You have a point. We have been trained to think that "fair market price" is whatever the market will bear and that this is the just price. All you need is to sp

You have a point. We have been trained to think that "fair market price" is whatever the market will bear and that this is the just price. All you need is to sprinkle some "consent" on it. But a moment's thought shows that no sane person actually believes this. Consider: (1) A storm hits your area and destroys homes. Hardware stores ramp up prices way up, not because the cost of labor to produce them has increased, but to increase profits because everyone is in a bind and needs building supplies so they have a place to live. Libertarian Man will say "the demand will constrain prices", but it's not a question of constraint per se, but rather that prices are exorbitant (let's say it means the local populace will need to go into a lifetime of debt as a result). (2) A loan shark is approached by someone who can't get a loan from a bank, but desperately needs one. The loan shark charges compound interest that keeps this person in debt for a lifetime. Some might say "we have usury laws for that", but it's not a question of law per se, but rather that desperation is being exploited to fleece the loaning party. Now, in practice, the market may often be a relatively good mechanism for determining an approximate just price, but not always and maybe we just have to play this by ear and live with this kind of nonsense (the perfect is the enemy of the good). But let's not pretend the market is some magical force that guarantees the good. I say this as someone who prefers the free market (not unregulated, though) and recognizes both the benefits and how natural it is as opposed to something as dreadful, stifling, and inhuman as a centrally planned economy.