Back to the original topic of kits costing so much. You are paying labor. Someone has to weigh out each grain, mill the grain, collect the hops, yeast etc. Then package it. Not to mention advertising the kits.
Someone mentioned that if the company was charging more than the ingredients they were overcharging. Not so. If they are not charging more then they are absorbing the labor. Not a good business practice. If you go to the LHBS and they make a kit on the spot that is a bit different and should not cost more. As long as you are comparing apples to apples. The price of the ingredients would be based on small quantity pricing not bulk pricing.
Someone mentioned that if the company was charging more than the ingredients they were overcharging. Not so. If they are not charging more then they are absorbing the labor. Not a good business practice. If you go to the LHBS and they make a kit on the spot that is a bit different and should not cost more. As long as you are comparing apples to apples. The price of the ingredients would be based on small quantity pricing not bulk pricing.