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Post by exoticimports on Dec 14, 2016 11:29:08 GMT -8
Most trips can pay for themselves. You buy there, sell here. Whether it be Solomons (insects), Bangkok (jewelry), Istanbul (carpets), or Knob Creek KY (machine gun parts), Fiji (classic Mopar parts) the concept is the same- bring enough cash to buy local, pay for permits and duties, and sell back home. Not so easy nowadays with global economy. I don't see anything cheaper here in Bangkok than in Canada, except copy products lacking good quality from local producers, which wouldn't sale on western market. The real gems (not lab grown) are far less expensive in BKK. But the real differentiator is in high-labor (e.g., complicated) gold jewelry which in BKK costs barely more than the price of gold. Besides which, in BKK you can get 22K and 24K where in NA most places carry 18K at best. Sadly, sapphires used to be cheap in Thailand, but that dried up and then went to Vietnam; now VN has mined all their sapphire, so you're pretty much stuck with ruby, and I don't care for ruby. In Cambodia, it's silk. Malaysia, antique Meo silver jewelry and clothing. VN used to have Hmong costumes, but the antiques and quality are gone. Still VN has the hand-stitched pictures. I remember when you could buy stuff in the Hanoi airport for less than you'd pay on the street- they hadn't figured out the racket yet! Taiwan buy those scroll paintings. E. Europe, amber. Serbia/Yugoslavia, gun parts (and jet parts and...) Quito, handmade alpaca sweaters. Caribbean, rum (permit required) Indonesia, parts of the old wood buildings. Cook Islands, black pearls. Chuck
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Post by Paul K on Dec 14, 2016 20:13:21 GMT -8
Not so easy nowadays with global economy. I don't see anything cheaper here in Bangkok than in Canada, except copy products lacking good quality from local producers, which wouldn't sale on western market. The real gems (not lab grown) are far less expensive in BKK. But the real differentiator is in high-labor (e.g., complicated) gold jewelry which in BKK costs barely more than the price of gold. Besides which, in BKK you can get 22K and 24K where in NA most places carry 18K at best. Chuck In Thailand and most of southeast Asia people locate extra money in Gold, but instead of buying golden bullion they buy pure gold jewelry. They are very soft and not practical and break very easily and when wear often they need to be replaced with new once at a little extra cost. I have never seen this type of jewelry anywhere else in the western world. Besides that they are not cheap having to pay for bracelet or chain $650.00-$700.00US ( half troy ounce ). People in high developed countries can not afford such jewelry . I am sure that there are still some products one can buy and sale around the world, but it needs to be researched well and once we go on short collecting trips I don't think we could really focus on that. I think sale of some extra collected specimens would cover a part of expanse. Paul
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Post by nomad on Dec 16, 2016 10:02:49 GMT -8
The early 1920s Everest mountaineers including Teddy Norton and Guy Bullock collected butterflies around the base camp on the Rongbuk Glacier . Both had been through the horrors of World War One. Google what Norton did on Everest. Need I say more.
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doros
New Member
Posts: 5
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Post by doros on Jan 2, 2017 8:18:43 GMT -8
Hello Beetlehorn. Thanks for the thoughtful post. I'm not on this board often, but I noticed a post you made some time ago about a lack of collectors in your area. I reside in western NC- so perhaps not very far from you. I've been collecting for many years and would welcome exchanging information with you.
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Post by lucanidae25 on Jan 2, 2017 15:01:48 GMT -8
Getting back to the main topic 'collecting butterfly is for sissy' in my opinion this is only a Western way of thinking. I spend a lot of time collecting in Asia and it's a whole different way of thinking when the locals see you with a net. The first thing everyone would ask me is 'is it for eating or can you sell them' with out fail. They can't understand the concept collecting isn't for eating or making money, they can't understand why I would waste my time on catching something that not for eating but once they found out they can make money from collecting insects then everything changes, it's like they're becoming a whole new way of thinking. The only way you can change thinking is a way of people can understand and can relates to it. You have to treat everyone as dumb.
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Post by T.C. on Jan 2, 2017 16:33:52 GMT -8
Anybody who thinks collecting bugs is for sissies I will challenge to go with me to Solomon Islands for a month- no mosquito nets, no sleeping bags, we live off the land. See who's the pansy now. Chuck Collecting Bugs IS for sissies though... Ok, I said it. Collecting trip to the Solomon Islands now? 😉. I'm sure there's probably some neat tiger beetles around there. haha, Something tells me this guy is looking for a free trip to the Solomon islands.
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