3 ms·

If I want to sell a widget for a dollar, I can sell it for a dollar. Demand doesn't force me to do anything I don't want to do. Especially when I know that sell

If I want to sell a widget for a dollar, I can sell it for a dollar. Demand doesn't force me to do anything I don't want to do. Especially when I know that selling it for a dollar would cover costs and net me profit. Yes, if I really wanted more money, and am willing to make it at the expense of society, I could jack up the price until demand meets existing supply. But again, that is my decision, not the decision of some abstract concept named "demand".

thriftwy 3y ago
You will realistically never jack up price anywhere far when competing against AliExpress. You can sell some of these exclusive widgets for $4 instead of $1 but getting leads would cost you these $3.
emiliobumachar 3y ago
How would you decide which hopeful customer gets it? A line? Draw sticks? Willingness to do chores for you? Ostensive praise? If I really want the widged but really can't stand in line for long enough, is it okay to hire someone to wait in line for me? How about a programmer to make a bot to constantly refresh your website so that I don't have to? Two bots?
- carlosjobim 3y ago
  Since the conversation is real estate, it's not hard to decide to sell to a young person or couple from your own community that you know well, that went to school with your kids or works in the same place as you. Or you can sell to the highest bidder, maybe a foreign investor.
  - nonethewiser 3y ago
    When you own a rental property you can do that, but if we're talking about people in general you have to assume they'll be rational.
- ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
  I would obviously demand prospective buyer couples engage in a team gauntlet against each other as part of a dystopian championship ladder for housing. Perhaps I'd integrate "ninja warrior" aspects to the challenge, culminating in a couple's cage match. Prospects would train for years to compete in my league: building themselves up; mentally preparing themselves; needing to be absolutely perfect to have any chance of winning. Losers would be banished from the neighborhood, perhaps even the city, forced to live on the outskirts. Or maybe some economic analogue of all that. Anyways, the allocation is a matter secondary to the price: the point is that I can find a buyer for the lower price, and there will always be prospective buyers who think any allocation scheme is unfair, especially when they're crushed beneath the matching Ugg boots of Jan and Pat, the couples doubles doomslayers.
marcinzm 3y ago
>expense of society, I personally find bread lines and black markets to buy basic necessities to be bad for society. edit: By increasing prices you get capital with which to increase production to make even more money at closer to the original price point (due to selling more units). This in turns means that everyone can get a widget and not just a few people (lucky or well connected). It also means the money goes to the person able to increase production or make better widgets versus a pure scalper who resells the item (legally or on the black market).

thriftwy 3y ago

You will realistically never jack up price anywhere far when competing against AliExpress. You can sell some of these exclusive widgets for $4 instead of $1 but getting leads would cost you these $3.

emiliobumachar 3y ago

How would you decide which hopeful customer gets it? A line? Draw sticks? Willingness to do chores for you? Ostensive praise? If I really want the widged but really can't stand in line for long enough, is it okay to hire someone to wait in line for me? How about a programmer to make a bot to constantly refresh your website so that I don't have to? Two bots?

carlosjobim 3y ago
Since the conversation is real estate, it's not hard to decide to sell to a young person or couple from your own community that you know well, that went to school with your kids or works in the same place as you. Or you can sell to the highest bidder, maybe a foreign investor.
- nonethewiser 3y ago
  When you own a rental property you can do that, but if we're talking about people in general you have to assume they'll be rational.
ImPostingOnHN 3y ago
I would obviously demand prospective buyer couples engage in a team gauntlet against each other as part of a dystopian championship ladder for housing. Perhaps I'd integrate "ninja warrior" aspects to the challenge, culminating in a couple's cage match. Prospects would train for years to compete in my league: building themselves up; mentally preparing themselves; needing to be absolutely perfect to have any chance of winning. Losers would be banished from the neighborhood, perhaps even the city, forced to live on the outskirts. Or maybe some economic analogue of all that. Anyways, the allocation is a matter secondary to the price: the point is that I can find a buyer for the lower price, and there will always be prospective buyers who think any allocation scheme is unfair, especially when they're crushed beneath the matching Ugg boots of Jan and Pat, the couples doubles doomslayers.

marcinzm 3y ago

>expense of society, I personally find bread lines and black markets to buy basic necessities to be bad for society. edit: By increasing prices you get capital with which to increase production to make even more money at closer to the original price point (due to selling more units). This in turns means that everyone can get a widget and not just a few people (lucky or well connected). It also means the money goes to the person able to increase production or make better widgets versus a pure scalper who resells the item (legally or on the black market).