I would not be surprised that some of the market isn't people who played 30 years ago, and because they are now stuck at home, getting depressed because the COVID numbers are setting new records, decided to get back into it. and they are buying a decent instrument, because Mandolins like many other instruments, don't really depreciate. A Mandolin that costs $10K today, will be worth at least $10K even 25 years from now, maybe more, especially if the maker who crafted it, is no longer making new instruments. You can bet that the guy who bought a violin from Tony down at the violin shop, never dreamed it would be worth over $1 Million some 300 years later.
I also suspect that many domestic makers also do a lot of repair work, repairs may only take an hour or two, and you see that money when the instrument is picked up, rather then a commission, which could have a deposit that pays little more then your materials costs, until it's completed months later. I also suspect that many builders are also making other instruments, like Guitars, violins, etc.
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