As any handbag aficionado knows, it is practically impossible to get a discount on a Coach bag. Department stores usually do not include Coach in their across the board sales, and their coupons usually exclude Coach products. Coach remains true to its beginnings in 1962 as making top quality and impeccably fashionable pieces. The company does not skip any steps in the quality of their leather and their manufacturing and design process and always has kept to the classic quality and style they are known for.

One of the frequently counterfeit brands, genuine Coach bags are recognized easily by the fine quality of the hardware, leather, and stitching. I have seen a lot of fake Coach bags in my day and I can always tell the fake by the stitching. If the stitching is not completely straight and perfectly made, its fake. Another tip off is the hardware. Coach hardware is always perfectly formed with no funky seams, or cheap looking finish to the metal. Coach never sells via street vendors, back room shops, or purse parties, so if you think it’s a fake it probably is. Since Coach bags and accessories are not cheap, what’s a girl to do in order to get a real Coach at a discount price?

The answer is the Coach Factory Outlet Stores. This store is a fantastic place to get Coach items for about 30% off, sometimes markdowns can even be higher on discontinued styles. Since Coach does had branched out quite a bit from simply selling handbags, check out their newer lines selling everything from scarves to shoes, and all manner of accessories. Those with impeccable style always have a wallet that matches their handbag so make sure to check out the wallets available in coordinating styles to your purse.

For a list of Coach Factory Outlet Stores across the United States see this link – www.malls-info.com/outlet/coachoutletstores.html. There are currently over 75 of the Coach outlets. These stores sell first quality merchandise from Coach at reduced prices. I myself carry a Coach makeup case in my bag, which I purchased at a Coach outlet over 10 years ago. Of course these leather items last forever, and the fact that I bought it for about half off makes this one of my favorite purchases.

My favorite Coach bags are the classic styles in black leather. I have been carrying the same bag off and on for a number of years and it looks great. I bought it at the Coach store, left it wrapped up, and gave it to my husband and said “Here is my Christmas present from you.” Every once in a while I clean it with the Coach leather cleaning kit, and the leather is beautiful. My goal is to purchase of the beautiful patchwork “signature” bags so I am keeping my eye open for just the right bag that is calling my name. Guess where I will be shopping? Meet me at the Coach factory outlet store.

> RESERVE NOW

Market Perception Today

I had a recent email from a client, noting how she was unsure where the market was now or where it was heading. She commented that prices seem to be going up, and contemplated whether she should she hold off buying until the First Home Owner’s Grant (FHOG) reduces further and/or see if there is an impact of expected interest rate hikes?

I can only make comment of what I have seen in my patch of the woods, the East side of Brisbane. So let’s look at her first query – have Sellers increased their asking prices? Well, yes and no.

Up front it should be said if a property is priced to meet the market, it will sell. I have seen, even as of today, new properties listed at an attractive (or sensible) price, which I know will be snapped up quick.

I feel the problem with some new listings, is some Sellers have started to get a little greedy. That’s fine, I too would want to sell my house for as much as I could get, but if I wish to sell my house, I still have to meet the market. This principle will always remain no matter what the state of the market.

There has been recent press saying how the housing sector has bounced back extraordinarily well from the doldrums created by the GFC. I listed an article dated October 20 on this blog noting this very thing. Unsurprisingly, when a Seller sees this type of press, their eyes light up.

But first we need to look at where the press obtain their figures of growth? If it is via Government Departments (this is where database s such as PDS Live, RP Data gain much of their information) there will be a lag time. If a house sells in August, with processing time, the information may not reach a database until September to October. Keep this lag time in mind for the moment.

Personally I believe the turning point in the market was around July/August this year. Homes valued below $430,000 started to get picked up, and momentum increased. As properties in these lower brackets began depleting and confidence grew, Buyers started looking a little further up the price range and a ‘trickle up’ effect could be seen. However I haven’t seen this trickle up effect go much past the $550,000 bracket just yet.

