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Sample costs

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 13:19
by puerhking
I wondered what you all thought about the price of samples. Just using an example online....one cake costs 26.00 and the sample costs 4.50. The sample amount is 25g.

400g/25g = 16 samples

16 x $4.50 = $72.00

6 samples x 4.5 = $27.00

So the price of the beeng is made in six samples. So it is much more profitable to sell samples than whole beengs.

Granted.....they are taking a slight risk breaking up the cake....but I think that is a bit on the high side personally.

Re: Sample costs

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 13:27
by PolyhymnianMuse
puerhking wrote:I wondered what you all thought about the price of samples. Just using an example online....one cake costs 26.00 and the sample costs 4.50. The sample amount is 25g.

400g/25g = 16 samples

16 x $4.50 = $72.00

6 samples x 4.5 = $27.00

So the price of the beeng is made in six samples. So it is much more profitable to sell samples than whole beengs.

Granted.....they are taking a slight risk breaking up the cake....but I think that is a bit on the high side personally.
I usually try to keep this in mind when picking out orders of pu. Sometimes your just better of getting a whole beeng even if you haven't ever tried it before. Especially when a sample of one pu for ~$3-4 and you can purchase the entire cakes for $15 bucks or less. Of course you also have to consider the added weight, and added shipping costs a long with it.

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 13:29
by wyardley
It's also a pain for the seller to package the samples and send them out one by one, there's some waste involved in the breaking-up process, and if no one orders it, they're stuck with the rest of the cake.

I think it's great when a vendor offers samples (as long as the price is reasonable), and I don't think it's something most vendors are making a ton of cash off of, with the possible exception of vendors who sell samples of expensive cakes that most of us can't afford to buy.

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 17:01
by shogun89
I hate ordering samples for that reason, they add up in price really quick.

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 17:50
by tony shlongini
Factoring in the convenience for the buyer and the hassle for the seller, it should be expected that a sample will go for about twice the per unit cost of a cake or brick.

Some of the prices don't seem to make any sense at all.



For me, a cake is a sample.

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 19:00
by Drax
tony shlongini wrote:For me, a cake is a sample.
Ahhh, that's an awesome way of looking at it. :D

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 19:51
by shogun89
Drax wrote:
tony shlongini wrote:For me, a cake is a sample.
Ahhh, that's an awesome way of looking at it. :D
agreed

Posted: Nov 23rd, '08, 22:56
by thanks
wyardley wrote:It's also a pain for the seller to package the samples and send them out one by one, there's some waste involved in the breaking-up process, and if no one orders it, they're stuck with the rest of the cake.

I think it's great when a vendor offers samples (as long as the price is reasonable), and I don't think it's something most vendors are making a ton of cash off of, with the possible exception of vendors who sell samples of expensive cakes that most of us can't afford to buy.
I agree with this completely.

Posted: Nov 24th, '08, 00:14
by silverneedles
i'd rather have small samples, that way it wont take up much space, or if i dont like it i wont have to throw away half kilo of tea

Posted: Nov 24th, '08, 02:05
by Trioxin
I'm with Tony. I usually buy one cake as a sample, and if I like it, I buy more.

Posted: Nov 24th, '08, 09:13
by tony shlongini
I was only half kidding when I said that. If the tea is a dud, you'll pretty much know right away. If it's good enough to consider stocking, numerous sessions are required to determine where it really stands.

How often have you tried a tea and said "Fantastic!", only to be less than thrilled the next time around. Conversely, I've been unimpressed with a sample the first time, then learned how to get the most out of it and ended up enjoying it. By the time you get fully comfortable with a tea, you may be well into the cake, so it really is just a big sample after all.

Posted: Nov 24th, '08, 09:16
by Robertwolf1
I think samples are good someone who is new to pu or any other tea. That way you don't have to commit to something you may end up wasting. Also I think it is a good way to try some teas that otherwise one may not be able to afford a whole cake.

Posted: Nov 24th, '08, 11:32
by thejamus
I've done my fair share of "Oh this looks good!" and just bought entire bings. Where I really like to dive in with samples is in order to compare two similar teas when I'm thinking about buying one or the other, but not both.