"Pete C." fired this volley in
:

What I find really amazing is fireworks. They manufacture explosive
stuff, ship the hazmat on a container ship, then truck the hazmat
across the US to distributors, get it to the local vendors, and still
sell it for $0.89. Something is very wrong with that scenario when
it's a big hassle to just ship something with dry ice in the US.

No, "they" don't. WE pay them 1/2 of the total price before they'll even
build the container-full. WE pay them the other half before they'll put
it on the water. WE pay all customs fees. WE pay all transport costs
across the US.

And when's the last time you saw any serious consumer fireworks product
for 89-cents? Some of those "500-gram" cakes (containing, at most, about
a pound of powder) cost in the $100 range. Simple 100-gram-ers run $20,
retail. Grocery stores sell packages of "safe-n-sane" fireworks around
the 4th of July for $80 (for about three ounces, total, of explosives).

'Bout the only thing you can buy worth a hoot at a low price is
firecrackers, and those are illegal in most states.

(FWIW, importing and manufacturing fireworks is what I do for a living)

LLoyd