5 ms·

> The price difference goes to cover things like research, writing, and other fixed costs that exist no matter how many marginal copies are sold. The price dif

by debacle 14y ago

> The price difference goes to cover things like research, writing, and other fixed costs that exist no matter how many marginal copies are sold. The price difference is market arbitrage designed to suck the largest profit out of a market. Pointing out research, or writing, or anything else, ignores the reality that if the production cost warrants a sale price of $x, charging $x * 5 or in some cases $x * 100 and using legal protections to do so is inherently greedy and immoral. > Students in poor countries just get further screwed. That's fine, as long as there's a more level playing field.

aviraldg 14y ago
That's fine? $200 (a figure I saw quoted somewhere for a single college coursebook) is more than the annual fees for some government-run colleges here (in India.)
- debacle 14y ago
  If the market is fair but the price is wrong, the price will change. Creating fair markets should be the #1 goal of capitalism.
  - gabemart 14y ago
    >If the market is fair but the price is wrong, the price will change. You're assuming that a price that no-one in a developing country can afford is the same as a price that is "wrong". It's perfectly possible that a price that no-one in a developing country can afford is "right" from an economic perspective in that it's profit maximizing for the producer.
    - talmand 14y ago
      If you have to sell your product at the "right" price, meaning profit, in a market that can't afford that price then the problem isn't the price; you are selling the "wrong" product.
gabemart 14y ago
>Pointing out research, or writing, or anything else, ignores the reality that if the production cost warrants a sale price of $x, charging $x * 5 or in some cases $x * 100 and using legal protections to do so is inherently greedy and immoral. Why is, for example, a student discount, "inherently greedy and immoral"? I don't see why there's intrinsically any moral element to charging groups differently based on their willingness or ability to pay.

by debacle 14y ago

aviraldg 14y ago

That's fine? $200 (a figure I saw quoted somewhere for a single college coursebook) is more than the annual fees for some government-run colleges here (in India.)

debacle 14y ago
If the market is fair but the price is wrong, the price will change. Creating fair markets should be the #1 goal of capitalism.
- gabemart 14y ago
  >If the market is fair but the price is wrong, the price will change. You're assuming that a price that no-one in a developing country can afford is the same as a price that is "wrong". It's perfectly possible that a price that no-one in a developing country can afford is "right" from an economic perspective in that it's profit maximizing for the producer.
  - talmand 14y ago
    If you have to sell your product at the "right" price, meaning profit, in a market that can't afford that price then the problem isn't the price; you are selling the "wrong" product.

gabemart 14y ago

>Pointing out research, or writing, or anything else, ignores the reality that if the production cost warrants a sale price of $x, charging $x * 5 or in some cases $x * 100 and using legal protections to do so is inherently greedy and immoral. Why is, for example, a student discount, "inherently greedy and immoral"? I don't see why there's intrinsically any moral element to charging groups differently based on their willingness or ability to pay.