Hence if the market was heating up in August, we hear about it in October (due to the lag time). Sellers start thinking it’s a Seller’s market and start upping listing prices.

Another interesting point I have noticed, is during this initial surge, the majority of interest was from Investors, not particularly first home buyers. They were certainly present, but the Investors seem to be the most active.

There will always be people who need to buy and sell property no matter what the market, due to external factors (say moving interstate for work) but Investors have the luxury of picking their mark. When they feel the market has bottomed out, they jump, as they of course wish to purchase at the lowest point to maximise their growth.

But have Investors interested in purchasing property already done so by now, and left the market, thereby reducing the Buyer pool for the Sellers just as they thought things were kicking along? I don’t think so.  I still have quite a number of Buyers on my Database looking for investment properties, but they are specific and know what the right price should be. If you are a Seller and list too high, you may get good numbers enquiring as there is still much interest out there, but there will be no offers, and your property will sit.

There is also the theory by some the FHOG has artificially increased the costs of lower price bracket property. Having had few come across my path, I can’t see Sellers asking that much more because of a perceived flood of easy cash in the system. It’s just not happening.

If there are several interest rate hikes, the market may slow, possibly for a short period, but I feel most people are sensible enough to acknowledge interest rates are incredibly low, and there will be expected movement up. This is of course assuming the RBA and Lenders don’t get silly.

I was speaking with the local Loan Market Mortgage Broker, Simon Winters, who said his market felt the likelihood of interest rate increase in December was 50%, where everyone was saying 75% just a few weeks earlier.

Sellers pricing sensibly are selling quick as there is still much interest in the market. But list high and you will struggle for an offer. There are still plenty of keen Buyers out there, Investors and some new home buyers getting in before the FHOG reduces. Interest rates don’t appear to be making any dent. Similarly for Buyers, there are still many properties correctly priced in a market which appears to have recovered from the GFC. I don’t see a return to the 2007 times (which is a good thing) so all in all, at present, it is probably a reasonably equitable market.

Please feel free to leave a comment. Perception, by its nature, is an individual thing, so I am always interested in other people’s thoughts.

Velocite Bikes has just released their updated price list. Now that they offer SRAM, I’ll deck out my Magnus with Red. It will be followed by a Millennium shortly after.

If you were following the news recently like I have in regards to the ETS. Its not the outcome that I’m expecting, as the ETS is likely to pass, even though there a many Liberal members who is loyaled to Malcom Turnbull are in favour of the ETS. Lets hope the ETS gets voted down in Parliament.

Many Liberals should leave home attached to the stone of shame. These guys aren’t conservertives. They are more like lefties here. They should have known that the ETS is another Tax by the Labour Government, that means producers or goods and serivces will pass on the cost to consumers, we at the bottom end will pay for it.

All the small income earners and those living under the poverty line will be worst off than before despite being compensated by government, whats makes matters worse. Inflation will going to distort wages, prices and etc. Whats this means is more of your money goes into government coffers and a illusion of wealth.

Therefore people still worse off and ends paying up for more on good and services then ever before, due to the current policies that both of the Federal Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia are persuading.

For bloody god sakes, No more new taxes, Scrap the ETS, reduce government and reduce taxes.

Then, we will be alright!

Cheers

Yesterday, I accidentally opened the Ryanair page and found they were offering £2 one way tickets for journeys in November through to March. The tickets went really quick and by the time I got home there weren’t any left for the routes I was interested in.

I started to dig around to see how come I missed this great offer. Even though I’m subscribed to Ryanair’s newsletter I got no heads-up for it. I checked on their Press Release page but there was nothing on it either.

So it’s not just me. 66 million Ryanair passengers, some of whom are surely subscribed to the newsletter and others who check their PR website regularly didn’t know of the sell-out. Why?

The only reasonable explanation I can offer is that it’s one of Ryanair’s marketing tactics. News spread quicker by word of mouth then via any press releases, newsletters or any other marketing campaigns. Moreover, it’s reaaaaaaaally cheap.

