All you have to do to realize that we truly live in times that at best might be termed "interesting" is read the daily news (or what passes for journalism these days). As much as we'd care to stick our heads in a hole and do our ostrich imitations, the new world order is catching up with us...
For example, I need some material to build a new set of deadeyes and chainplate terminals which is unavailable here on island so I'm buying them from one of our favorite suppliers (Online Metals) in the States. The sum total of the materials needed for the project came to $19 but the shipping (Priority mail) cost came to $25.10 or (Parcel Post) at $15.03.
As much as I rail against silly pricing and shipping costs, they are just a part of the gig and something to be factored in to the process. Of course, it is obvious that whenever possible it makes sense to buy stuff locally and, as shipping charges are going to continue their climb into the WTF zone, designing projects around locally available materials and products is going to become the rule rather than the exception. Something you may want to consider on a lot of levels especially when you realze that the orange you just ate might have traveled 7000 miles to find itself in your fruit basket...
The new deadeyes and chainplate terminals for the entire rig will cost out at about $40 total in materials including shipping (and a days' labor at no cost though I might buy myself a couple of beers as a reward) which compared to ones bought from a company who makes such things (which would have to shipped at silly prices as well) would cost just less than $1000 ($946 to be precise) without shipping...
The downside is that my finished product will not be a pretty anodized color. So the question is: a thousand dollars for a pretty color or $40 and a bit of sweat equity?
Jeez, that's really a difficult question... Ya think?
I can't wait till this HowToons poster becomes a t-shirt...
