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America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

latimes.com

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Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#121

Post by andrewl »

cbsks wrote: post #105
xahrepap wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

I have a couple of leather belts (one brown and one black) that I got from https://simpleleatherbelt.com/ I highly recommend them. These belts will last a lifetime.

I second the recommendation of A Simple Leather Belt Co. I have a brown and a black from them, and they're extremely well made. The user interface for designing your belt is also quite clear.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#122

Post by giardini »

robohoe wrote: post #118
xahrepap wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

I recommend Hank’s Belts online. I bought two. First one with a blemish (that I can’t find) for half price and a regular one for full price. Both have lasted me 3+ years now.

$60 is a stiff price for a belt when the value of leather is apparently $0. Hank's Belts hasn't heard the news yet, I suppose.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#123

Post by ValentineC »

Fezzik wrote: post #97
xahrepap wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

I’m in the same boat - I have a Nautica belt that I bought in 8th grade (37 now) that I still wear daily, though it is getting tighter it works like new. The buckle holes are not even noticeably stretched. As a tangent, Vivobarefoot is a shoe company that makes very high quality leather shoes. I bought a pair of their brown low-tops and have worn them everyday for work for 4(+) years. Other than looking slightly worn…

> As a tangent, Vivobarefoot is a shoe company that makes very high quality leather shoes. I bought a pair of their brown low-tops and have worn them everyday for work for 4(+) years. Other than looking slightly worn they function as new. No affiliation, just impressed with the craftsmanship.

I've bought Vivobarefoot (mostly when they're on sale) for over 7 years now, and the build quality of their shoes are really hit-or-miss — while the leather doesn't wear, some of their soles tend to puncture or flake within months.

The pair I'm currently wearing daily, their Soul of Africa Gobi, has been going strong for over a year now.

Their Stealth and Evo series of running shoes (not leather) are rubbish. My Evo died after 131 km/81 miles of running — normal running shoes should last at least 2-3 times of that.

I wonder if the country of production plays a part in build quality.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#124

Post by giardini »

cbsks wrote: post #105
xahrepap wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

I have a couple of leather belts (one brown and one black) that I got from https://simpleleatherbelt.com/ I highly recommend them. These belts will last a lifetime.

Simple Leather Belts' prices are too high too!

I've been in the market for new belts for a year now, so the glut of hides is good news. Time to stock up for another century!

I've had very good full grain leather belts in the past. Now that I know the market situation I'm going to search for a big (cheap) piece of full-grain cowhide and cut my own damn belts out of it. Belts aren't hi-tech. It isn't as if we're talking about making a 5-nm chip here; more like "cow chip" tech.

I'm in Texas now so there are probably cowhides all over the local flea markets and wholesale shops.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#125

Post by lyjackal »

giardini wrote: post #124
cbsks wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a couple of leather belts (one brown and one black) that I got from https://simpleleatherbelt.com/ I highly recommend them. These belts will last a lifetime.

Simple Leather Belts' prices are too high too! I've been in the market for new belts for a year now, so the glut of hides is good news. Time to stock up for another century! I've had very good full grain leather belts in the past. Now that I know the market situation I'm going to search for a big (cheap) piece of full-grain cowhide and cut my own damn belts out of it. Belts aren't hi-tech. It isn't as if we're talkin…

There's more that goes into production than material costs. Seems like a deal compared to crap that will fall into disrepair after a year or two

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#126

Post by Zhenya »

throw7 wrote: post #98
xahrepap wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

Yes. I have a leather belt from highschool (buckle is stamped spain, have no idea how i got it and my parents can't remember)... it has a weathered look to it, but is perfectly fine (i use it today still). After getting fed up of of cloth like deteriorating "leather" belts, recently i looked closely and ended up with a timberland (stamped india) "genuine leather" (means not leather again) belt. In comparison, the tim…

As you sorted, geniune leather is one of the lowest rung of material that is legally able to be called leather.

Here is a quick overview of leather grades:

https://www.heddels.com/2014/06/overview-guide-leather-grade...

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#127

Post by thaeli »

refurb wrote: post #94
squirrelicus wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't help but get the sense that your economic materials analysis is based on a video game crafting economy. If the profitability of leather is low enough, then people will trash the raw hide but butcher and sell the beef. There's a lot of labor and logistics and materials that goes into producing the beef you cook or leather goods you buy beyond (cow) -> (meat,leather) -> (food,clothes). Remember, nobody knows ho…

They’ll trash the hides when the profitability of them reaches zero. That still leaves a ton of room to over supply and depress prices.

Disposal costs money, too, so the "trash point" is actually at a somewhat _negative_ profitability.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#128

Post by amiga_500 »

amdanil wrote: post #82
xahrepap wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a really awesome leather belt that I got when I was 15. I stopped wearing it when I was 30 because my weight finally out outgrew the belt. Still have it. It's no worse today than it was when I got it as a teen. I go through about a belt a year now. Because I always seem to end up with this crap you describe. Even if I try to avoid it. Guess I need to do a better job looking... Or just lose some weight so I can…

Could just order some from China(1). Have to read the description carefully tho. Usually anything under 15USD not worth buying and over 30USD you're overpaying. (1) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32816882257.html?spm=a2g0o.p...

Wearing one now. Good quality at a fair price as I haven’t had to pay western landlords and bankers via land rent.

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#129

Post by qwsc »

amiga_500 wrote: post #128
amdanil wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could just order some from China(1). Have to read the description carefully tho. Usually anything under 15USD not worth buying and over 30USD you're overpaying. (1) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32816882257.html?spm=a2g0o.p...

Wearing one now. Good quality at a fair price as I haven’t had to pay western landlords and bankers via land rent.

On the other hand, if you're in the US, your belt's shipping from China was paid for entirely, or at least heavily subsidized, by American taxpayers.

(Not sure how this varies across other non-US western countries)

Re: America has no use for hides, so leather prices plunge

#130

Post by prawn »

wolco wrote: post #68
_bxg1 wrote: post #3

Americans are eating more beef than they have in a decade? That's really surprising; seems everyone I talk to - not just vegetarians - have started looking at beef as something to be indulged in only on occasion. I assume the climate impact is the main reason.

It's just lot of signalling. If they are vegetarians they eat no meat, ever. No chicken, seafood or taco Tuesday.

I don’t think it is. A lot of people have serious concerns and take steps because of that.
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