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Text: Jiang Shiyue
Editor|Jiang Shiyue
Preface
The sky-high prices in the past are now withering and falling apart - and it is the season when a batch of top luxury goods have been reduced to an "IQ tax".
From the sky-high price of 30 million mastiff kings to the limited sneakers with a 40-fold premium, the original top goods, after removing the camouflage, made many people call it fooled.
How many rich people's leeks have been "cut" away from these so-called top commodities? How many have you bought?
Yuhwa
In the 80s of the last century, a craze about orchids arose in the northeastern city of Changchun. At that time, the average monthly salary of the people of Changchun was less than 50 yuan, but an ordinary Junzi orchid could be fried for 150,000 yuan.
It is equivalent to buying a 100-square-meter high-end apartment in Changchun, and the crazy rise in the price of orchids has attracted countless people to join the ranks of "fried orchids", and people are greedily eyeing this "green gold".
For a time, the rich people rushed to buy precious orchids, and all kinds of rare orchids appeared frequently, and the transaction volume of orchids reached more than 10 billion yuan.
They see rare orchids as a way to invest and flaunt their wealth, and even bid on sky-high orchids at auctions. This makes the price of orchids inflated even higher, and eventually detached from their actual value.
However, the crazy rise in orchid prices is ultimately unsustainable. With the advancement of orchid cultivation technology, a large number of orchids can soon be artificially bred, and more and more varieties of orchids with low prices have appeared on the market.
The once sky-high price of orchids soon eclipsed, and the price plummeted. Orchids that used to cost 10,000 yuan a plant have now dropped to 10 yuan a plant.
stamp
As a small printed matter, stamps carry the function of communication and recording. In China, stamps not only witness the development of the communication industry, but also reflect the changes of the times.
Originally, stamps were only used as a kind of ticket to pay for postage, and the face of the ticket was simple. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, stamps began to carry the function of publicity, and the face pattern became more delicate and rich, showing a unique artistic style.
The stamps of this period fully reflect the political color, such as "the mountains and rivers of the whole country are red", "learn from Lei Feng's volunteer service" and other stamps are printed with revolutionary themes. These stamps typically represent the political atmosphere of the time.
With the reform and opening up, people's vision has broadened, living standards have improved, and people's demand for stamps has shifted from practicality to commemorative and collectible.
In the 80s, a type of stamp called "Gengshen Monkey" was favored by collectors because of its face design, and the price soared from 3 yuan to 10,000 yuan at the time of issuance, promoting a philatelic boom.
This is also related to the rapid development of the economy at that time, and the increase in people's leisure time. For a time, all kinds of stamp albums were visible to all ages. Many amateur stamp collectors jumped on board, all wanting a piece of the soup, which undoubtedly drove up the price of stamps.
However, this philatelic boom also spurred speculation. Some people grasp the psychology of collectors, hoard stamps and resell them at high prices.
Prices soared until they were completely detached from their real value, and eventually the bubble burst, and many stamps fell back several times from their sky-high prices. This caused huge financial losses to many speculators.
Tibetan mastiff
The Tibetan mastiff, an ancient sheepdog breed originating from the Tibetan plateau, was once the object of frenzied competition in Chinese mainland more than a decade ago.
At that time, some bigwigs in the Tibetan mastiff circle tried their best to package Tibetan mastiffs, advertising them as "herdsmen's patron saints who can defeat wolves single-handedly" and "loyal top fierce dogs who only recognize one master in their lives". Driven by them, the Tibetan mastiff quickly became popular.
In 1999, a Tibetan mastiff was fried to a sky-high price of 200,000 yuan, and in 2004, the dog "Little Prince" of track and field star Ma Junren was marked with a price of 30 million yuan.
Subsequently, hundreds of thousands, millions, and Tibetan mastiffs frequently appeared. In just a few years, the price of Tibetan mastiffs has skyrocketed, and many people have rushed to buy Tibetan mastiffs.
However, with the surge in the number of Tibetan mastiffs, this Tibetan mastiff fever, which was sold by rarity, finally ushered in the end of a sitting on the ground.
The bigwigs who promoted the Tibetan mastiff craze at the beginning have withdrawn their investments and moved to other new fields to make money, leaving a large number of Tibetan mastiffs in the hands of farmers difficult to deal with.
For a time, the former "30 million divine dogs" flowed into the streets in batches, and the fate of the Tibetan mastiff rose and fell, fully exposing the risk of speculation and speculation, and also becoming a profound lesson.
Finally, we should look at any craze rationally, especially when it comes to life, and not make rash decisions because of the novelty. Otherwise, it will be the innocent animals who will suffer in the end.
diamond
For hundreds of years, diamonds have been seen as a symbol of true love and wealth. Its shiny luster, hard texture, and rare provenance give it the nickname "luxury".
But in fact, it all started with the careful packaging and marketing of one company – Debber & Co.
At the end of the 19th century, large quantities of diamond mines were discovered in the Kimberley region of southern Africa. It is said that the region alone has as many as 2.5 billion carats of diamonds.
