Since I am relatively new to casting I have been looking to build up my lead stockpile. I made a nice score with a few hundred pounds from an estate sale for peanuts, but otherwise I have been stuck buying ingots online. In the past few weeks I have noticed a sudden price jump of 15% or so. I was paying $64 plus shipping for as much as you could stuff into a medium flat rate box, now the going rate is $76 or better. There was a pricing anomaly between ebay and gunbroker (gunbroker significantly cheaper), now they are priced even. Is there something in the water? Maybe it is casting season? Is it getting harder for the casual caster to buy lead locally (no more lead wheelweights, etc.)?