SortStack #2670 — 2033-09-30

By price · Order from cheapest to most expensive.

1. A pack of instant ramen noodles $0.40

   In a Japanese poll, instant ramen was voted the country's greatest invention of the twentieth century — beating karaoke and the Walkman.

2. A Peloton Bike+ exercise bike $2.5K

   During the pandemic Peloton was briefly worth more than Ford. Its stock later fell more than 90% from the peak as gyms reopened.

3. An average American funeral with burial $8K

   The funeral industry's pricing was so opaque that US law now requires itemized price lists — caskets alone often carry markups of several hundred percent.

4. A Hermes Birkin handbag at retail, entry size $12K

   The bag was born on a flight when actress Jane Birkin's basket spilled — the Hermes CEO sitting beside her sketched a better bag on an airsickness bag.

5. The Louisiana Purchase, as the US paid France $15M

   The 1803 nominal price bought about 2.1 million square kilometers — roughly three cents per acre — and doubled the size of the United States overnight.

6. Mojang, the maker of Minecraft, when Microsoft bought it $2.5B

   Creator Markus 'Notch' Persson sold partly due to burnout, tweeting that he didn't want the responsibility — Minecraft went on to become the best-selling game ever.

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