Here are the results of a survey of real black powder prices that I did while sitting in a motel room enroute to an auction last Friday.
UIpdated on 1/13/2009First, the price by supplier:
Next, the same data sorted by brand:
I corrected an arithmetic error in the Powder, Inc. 25 lb lot per pound prices, so the least expensive per pound price is Powder, Inc.'s KIK in a 25 lb lot at $10.10. Second is Jack's Powder Keg house brand at $10.20.
I also updated the Powder, Inc. prices to include an increase in the hazmat fee from $20 to $22.50 per shipment that occurred over the weekend.
I queried Jack's Powder Keg about his hazmat fees; he responded by email stating that the prices on the web site (which are shown in the chart) include the hazmat fee and shipping costs. If the hazmat fee is indeed $45, the powder prices are very, very low, as his prices are nearly the lowest.
The Graf's prices do include a new hazmat fee ($22.50); it doubles ($45), at 23 lbs and above, so the 25 lb lots have the $45 fee.
Note: These are 'delivered' prices; that is, the cost to put it on my doorstep in Michigan, so they include shipping and hazmat fees. The standard used was fffg, although I didn't see a difference in price between granulations in most of the data.
Most of these data are taken from the supplier's web site. However, I did speak to a couple of them directly. The Hazmat fee has risen from $20 per shipment to $22.50, and the wholesale cost of the powder has also risen in 2009. Some of these web site prices have not been modified from 2008 and so may not be exactly what you'll be charged if you actually order it. Where possible I went all the way to processing an actual order to get the delivered price, so I believe they're accurate, but things can change overnight...