This should have caused the price of diamonds to plummet, but De Beers was firmly in control. By monopolizing the mining and sales channels of diamonds, it has succeeded in creating the illusion of "scarcity" of diamonds on a global scale.
At the same time, De Beers has done everything possible to promote the concept that "diamonds are a symbol of love", binding diamonds to feelings. The ubiquitous "engagement ring" in movies and commercials is the best example of this.
Under this packaging, diamonds, which were originally not of high value, have become the "top stream" in luxury goods. In order to present a "perfect" diamond at a wedding, many ordinary people do not hesitate to cut back on food and clothing, and even go into debt.
It wasn't until the 21st century that this "diamond bubble" burst in a remote Chinese town, Shangqiu, China. In 1965, China's first man-made diamond was successfully developed here.
After years of accumulation, Shangqiu has become the world's largest man-made diamond production base, with a production capacity of up to 4 million carats per year, completely disrupting the natural diamond market.
The low price and high quality of man-made diamonds produced here broke De Beers' long-standing diamond monopoly. Natural diamonds, which used to cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, can now be purchased for only a few hundred dollars.
Dzi
In the world of collecting, every once in a while, something emerges that has been hyped up as a rarity. In 2014, Dzi rose to prominence under the touting of merchants, and its price rose dozens of times in just a few years, becoming the object of competition among collectors.
Dzi comes from Tibet, looks like amber, and contains a pattern like a worm's eye, which is full of mystery. It is said that a collector found a nine-eyed dzi, whose nine heavenly eyes are arranged in a large eye shape, which is regarded as a peerless treasure.
The owner of this nine-eyed dzi is a kung fu superstar, and for this reason, he has specially commissioned an authority to evaluate its value. The appraisal results showed that the nine-eyed dzi was worth as much as 100 million yuan.
As a result, Dzi is also known as the "King of Ten Thousand Pearls", and its status seems to be unshakable. For a time, the collecting world flocked to the dzi, and a large amount of money poured in.
The price of dzi has risen dozens of times in just a few years, and a small dzi can be sold for hundreds of thousands or even millions. Countless speculators flocked to the city, hoping for a piece of the pie.
However, the good times did not last long, and as time passed, the true face of the dzi was gradually revealed. It turns out that it is just a special kind of amber fossil, which is far from as magical as the legend suggests.
Some experts have verified that the so-called "eye in the sky" is nothing more than an insect fossil wrapped in amber. In other words, the Sky Eye is actually just the remains of ordinary insects, and does not have the legendary spirituality.
In fact, as early as when the dzi hype was in full swing, some experts questioned its substance. But driven by huge profits, these doubts are drowned out.
Topaz Dragon
Yunnan is a kind of stone called yellow wax stone, and the stone appreciation association also gives it the nickname of "Huanglongyu".
In 2011, it was included in the "National Standard for the Name of Jewelry and Jade", a move that instantly elevated it from an ordinary stone to the same status as jade.
Prior to this, the price of yellow wax stone was only about a few tens of yuan per catty. But since it was identified as "jade", its price has begun to skyrocket.
Originally, you could buy a piece for one or two hundred yuan, but now it costs tens of thousands of yuan. Countless people rushed to Yunnan "Taobao" to buy the "Huanglongyu" that suddenly became popular.
However, the good times did not last long, and the craze for yellow wax stone soon subsided. With its title of "jade" stripped away, its former fanatical followers immediately turned around and left.
For a while, it reverted to an ordinary stone, and the price fell back to the previous level. This vigorous "Huanglongyu" trend warns people not to blindly follow the trend.
Fried shoes
A few years ago, "shoe frying" was all the rage. Many young people start stockpiling limited-edition sneakers in large quantities in order to make quick money. By hyping up the scarcity of sneakers on the Internet and then reselling them at a high price for profit.
At that time, a pair of sneakers that were originally priced at just over 1,000 yuan could even be sold for 30,000 or 40,000 yuan after speculation, and this way of making profits made countless people blindly follow the trend.
Just like Junzi Lange many years ago, everyone rushed to buy sneakers with the intention of making huge profits. However, there are countless problems lurking behind this seemingly easy profit "shoe speculation" craze.
"Shoe frying" is essentially a speculative act that relies on artificially creating a sense of scarcity to make a profit. In order to drive up the price, many people even use water armies to spread rumors on the Internet and package ordinary sneakers as "limited treasures".
This information asymmetry makes it difficult for consumers to judge the authenticity, and some people blindly follow the trend, further pushing up the price of sneakers.
When more and more people join the ranks of "shoe frying", consumers' enthusiasm is also cooling. Eventually, shoe prices fell back to normal levels, and the shoe speculation boom subsided.
summary
Prices have skyrocketed and plummeted, and speculation has been staged frequently. We need to stay sober, distinguish between right and wrong, and not take risks because of the greed for cheap profits.
We should learn from history, remain rational and sober, and do not blindly follow trends. But who can say for sure whether those seemingly sky-high prices of goods will eventually fall into the dust?
Only by being prudent and cautious can we avoid being ridiculed in this huge market situation. We need to keep in mind that we don't take all the plunge.