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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 6546829" data-attributes="member: 19675">Not necessarily so.My Dad and I like hand lathed wooden pens.  10 years ago, I knew a dozen places that sold them, made by several different artisans.  They were not difficult to make, nor were they pricey.But today, I can only get the inexpensive ones in 3 stores, and most of the hand-lathed pens I see now cost 3-4x what they did back then.Something that is technically "easily" crafted may also be quite hard to find and expensive if its production is limited by law, such as by patent or its historical and conceptual predecessor, Royal decree/seal.Ditto if there is a trade secret involved.Something may also be "easy" to make, but its materials may be rare- a hand-lathed pen made from semiprecious stone or antler/bone will cost more than a similarly styled wooden one.  Likewise, conditions of manufacture may be rare or very time consuming.  I know of some recipes in creole cuisine that are very simple at every step, but take 3 days to complete (we don't make that stuff often or in big batches).  I know of certain seafood products in the grocery store that are harvested like many similar products...but only once a year.  That they are harvested in vast amounts keeps the price down, but once it is gone, it is gone until next year.A monopoly/oligopoly, whether a natural one or one imposed by laws, will do the same.It works if production involves some kind of trade secret or law restricting who can manufacture (as mentioned above), with a legal monopoly (mentioned above) and any conditions limiting purchase, such as but not limited to:1) a law limiting the ability to purchase to a particular identifiable class (military, nobility, citizens, etc.)2) a maker who limits whohe will sell to3) the product does not yet have wide distribution.  This could be because the product is genuinely new & undiscovered, or it is made in a place that is geographically isolated.</blockquote>

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