Yeah, it turns out that, for tons of product categories, the value is in controlling the customer relationship, not in merely offering goods for sale. Who would

Yeah, it turns out that, for tons of product categories, the value is in controlling the customer relationship, not in merely offering goods for sale. Who woulda thought? The way you get around this, by the way, is by doing the hard work of establishing a brand that customers are willing to pay for. Even then, a certain segment of the market is going to go for low-price. Nothing you can do about that.