4 ms·

> just let supply and demand sort it out and this problem wouldn't exist That would go against the mission of the Raspberry Pi Foundation which is to promote c

> just let supply and demand sort it out and this problem wouldn't exist That would go against the mission of the Raspberry Pi Foundation which is to promote computer science education. Accessibility though low prices is an important aspect of that. Not all problems are solved with free markets. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi_Foundation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi_Foundation

Ajedi32 5y ago
Lowering prices doesn't make the product more "accessible" if you can't supply enough to keep up with demand at that price. It just turns the purchasing process into a lottery rather than a bidding war. I can't say I find the former process any more in line with the Pi foundation's stated goals than the latter.
- zht 5y ago
  so let's say that you target people who can only afford $30 computers if it's a lottery, then some of those people would be able to buy it at $30 if it's a bidding war, then none of them would be able to buy it at $30
  - Ajedi32 5y ago
    That makes sense, assuming "people who can only afford $30 computers" are your sole priority. If you also care about, for example, "people who can only afford $40 computers", then a better approach would be to raise prices to match market value and use the resulting profits to increase supply.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
      As another poster noted, a lot of businesses are basing their product lines on the Pi and Pi Compute Module. To those businesses, the market price can rise well past $40 and completely out of the "hobbyist price range" before it becomes worth it to them to find alternatives. With the difficulty of finding components these days, that "increase in supply" that the increased revenue brings to the Pi Foundation may not come for a very long time. I developed a pi-based system for a well-known company that now has a few hundred deployed at various sites. I can assure you that they wouldn't blink at $200 each. There are businesses out there redesigning their products because they can't find any at all.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    >so let's say that you target people who can only afford $30 computers I cannot name a single person who has bought a RPi that isn't either a generously-compensated STEM worker or a member of their immediate family. I also cannot name a single person who has bought an RPi that doesn't already own a mid-to-high-end desktop or laptop. Poor people buy used smartphones or refurbed ex-office PCs. EDIT: This probably explains why there's a strong scalper's market for this, thinking about it. Raspberry Pi's typical customers are wealthy enough to not care about paying an extra few bucks.
    - thebigman433 5y ago
      > I cannot name a single person who has bought a RPi that isn't either a generously-compensated STEM worker or a member of their immediate family. Teachers and students. The Pi has tons of uses in education
      - AussieWog93 5y ago
        Fair point. Perhaps a better way to distribute them then would be to prioritise deliveries to schools/universities.
- londons_explore 5y ago
  If the goal is 'get it into the hands of students to further computer science education', then the lottery might end up getting more into student hands than an auction. Remember students are pretty poor compared to VC backed startups trying to deploy their latest IoT blender with Blockchain technology.
cinntaile 5y ago
Yes the free market can't solve everything, but we still have to wait for the free market to solve the supply chain issues before this situation will improve. They could temporarily let go of their fixed pricing rule in the meantime.
eikenberry 5y ago
Are they selling them at a loss? If not then the market would work fine, they just need to increase production. Maybe they'll make enough money to give some to students that way.
lvass 5y ago
There's just no way to look into this and not think they are doing an absolute shit job. A raspberry pi 4 costs the equivalent of 200 US Dollars in Brazil, more than some brand new laptops. Most of our population do not have computers, RPi avaliability would be awesome for us. Allowing some people in some countries to get it for $35 is just the lazy solution. I'd be glad to pay $50, because I'm able to. Put in some effort so the ones who really need it can get it cheap. Sell it at real market value for the rest of us. Doing good things require effort.

Ajedi32 5y ago

Lowering prices doesn't make the product more "accessible" if you can't supply enough to keep up with demand at that price. It just turns the purchasing process into a lottery rather than a bidding war. I can't say I find the former process any more in line with the Pi foundation's stated goals than the latter.

zht 5y ago
so let's say that you target people who can only afford $30 computers if it's a lottery, then some of those people would be able to buy it at $30 if it's a bidding war, then none of them would be able to buy it at $30
- Ajedi32 5y ago
  That makes sense, assuming "people who can only afford $30 computers" are your sole priority. If you also care about, for example, "people who can only afford $40 computers", then a better approach would be to raise prices to match market value and use the resulting profits to increase supply.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
    As another poster noted, a lot of businesses are basing their product lines on the Pi and Pi Compute Module. To those businesses, the market price can rise well past $40 and completely out of the "hobbyist price range" before it becomes worth it to them to find alternatives. With the difficulty of finding components these days, that "increase in supply" that the increased revenue brings to the Pi Foundation may not come for a very long time. I developed a pi-based system for a well-known company that now has a few hundred deployed at various sites. I can assure you that they wouldn't blink at $200 each. There are businesses out there redesigning their products because they can't find any at all.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  >so let's say that you target people who can only afford $30 computers I cannot name a single person who has bought a RPi that isn't either a generously-compensated STEM worker or a member of their immediate family. I also cannot name a single person who has bought an RPi that doesn't already own a mid-to-high-end desktop or laptop. Poor people buy used smartphones or refurbed ex-office PCs. EDIT: This probably explains why there's a strong scalper's market for this, thinking about it. Raspberry Pi's typical customers are wealthy enough to not care about paying an extra few bucks.
  - thebigman433 5y ago
    > I cannot name a single person who has bought a RPi that isn't either a generously-compensated STEM worker or a member of their immediate family. Teachers and students. The Pi has tons of uses in education
    - AussieWog93 5y ago
      Fair point. Perhaps a better way to distribute them then would be to prioritise deliveries to schools/universities.
londons_explore 5y ago
If the goal is 'get it into the hands of students to further computer science education', then the lottery might end up getting more into student hands than an auction. Remember students are pretty poor compared to VC backed startups trying to deploy their latest IoT blender with Blockchain technology.

cinntaile 5y ago

Yes the free market can't solve everything, but we still have to wait for the free market to solve the supply chain issues before this situation will improve. They could temporarily let go of their fixed pricing rule in the meantime.

eikenberry 5y ago

Are they selling them at a loss? If not then the market would work fine, they just need to increase production. Maybe they'll make enough money to give some to students that way.

lvass 5y ago

There's just no way to look into this and not think they are doing an absolute shit job. A raspberry pi 4 costs the equivalent of 200 US Dollars in Brazil, more than some brand new laptops. Most of our population do not have computers, RPi avaliability would be awesome for us. Allowing some people in some countries to get it for $35 is just the lazy solution. I'd be glad to pay $50, because I'm able to. Put in some effort so the ones who really need it can get it cheap. Sell it at real market value for the rest of us. Doing good things require effort.