Member Soapbox The Götterdämmerung Price list

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

This is the end game, folks, the point at which consumers will simply throw up their hands and stop buying and the demand floor will drop, my prediction.

Please add new high prices as they appear.

On Amazon, TFR just went from $82/lb to $110/lb

Wakacon just went from $43 to $44/lb bothe the waka and lawena

Mood & Mind Vanuatu has gone from $43 to $43.75

However, if you are on Prime there is a 20% discount on Kava Tonga, making the price $80/lb instead of $100 lb

Fiji Market has bumped prices across the board for their Tikaram's kavas, Waka is now $44, lawena is $44, their Kava Tonga is $44 and their Vanuatu is $46

Dua Na Bilo Waka is now $50 /lb and their lawena and Vanuatu are no longer available at all.

Best Fijian prices have gone up but only a couple of bucks and are still good if you are buying 10 lbs

the Made in Tonga kava is no longer available for sale by ordering on the website although they still invite you to make enquiries but do not list any prices.

Root of Happiness has virtually nothing in stock whatsoever.

BKH is down to Nangol, Borogu and Nambawan at $60, $48 and $65/lb respectively.

As near as I can tell, folks, this is it, the end times, places are either out of stock or all prices have hit the point at which it is no longer worth buying kava.

The few exceptions, but they could be done by the end of the day: Cactus, still has some excellent stuff and that Malolo is screaming to be bought. Kava Time still has two excellent kavas at reasonable prices, considering the quality. And there are a few good buys at Kalm with Kava, especially if you don't mind Borogu or have some lawena to mix it with. And while they last the three stil left at BKH.

But basically folks, this is it, the warning signs were a longtime in coming, right now it's scrambling for the life boats.

Maybe buy 25 lbs of Best Fijian and just hunker down?

There are literally only a tiny handful of kavas that are worth buying, given the price/quality ratio, or at least, worth buying that are actually in stock and available for purchase.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

This is the end game, folks, the point at which consumers will simply throw up their hands and stop buying and the demand floor will drop, my prediction.

Please add new high prices as they appear.

On Amazon, TFR just went from $82/lb to $110/lb

Wakacon just went from $43 to $44/lb bothe the waka and lawena

Mood & Mind Vanuatu has gone from $43 to $43.75

However, if you are on Prime there is a 20% discount on Kava Tonga, making the price $80/lb instead of $100 lb

Fiji Market has bumped prices across the board for their Tikaram's kavas, Waka is now $44, lawena is $44, their Kava Tonga is $44 and their Vanuatu is $46

Dua Na Bilo Waka is now $50 /lb and their lawena and Vanuatu are no longer available at all.

Best Fijian prices have gone up but only a couple of bucks and are still good if you are buying 10 lbs

the Made in Tonga kava is no longer available for sale by ordering on the website although they still invite you to make enquiries but do not list any prices.

Root of Happiness has virtually nothing in stock whatsoever.

BKH is down to Nangol, Borogu and Nambawan at $60, $48 and $65/lb respectively.

As near as I can tell, folks, this is it, the end times, places are either out of stock or all prices have hit the point at which it is no longer worth buying kava.

The few exceptions, but they could be done by the end of the day: Cactus, still has some excellent stuff and that Malolo is screaming to be bought. Kava Time still has two excellent kavas at reasonable prices, considering the quality. And there are a few good buys at Kalm with Kava, especially if you don't mind Borogu or have some lawena to mix it with. And while they last the three stil left at BKH.

But basically folks, this is it, the warning signs were a longtime in coming, right now it's scrambling for the life boats.

Maybe buy 25 lbs of Best Fijian and just hunker down?

There are literally only a tiny handful of kavas that are worth buying, given the price/quality ratio, or at least, worth buying that are actually in stock and available for purchase.

I'm going to bump up my research schedules on feasibility of 7th and 8th wash techniques.

 

[kavamehameha]

True, the prices are still rising, but I think you're exaggerating. No need to be super alarmed.

Kavafied's Supreme and Bati have good prices, around $50-$55 per lb. KWK kavas are $49 per lb, except the special ones (Pouni Ono, Special Variety) which are more expensive. Squanch kavas are $55 per lb.

