate lately from a Japanese seller. A reputable Asian seller who has mainly Western customers sold the same plate for more than 200% of the price I paid. My plate is also genuine (I asked experts), undamaged and from the same era. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to get Yixing ware authenticated (for free).
I don't have a problem with "premium prices" as long as they don't want 500% or something like that for the same item. In most cases I am just happy to have found the item after all.