Why the high cost for cotton quilting fabric?
I am in Northern Thailand and will be here for several months. I've been fabric shopping in downtown Chiang Mai and I have to tell you, beautiful, fine quality, cotton fabric costs the equivalent of about $2 per yd. I am stunned at the difference in prices from here to the US or Australia or England. Sure, there is shipping involved, but how much can that be on a huge barge with a zillion other containers full of products. And even at $2 per yard, the shops are making a profit here! Now I REALLY don't understand why quilting cotton costs so darn much, l've seen the evidence that it doesn’t have to. Can someone explain this to me? Why do we pay so much for fabric in the US?