So no way is the end near or something like that. Just the usual high prices.

 

[superspeedkit]

Yea I just checked N@H last night to see if they’d fixed their website to accept credit cards again and Stone is up to $75. Bummer, man. I’d rather have high prices with a system that helps farmers and producers do their craft well, though.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

True, the prices are still rising, but I think you're exaggerating. No need to be super alarmed.

Kavafied's Supreme and Bati have good prices, around $50-$55 per lb. KWK kavas are $49 per lb, except the special ones (Pouni Ono, Special Variety) which are more expensive. Squanch kavas are $55 per lb.

So no way is the end near or something like that. Just the usual high prices.

True, there is always Squanch. I just kind of take that for granted. Squanch is in a separate parallel universe to me that I step in and out of. Usually on Thursdays.

 

[recentreturn]

Well, isn't this exactly what N@H was claiming?

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I think it qualifies as a "commodity price shock" and I, for one, recommend we panic. Or at least start planning for the inevitable, six months ago.

 

[kavamehameha]

I would NEVER recommend to panic. That's the least to do. Kava teaches us not to panic, whatever happens.

And as I said, the high prices for kava are nothing new, and there is no extreme jump in price at the moment (in general -- of course this might differ for individual sellers). No need for clickbait threads and panic at all.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I would NEVER recommend to panic. That's the least to do. Kava teaches us not to panic, whatever happens.

And as I said, the high prices for kava are nothing new, and there is no extreme jump in price at the moment (in general -- of course this might differ for individual sellers). No need for clickbait threads and panic at all.

for me, at least, many if not most kavas are now no longer worth purchasing. This is a fundamental change.

Then again, I remember when cigarettes went from 35 cents a pack to 40 cents I said this was ridiculous and no one would ever pay that. Turns out I was wrong.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

There's no impending disaster, lol.

In the past, many merchants who were careful to sell good, noble kava were under-pricing their product in an attempt to compete with the 4%KL crap and tudei mixes. Today, both costs and customer awareness of quality are increasing, and these merchants have made a long overdue adjustment in their prices. This is necessary to ensure their long-term existence, and I'm actually happy to see it happen.

But the side effect has been that some dealers of inferior products have raised their prices too, hoping for a quick buck. This will sort itself out quickly as more and more consumers become educated. In any event, there's no shortage of $40/lb crap on Ebay, and people will continue to buy it.

All this means is that now, more than ever, it pays to buy quality, and anyone who judges purely on price/lb is going to get screwed. There's no economy in buying 4% crap for $40/lb when you can get 8%+ for $75/lb, and have a much better kava experience. Even without a direct KL% ratio comparison, a guaranteed single noble cultivar product from a reputable dealer is always a much better deal than a mixed bag from someone else.

there is another alternative not mentioned here, and that is to stop drinking kava.

 

[The Kap'n]

there is another alternative not mentioned here, and that is to stop drinking kava.

Get out of here with that blasphemy

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Get out of here with that blasphemy

multiple washes?

 

[The Kap'n]

multiple washes?

lol, you know me.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I already don't buy kava from most vendors regularly. I'll buy if I want to try a new vendor, new kava or check to see if a kava I used to like is good again.(More often than not, they are WAY too ineffective, especially considering the price bumps.) 40$ eBay kava from Indo-Fijians in California is often just as effective as most of the current respected vendors. The only two 'known-vendor' kavas left at this point that I'll still pay for regularly are Kava Supreme and Nangol Noble. I have to add Kava Supreme to just about every kava I buy now, or else it's almost a complete waste. I'll still buy Wakacon's waka, which while it is not spectacular, is still cheaper, ships quicker and it is also just as good or better than much of the supposedly higher quality more expensive root out there, though there can be some variation between batches. Luckily I still have an undeniably strong waka I can buy locally for under $50 bucks too. In my opinion $50 USD should be the max price, and the wholesale price should be what ever it needs to be for that 50 dollar retail price to be fair for everyone involved. So if it's WOW/5-STAR/NAMABWAN or if the kava is verified to be over 10% kavalactones, maybe those could be in or near the 50$ range. I should not be drinking 8-12 Tbsp of root, drinking 5 or 6 shells, but only feeling like all of that was the strength of 1 or 2 shells and paying top dollar for it. It's like buying a bottle of 12 yr Macallen, drinking it all night and feelind like you just drank 1 or 2 Coors lights.

