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At the very least, all purchases should include info about the randomization. It shouldn't be legal to sell randomized products while keeping the randomization

by Drakim 9y ago

At the very least, all purchases should include info about the randomization. It shouldn't be legal to sell randomized products while keeping the randomization secret.

DanBC 9y ago
Yes. I hate the Lego minifig series, and Panini sticker albums, and Pokemon cards. They should all have to include how many packets you'd expect to buy to complete a collection.
- megaman22 9y ago
  At least with the Lego minifig series, if you buy them in a store, you can feel the polybag to get some kind of an idea what might be contained.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    Sure, but for a series of 16 figures you'd expect to buy about 55 packets to complete the collection. I don't think parents (or children) are aware of that, or have any idea how to work it out. (I didn't, I just searched until I found this wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon_collector%27s_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon_collector%27s_problem
my_username_is_ 9y ago
That seems like a reasonable step in the right direction. You wouldn't be forcing companies to abandon products (and preventing consumers from buying things that they potentially do actually want), but you do help the consumer make informed decisions and weigh the costs versus the potential benefits.
bko 9y ago
Do you think that will prevent the supposed harm? Lottery tickets include odds on the back of the cards. I think that has a very small effects on discouraging play. And those odds are pretty straight forward (1 in 2,000,000 for a 500k payout). I imagine information about how randomization works would be even more indecipherable.
- pixl97 9y ago
  >Do you think that will prevent the supposed harm? Which supposed harm in this case, there is more than one. Currently online games are free to swap out algorithms in realtime in order to maximize revenue. You have no idea what your chance of winning even is.
  - bko 9y ago
    I don't think knowing the chances of winning would change behavior of the consumer, much like knowing the lottery payoff is abysmal doesn't stop people from playing. That was my point.
    - akkat 9y ago
      It doesn't stop everyone but it does stop me and most of my friends
- Clubber 9y ago
  No, but it requires the purchaser to be informed of the odds. The only reason a company wouldn't want to inform a customer about their product is when they are hiding something.

by Drakim 9y ago

At the very least, all purchases should include info about the randomization. It shouldn't be legal to sell randomized products while keeping the randomization secret.

DanBC 9y ago

Yes. I hate the Lego minifig series, and Panini sticker albums, and Pokemon cards. They should all have to include how many packets you'd expect to buy to complete a collection.

megaman22 9y ago
At least with the Lego minifig series, if you buy them in a store, you can feel the polybag to get some kind of an idea what might be contained.
- DanBC 9y ago
  Sure, but for a series of 16 figures you'd expect to buy about 55 packets to complete the collection. I don't think parents (or children) are aware of that, or have any idea how to work it out. (I didn't, I just searched until I found this wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon_collector%27s_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon_collector%27s_problem

my_username_is_ 9y ago

That seems like a reasonable step in the right direction. You wouldn't be forcing companies to abandon products (and preventing consumers from buying things that they potentially do actually want), but you do help the consumer make informed decisions and weigh the costs versus the potential benefits.

bko 9y ago

Do you think that will prevent the supposed harm? Lottery tickets include odds on the back of the cards. I think that has a very small effects on discouraging play. And those odds are pretty straight forward (1 in 2,000,000 for a 500k payout). I imagine information about how randomization works would be even more indecipherable.

pixl97 9y ago
>Do you think that will prevent the supposed harm? Which supposed harm in this case, there is more than one. Currently online games are free to swap out algorithms in realtime in order to maximize revenue. You have no idea what your chance of winning even is.
- bko 9y ago
  I don't think knowing the chances of winning would change behavior of the consumer, much like knowing the lottery payoff is abysmal doesn't stop people from playing. That was my point.
  - akkat 9y ago
    It doesn't stop everyone but it does stop me and most of my friends
Clubber 9y ago
No, but it requires the purchaser to be informed of the odds. The only reason a company wouldn't want to inform a customer about their product is when they are hiding something.