I continued to wonder how this may work. Surely, Michael O’leary isn’t going to make it easy for us to figure out when he’s planning the next sale.

I went through all Ryanair’s special offers press releases and put their dates on a Google Calendar.

So I went ahead and analysed the press release calendar pattern quickly. Here’s what I found:

Ryanair Press Release Analysis

Almost 60% of all Ryanair special offer announcements were made on a Monday or Tuesday, with just over 20% made on a Thursday. They have never made any announcements on a Saturday, Wednesdays and Sundays being the least popular days when nearly 10% of their announcements were made.

The period analysed was between February 2007 and November 2009 as their announcements don’t go any further than the beginning of 2007.

Very interesting is the immense growth of press release popularity in the second half of this year when almost 60% of all special offer announcements were made – 34 out of 58.

The press release pattern seams very erratic. Some of the offers were prompted by bad publicity, e.g. ‘Ryanair gives away 1.1m FREE seats BBCPanorama lies’ (O’leary beautifully manipulated the whole Panorama crew who did publish his interview on their website).

Right, so what are we gonna do with the findings? There are a few tips we could bear in mind:

- don’t wait for the newsletter to announce any big sales

- they’ll come unexpectedly on Monday or Tuesday

- if not check on a Thursday

- you’re safe to go for a pint on a Friday because there will be no announcements on a Saturday

- Sundays should be quiet too, with only a handful of less important announcements made

Finally, judging from the popularity of the offers yesterday if there will be a sale tickets will go within a few hours. So be prepared to buy when the time comes.

I’d love to be able to provide any alternative analyses of this type but unfortunately weren’t able to find any. Looks like Ryanair’s not very popular with academics.

Anyway, hope this helps a little bit. Keep your eyes open and let me know if you spot any trends. And any big sales of course!

Are you ready to retire? With the real estate market in a full-blown meltdown, the U.S. on the verge of a recession, and the stock market tumbling, it is not a fun time to consider retiring. In fact, many potential retirees are having to extend their working years later and later just so they can scrape by. It just doesn’t seem fair.

What happened to living the good life in your “golden years”? Where did your dreams of finally relaxing after years of hard work vanish? Do you worry about how you’ll ever make ends meet?

If you are feeling the pinch and punch of this “uncomfortable” time in U.S. history, you are certainly not alone. Countless thousands of individuals in their late 50s, 60s, and even 70s, both those already retired as well as those ready to retire, are being faced with the prospect of having to keep working or even return to the workforce just to get by. Once respectable nest eggs and savings are quickly diminishing with the fall of the stock market, and with rapidly falling house prices, the money many expected they’d make on their home sale, just isn’t going to pay out.

Dreams of retiring to such domestic hotspots as Florida, Arizona, or California just aren’t feasible any more. But, don’t fret; more and more Americans are realizing there is an alternative. More and more retirees are pulling up their roots and beginning one of the biggest, most exciting adventures of their lifetimes – they’re choosing to invest in one of the world’s best-kept retirement secrets: Nicaragua!

Though Nicaragua is commonly seen as a “land of the poor,” the wealth of the land is in­comparable to that of any other country. Filled with gorgeous mountains, splendid green­ery, and some of the cleanest lakes that you ever will see, Nicaragua is truly a sight to see.

In fact, over 5,000 Americans have already made the decision to see it and call Nicaragua home, and that’s in addition to thousands of English-speaking expatriates from around the world who make Nicaragua one of the most desirable locations to retire.

There’s never been a better time to live and invest in Nicaragua. With the recent hurricanes, prices are at an all time low. The rebuilding effort is in full swing and retirees are scooping up cream of the crop properties at seriously discounted prices. Add to that the fact that the government is welcoming foreign retirees who want to live the Nicaraguan experience by offering rebates to foreigners over the age of 45 looking to buy property.