But I guess for the time being, the prices are what they and If I were to sell kava right now I'd have to charge these ridiculous prices too. Hopefully they don't just keep going up, as everyone normalizes these stupid prices every time they jump.

 

[Intrepidus_dux]

I used to only buy mood and mind but less than a year ago it was around $30 per lb...now it’s above $40...that’s a huge hike for what I would call a “filler” kava. I’m also sad about the DNB and Wakacon price rises. I’m on a fixed income and can’t do the 50-65 per pound every month. At this point I’m buying cactus for daytime and social use, then supreme for insomnia.

Going back to Squanch at this point seems like a good call.

I was going to try Best Fijian, but the website was extremely difficult to navigate on my phone. :-(

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

I've brought this up before but it's usually dismissed as crazy talk. Even more frustrating than the price increase is the decrease in quality and potency, across the board. Not only am I paying double of what I used to but I'm having to use much more and not even get the expected results. It wouldn't be optimal but I would be happier if I could get the kava quality from 4 or 5 years ago and just reduce consumption.

In the past, many merchants who were careful to sell good, noble kava were under-pricing their product in an attempt to compete with the 4%KL crap and tudei mixes. Today, both costs and customer awareness of quality are increasing, and these merchants have made a long overdue adjustment in their prices. This is necessary to ensure their long-term existence, and I'm actually happy to see it happen.

Those merchants selling the good, noble kava you are referring to have most definitely had drops in their quality while they continue to raise prices. Most of these vendors do not release COA's for their products and some will refuse to divulge any product testing information to their customers. I don't think vendors should be making KL% claims, especially if they are claiming to be among the highest in the industry, until they are ready to release COAs for the current batch being sold.

But the side effect has been that some dealers of inferior products have raised their prices too, hoping for a quick buck. This will sort itself out quickly as more and more consumers become educated. In any event, there's no shortage of $40/lb crap on Ebay, and people will continue to buy it.

All this means is that now, more than ever, it pays to buy quality, and anyone who judges purely on price/lb is going to get screwed. There's no economy in buying 4% crap for $40/lb when you can get 8%+ for $75/lb, and have a much better kava experience. Even without a direct KL% ratio comparison, a guaranteed noble single-cultivar product from a reputable dealer is always a much better deal than a mixed bag from someone else.

This sounds more like an advertisement than reality. I prefer as much transparency as possible when it comes to something I am consuming but often times, the "mixed bag" is of much higher quality. I've completely stopped buying from most vendors because I can't justify paying these prices just to be disappointed. Almost every time I decide to try the latest batch of an old favorite, I end up regretting it and using up my Kava Supreme, Nangol or Wow/Stone to increase the potency.

 

[kavamehameha]

I also don't like the prices going up, and in fact it's a financial problem for me to drink kava regularly. BUT: The prices of kava are the same for many many months now and there's nothing new to it. I'm surprised about the lurid reports in this thread. This has no basis whatsoever.

"Götterdämmerung price list" -- Could we please exaggerate just a bit more and run around wildly screaming? C'mon, really?

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

I also don't like the prices going up, and in fact it's a financial problem for me to drink kava regularly. BUT: The prices of kava are the same for many many months now and there's nothing new to it. I'm surprised about the lurid reports in this thread. This has no basis whatsoever.

"Götterdämmerung price list" -- Could we please exaggerate just a bit more and run around wildly screaming? C'mon, really?

Many of those price increases have happened within the past week, and I can document those. More importantly, I have price ceilings beyond which I refuse to buy and my point is that many kavas for me have now suddenly and recently gone through that ceiling. There used to be many dozens of kavas I would buy. There are now less than a dozen and the number is shrinking fast. Obviously I am not panicking. I stocked the fork up while the writing was on the wall. Hell, I still have plenty of damu.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Perhaps saddest of all, I can no longer recommend kava to people for their problems. An expensive enjoyable pleasure beverage, sure, but aside from me, there’s not a lot of people into that. Most have problems and are looking for effective and affordable solutions.