Well, ya know, I've been doing some thinking about this problem from a marketing standpoint.
There are two ways, basically, to make money in sales. Sell at a small profit margin, but sell a boat load of them, or sell low volume, but at a very high profit margin. Normally, the market doesn't support the second option.
Competition, and a careful buying public normally keeps prices, (and therefore profit margin), low. So you have to put out a good product, promote it well, and hope to sell a bunch in order to make money.
But, if you could possibly get away with it, selling fewer items at a much higher profit margin is far and away the better way to go. Less manufacturing costs in every area; energy costs, labor costs, tooling wear, distribution, headaches in general, etc., etc., etc. Selling low volume at very high profit margins is a DREAM for sellers. It's something we learned from the Arabs and their oil, and is very effective. Create a shortage, get the consumers scared, then sell LESS for MORE as detailed above. It's a seller's heaven.
So guys, until we stop supporting this artificial market by buying all we can find at the higher prices, there is virtually no incentive for it to change. Truly, it would be foolish business practice to change things as they currently sit. But if we quit buying, sooner or later one manufacturer will break away, lower prices, and then the race will be on. Free market enterprise will take over, and competition will set prices; not fear!
Vettepilot