According to the “Law of Resident Pensioners and Retirees,” foreigners over 45 that choose to move to Nicaragua can be eligible for extra benefits as long as they have a monthly income that totals at least $400. Retirees that meet this requirement don’t have to pay taxes on earnings that come from out of country – this is huge! In addition, retirees don’t have to pay duty or import taxes on imported household goods up to $10,000, or on an imported car intended for personal use.

Once reserved for the world’s elite and most savvy investors, Nicaraguan real estate investing is quickly becoming the best way for retirees to find their own seventh heaven and begin living the lives they always dreamed were possible. If you’ve ever dreamed of living, investing, or retiring to your very own private paradise, don’t miss the opportunity to start living the good life you deserve.

Hello Friends here we come up with the Latest Agri Commodities updates from various parts of the country.

'Futures trading in rice, sugar and pulses should be banned'

‘Futures trading in rice, sugar and pulses should be banned’:

A parliamentary panel today suggested that futures trading should be banned in case of wheat, rice, sugar and some pulses till the country becomes self sufficient in these food items.

The Estimates Committee asked the government to bring a new legislation to control the retail prices of essential commodities like rice,wheat, pulses, edible oils, sugar, milk and vegetables.

On futures trading, the report said: “Since food security of the country is at the stake, the Committee recommends that futures trading in wheat, rice, tur dal, urad dal and sugar should be banned till the country achieves self-sufficiency in the production of these items on a continuous basis”.

In Other major Commodities Updates we can see exports of Spice declining and on the other hand price of pulses rising up 80% in a year time.

Spice exports decline 1.3% in April-October:

Exports of spices fell 1.3 per cent in volume and 1.6 per cent in value during the April-October period of the current financial year.

According to the latest estimates of Spices Board, total exports in the period were 280,885 tonnes valued at Rs 3,031.59 crore against 284,560 tonnes valued at 3,080.25 crore in the same period last year.

Pepper exports suffered a serious setback as the figures dropped to 11,500 tonnes valued at Rs 179.16 crore as against 14,750 tonnes valued at Rs 246. 70 crore in the same period last year.

Export of chilli also declined to 100,500 tonnes valued at Rs 706.50 crore as against 121,500 tonnes valued at Rs 660.17 crore.

Coriander exports had a better performance at 25,250 tonnes valued at Rs 128.12 crore against 17,100 tonnes valued at Rs 116.80 crore.

Pulse prices rise up to 80 per cent in one year:

The government today said prices of pulses have surged by up to 80 per cent in the national capital over the last one year.

While prices of tur have gone up by 80 per cent in the last one year to Rs 90 a kg, that of moong dal surged 74 per cent to Rs 82, according to the data presented by Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Even import of about 16 lakh tonnes of pulses between April and October has not eased pressure on the prices, the data showed.

Not just pulses, prices of sugar have almost doubled to Rs 38 a kg.

Note : For More Latest Industry, Stock Market and Economy News and Updates, please Click Here

Now here’s something to be thankful for…

DISCOUNT PRICES FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!!!!

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, 11/25/09, I will be offering the following *Special* Holiday Prices:

*Special 1/2hr Holiday* rate = $75 !!!

*Special Holiday Hour* rate = $100 !!!

*Special Mini* Holiday rate = $40 !!!

All special holiday prices are good through Dec 31, 2009; and as long as you keep your scheduled appointment you are eligible for these fantastic rates.  *** Unfortunately, if you cancel your appointment (or do not show up at all) your next session will have to be at the normal prices.

It's amazing what effect a small ball of fur can have automated shopping trends. The ball of fur, I am referring to so-called Zhu Zhu pets. These cute hamsters turn out this year, a surprise addition to children's letters to Santa Claus so that parents and shopping lists. Now it is beautiful, such a product that will love the kids, but not so much if they do not get their hands on them.

A similar scenario happens every few years, the last one that springsto mind would be the Wii Fit. If you live in the UK, if that product is released and wanted to, you know, they were like gold dust. It is very likely that this is exactly what will happen with the cuddly pets Zhu Zhu.

