I used to go to fancy restaurants, for the service and food that was never 10 times as good as my kitchen or the place down the street. After a meal like that in San Francisco one time a "famous person" said to me "Well, that was pretty good, especially since somebody else paid for it, but tomorrow morning my asshole isn't going to know it took a $300 shit, so next time let's just go to the deli where the beer is colder and the waitresses are friendly."
What? No Features/Advantages/Benefits bullshit in a price driven marketplace? I've seen some "I'm worth it" type comments, to be expected, but the whole "risk factor" thing is out of left field. The only thing at risk is your inventory (yourself), and if losing that, or it's ability to be active and productive is an issue then insure your sexual orifices at Lloyd's of London, don't ask your customers to share the cost of self insured risk with you, based on some patently ridiculous pretense. Supply and demand? There's pussy at every price point. A person can purchase a nice, reliable, personally satisfying "thing", or they can buy a difficult to find expensive to maintain, high priced personally satisfying "thing". Because "thing" is out there at any price point. Here's the real spanner in that quantifying process...a person can buy a Ralph Lauren Polo at Ross, TJ Maxx, Amazon or other "off price" merchants as easily as paying retail. One need only set a budget and do their research. Somebody will always have a decent sale on a very satisfying "thing". So charge what you want at the risk of being underbid by merchants of equitable product, or ignored by shoppers with a ceiling for said product. It doesn't matter. There's a manufacturing rule (myth) that you can sell 400 of anything. So if you can retire after 400, fine, if you can turn any of the 400 into repeat business, start a retirement fund.
This has nothing to do with supply and demand. There will always be horn dogs with free time and too much money, and there will always be wimmin to help them lighten their wallets. And there will always be solace for the working man, and wimmin for them as well, cause momma didn't raise no fools on either side of the fence. Originally Posted by phildo
Finally, a sensible and realistic post that recognizes the laws of economics can NEVER be interpreted to the letter. Real world conditions, motivations and emotions are impossible to quantify as an exact science, ESPECIALLY in the hobby world.