Just a thought, but do you think quilters who have stashes are keeping the price of fabric down? Like the Post Office was cheaper to mail letters before E-mail and faxing became so popular. Less mail means less stamps sold so prices have to go up. Fabric hoarding, and I use that word kindly, could be keeping the prices down in the U S. Also and I hate to say this out loud or in print, but in many Europeon countries they chardge a tax on service on all products, so that raises the price too. Some states here charge tax on shipping and handling for orders placed on QVC and HSN, so I try to buy products that have free shipping and handling.