They are many parents who either put on purchase them early, or just one of these toys to see flitting around both offline and online without success. I saw there, done and bought the T-shirt, it's a nightmare when you knowexactly what your child is keen to have for Christmas, but you just do not get their hands on them.

If your after one of these wonderful automated hamsters, then you do the most for you, get it NOW! You see, it is also the issue of price, because, as Zhu Zhu Pets stocks become short, those who bought large stocks, ie, eBay merchants begin to push prices to sometimes ridiculous levels. As I write this article this sub-$ 10 toy isNow knocking on the door of $ 20.

If you do not want to be disappointed, make sure you shop for the toys early and late when you've forgotten it in the shops, go online, Amazon is a good resource to check out, and they have the added advantage that they deliver quickly and efficiently.

Visit : Ben 10 Toys Shop ben 10 action figures

I attempt to get all my grocery needs in one monthly shop,  because I despise grocery shopping,    So I decided on IGA at Waterloo Sydney to pick up some milk.  The rest are ‘impulse’ buys or things I could recall on my list at home.  Truthfully only the tomatoes and cucumbers were on the list.  I really prefer the 3L bottles of milk as we go through a lot of milk.

Kellogs Special K 360g  $3.79

Mrs Brunt’s waffles 6 pack 2 x @ $4.25 ea

2 x 2 L Daisy Lite milk @ $2.79 ea

De Costi fresh cooked peeled prawns 325g $12.01

Cucumber 525g @ $5.49 kg

Trussed tomatoes  @ $8.25 / kg = $5.26

We’ve got things on etsy! After being off of there for a long time, we are finally back! Up to about 11 items now, plus 20 + or so on artfire. Lots more to come on both too!

Just a bit of what’s to come, here’s new necklaces, and a few journals!

Price per square foot varies by Area with Area 20 (West end of the city) having the highest price per square foot.

Properties near the best performing primary schools in England can cost 19,500 more than homes elsewhere, research finds…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: college. The blog is also related to: educ.

There’s a theory that if you flood the market with something you will reduce the price of that something.  Flood the world with bananas and the banana prices will go down.  Flood the market with gasoline and gasoline prices drop. 

This same theory holds that if you build more and more housing the price of housing will come down.  But this doesn’t happen.  In fact, the opposite happens.  Think of the densest cities on earth:  Tokyo, London, Singapore, New York, even San Francisco.  The prices are very high. 

Now, think of some communities you may not have thought of in a long time:  Susanville, Pixley, Alturas.  Did you realize you can buy a 4-bedroom home in wooded Chester California for $150,000?  Even in high-priced California there are spectacular home bargains.

So, what happened to San Francisco?  As San Francisco is built up with more and more housing, the prices go up, not down.  Well, it’s like this.  People like to be around other people.  The more people you push together in an area, the more people want to live in the area.  People want to be with other people.  They want to experience the culture others have to offer.  They want to go out to restaurants and see other people.  They want to have the crowd experience of the movies, concerts, live theater, and softball games.  Pack people densely enough and everybody wants to be there.  Then you begin to get bidding wars where people will keep trying to outbid each other to buy homes.  That’s exactly what happened in the decade prior to the economic collapse of two years ago. 

San Francisco has always been expensive compared to other communities, but when it was at its most affordable was during the 1960s and 70s when people took flight to the suburbs.  The population of San Francisco went down dramatically.  Fewer people living here meant fewer people wanted to live here.  The “law” of supply and demand did not work. 

As the limits were taken off home building in the 1990s in the name of creating “affordable housing” and the building codes governing live-work lofts were relaxed, a building boom ensued.  Nearly every inch of undeveloped land South of Market was soon filled with junk condos.  And Chris Daly was the main proponent of this wholesale construction.  Prices went through the roof.   Once again, the “law” of supply and demand did not work.

Solution:  The way to solve the housing price situation in San Francisco is to stop building.  If we become as densly built as Tokyo, we will have housing prices like Tokyo.  Believe me, you won’t want that.

I’ve got INVENTORY for the first time, as an amateur knifemaker. The thing about inventory is that you really should get it moving from time to time, so I thought I might have a sale.

