Why are hop prices so varied ?

[jinxy72]

after finally getting my biab stuff sorted ive been looking on the net for ingredients .. now one of the hops .. mount hood .. has brought up all kinds of prices for the same 100gm pack ! ... malt miller unfort. dont have it in stock as i was looking to get everything from one place to save on delivery costs .. but they listed it at £2.55 . so i looked elsewhere and the home brew shop has them for £3.84 . Now £1.29 diff seemed quite a bit so i loked around and the price just went up and up and up ... heres some examples ( prices actually taken from their own sites ... fact! )

malt miller £2.55
home brew shop £3.84
brewstore £3.99
brew uk £4.85
copper kettle £4.30
the home brew company £2.50
EBAY - the home brew shop (different from above) £6.29 !
the online homebrew company .... £8.18 !!!!!

all for 100gm pack of the same hops !!!!!!!!!!

so why do they vary soooo much ?

 

[hairybiker]

Depends on where they get their hops from really.
Some get them from Richie/Brewpacks/etc and will charge what they suggest others buy in bulk and bag them themselves so saving money and passing it on.

 

[Vossy1]

Also, shops have overheads which some on-line retailers can reduce significantly and thus don't need to include in their prices :thumb:
EDIT, source can also be a reason for cost as can availability.

 

[Moley]

And if you don't really know what you're doing or what things should cost or where to get them from, if you're happy to pay it there will always be someone willing to charge it.

 

[jinxy72]

And if you don't really know what you're doing or what things should cost or where to get them from, if you're happy to pay it there will always be someone willing to charge it.

thats a very good point :thumb: .... unfort. i order most things online as i dont have a local HBS :shock: nearest one to me is 40 mins away (on a good day) so i do tend to check prices before i buy anything

 

[graysalchemy]

In fairness to the lhbs they are probably paying more from their wholesellers than we can buy from malt miller barley bottom etal. However this because they haven't got the demand to warrant biying large quantities and splitting it down like what Rob does.

But then good on malt miller and barley bottom for seing a specialised niche market and fullfilling it :thumb:

 

[Moley]

In fairness to the lhbs they are probably paying more from their wholesellers than we can buy from malt miller barley bottom et al.

In fairness to my LHBS, their hops are even cheaper than Malt Miller's.

They are weighed into polythene bags, loosely taped around the necks, exposed to light and stored at room temperature, possibly for several months, so they all look very similar and rather brown.

As I understand that is just how some of the Belgian brewers like them, I would be more than happy to buy a load and sell them on at eight quid a bag.

 

[screamlead]

Try here - cheapest i have found.

http://www.worcesterhopshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=1

:thumb:

 

[Swift Pint]

Try here - cheapest i have found.

http://www.worcesterhopshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=1

:thumb:

I've used this place a few times. Quickly becoming one of the first sites I'll check.
Decent quality, vacuum packed in foil.
Plus shipping is quite good. Rates up to 1kg are standard first class, then above that it rises with weight. (Better than a blanket massive charge per order irrespective of size for sure)

 

[MikeB]

I get everything I can from the Worcester Hop Shop - the service is superb. But I also use the Malt Miller for some things, who again give perfect service.

 

[Darcey]

I pay £5+ for 110g!

 

[jinxy72]

I pay £5+ for 110g!

seems to be a regular price ... but one i wouldnt pay unless i didnt have to pay for postage


thanks for all the other replies guys ... ive just got 6 different hops from rob@maltmiller as well as lots of other stuff .... excellent service :thumb: