I had an enlightening discussion last weekend. I had set out to buy a new Yixing-teapot. The salesperson of the teashop told me that the ressources of superior Yixing-clay have been totally depleted for decades now. New Yixing-teapots are in fact ordinary clay ones. Therefore, the price difference with e.g. Taiwanese teapots would not be justified.
I believe the person to be totally trustworthy: I have bought exquisite Oolong teas from her shop a dozen of times and have never felt deceived.
Are there people out there who have heard similar stories?
Cheers, Erwin