To keep this from being a really long entry with large photos, I’ve uploaded the photos to my Picasa.

The specs and stats are here. Prices do not include shipping.

W-1 Tool Steel Utility: hand forged blade with hamon (hybrid polish). OAL: 7.5″, blade 3″. The handle is Wenge with kangaroo leather turks head and tsukamaki. The blade could be removed by tapping out the small silver pin. $80

O-1 Tool Steel Shiv: hand forged blade, unsigned, rough polished, showing temper colors. 9.5″ OAL, 4″ blade.Paracord handle wrap. $60

Recycled Lawnmower Blade: says it all, really. Stock removal, triple tempered, with a small hamon area. 8.5″ OAL, 3.75″ blade. The blade collar and cap on the back of the white tail antler handle are sterling silver. $80

Double Edge Boot Knife: hand forged 1084HC, full hamon with slightly less hard point (similar to traditional Yari), triple tempered. Whitetail antler handle with African Mahogany spacer. Antler crown is carved with a triple spiral (not sh0wn). 9.75″ OAL, 5″ blade. $180

Autumn Green Man: hand forged from a Harbor Freight file (very similar to 1070HC), with hamon, triple tempered. The handle is whitetail antler with African Mahogany fore and aft. The eyes are 4mm Sunstone, and there is a smaller blue Paua Shell inset on the upper handle curve. This knife is a sole authorship piece: I did it all. 8.75″ OAL, 4.75″ blade. $280

Chevy Spring Sgian Dubh: you guessed it! Forged from 1984 Chevy coil spring. Based on how it handled, it is likely a 10XX series steel, rather than a 51XX. The handle wood is something oily and exotic that I got at a knife show. 6.25″ OAL, with an almost 3″ blade. $120

Thanks for looking!

Emails should be directed to: threeravensringo@gmail.com

“Cash-strapped consumers should have more left in their wallets when they finish shopping for their Thanksgiving feast this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual price survey.

The total cost of a turkey dinner and all the fixings should be about $42.91, or about 4 percent less than in 2008.”

This Year’s Biggest Thanksgiving Leftover: Cash

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What could be better than a brand new, never worn, designer watch at a price you can really and truly afford? Sometimes the saying “it’s too good to be true” really is true! At discount prices, you don’t need to wait for a holiday sale or special occasion to get yourself the watch you’ve always wanted.

Starting with A for Audemars Piguet, down to Z for Zenith, here is a quick rundown of designer watches, all at discount prices. From top brands like Breitling, Bvlgari, and Cartier, down to Gucci, Michele, TAG Heuer and more, see what’s out there.

Audemars Piguet is known as one of the”top three” luxury watch brands in the world. AP has had immeasurable success over the years, especially with its Royal Oak collection which came out in the early 1970’s and which many of its new watches are still modeled after. Known as the first high end sports watch made out of steel, the Royal Oak has left large footprints; its octagonal shape, steel edges, and use of hexagonal screws, serve as trademark features for many AP watches.

Breitling watches are mostly designed for and made for men. With large faces and hi-tech, complex functions, Breitlings are known as “instruments for professionals”, and were originally made for aviation pilots. Although women can and do wear men’s watches, Breitling watches typically look good on men. However, that is not to mean that women are left in the dust. There are a few models of women’s watches: the Windrider Cockpit and Starliner and the Aeromarine Colt Oceane.

When you think of the word “discount” Bvlgari probably does not come to mind, however, it is very possible to own a Bvlgari watch and not pay a fortune. One of the top examples of Italian luxury, the brand Bvlgari is well known and desired, which is one reason why its watches are so popular among those that love labels; because almost every one blatantly shows the Bvlgari logo. The bezel has the word “Bvlgari” going around it, making it a true designer watch.

Like the Italians, the French are also producers of “haute couture” goods and Cartier watches are one of the best examples of this. For decades, Cartier watches, perhaps more than any other designer watch, have been found on the wrists of many people, from international royalty to modern day celebrities.

On to the letter “G.” G for Gucci, the “God” of fashion. The secret to owning something Gucci? A Gucci watch. At discount prices you can easily find a Gucci watch for much less than you can a pair of Gucci pumps. Even as compared to Bvlgari and Cartier, Gucci watches sell for less but with no less bang. Many feature the prominent Gucci logo on the bracelet for all to see and admire.

Michele watches may not be as well known by name as some other designer brands, but they sure deserve mention. Michele watches are made for the confident, sexy woman that’s not afraid to show it. With bold, bright colors, and cool, interchangeable straps (everything from animal print to shiny metallics), Michele watches are affordable fashion statements.

Omega watches have a long history and are great sports and “action hero” watches. With a grand array of high profile brand ambassadors like Nicole Kidman, George Clooney and Olympic champion Michael Phelps, Omega watches get their name and product out there.

TAG Heuer watches are for those that want to look good and wear a watch that can withstand some serious sweat and wear and tear. Promoted and worn by some of the world’s top athletes, TAG watches are always a winning choice.

And last but not least, “Z” for Zenith. Zenith watches are known for their revolutionary mechanical workings and designs. Their innovations have resulted in over 1,000 “firsts” in the world of watchmaking. Zenith manufacturers their own mechanical movements and is particularly known for their standard movement, called the Elite and their chronograph called El Primero.

So, there you go, a quick review of some of the top designer watches. Remember, there are some things you should never pay retail for and watches are one of them!

After four days of pointing out the limitations of Fair Trade, celebrating its achievements during one day may seem like damnation by faint praise.  I hope not.  As I mentioned Monday, I think Fair Trade is the worst system out there (except for pretty much every other one that has ever been tried).

There is a reason that this blog on coffee and development chose Fair Trade as its point of departure.  More importantly, there is a reason that nearly every other approach to sourcing coffee directly from farmers uses Fair Trade as a point of reference — Intelligentsia’s Direct Trade model, Counter Culture’s Direct Trade Certified program, Stumptown’s Direct Trade coffees…you get the point.

The descriptions of each of these approaches, however, invokes Fair Trade only where price is involved.  This is a favorable point of comparison for all three of these quality-obsessed roasters, because each one pays really big bucks for the kinds of coffee that will change your life (or at least your Tuesday).  The focus on price is common for those who wish to compete with Fair Trade or critique it, probably because it has been the lead talking point for Fair Trade advocates over the past decade.  Unfortunately, above-market prices may not be the most important developmental impact of Fair Trade.

Don’t take my word for it.  Read this excerpt from the excellent 2003 study on certifications done by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:

the fair-trade price premium appears to be only part, and often a small part, of the benefits derived from the fair-trade system. Organizational progress, better bargaining positions, credit worthiness and economies of scale seem to be more important. The benefits result from the fair-trade marketing system and the additional support activities by other agencies, which appear to be highly interlinked and mutually supportive.

This short passage is lousy with insight.  All the things mentioned here as more important than the guaranteed minimum price are the kinds of things that good approaches to rural agro-enterprise development are doing even the absence of any kind of Fair Trade guarantees.  Why?  Precisely because of their promise for long-term developmental impact.

Earning a nickel-per-pound more than the market price is nice, and social premiums well spent will be yielding social dividends in the coffeelands for generations.  But chances are that 50 years from now, when Fair Trade has evolved into something that looks and feels little like what we know today as Fair Trade, the cooperative organizations, operational efficiencies, and access to credit, developmental assistance and markets will be more important to the fortunes of coffee communities.  These innovations were brought to many parts of the coffeelands by Fair Trade.

Fair Trade created a market for coffees produced with sound developmental approaches, and a market incentive for cooperatives to adopt those practices.  It created a place for people who care about sustainability beyond organic certification to converge.  It may sound like damnation by faint praise, but in the end, these processes will likely mean more for the coffeelands than all the “estimated additional income” from Fair Trade premiums.