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Message: <blockquote data-quote="3catcircus" data-source="post: 1631611" data-attributes="member: 16077">Actually - there is nothing wrong with a retailer charging 5x over the price they have paid (see my other post re: retail markup).  However, there *is* something wrong with them charging a huge markup instead of a reasonable markup.     Is paper really more expensive, given advances in paper-making?  Are costs really more expensive?  I don't think so.  Before - if you wanted to publish a book you either needed your own expensive press or pay someone to do it for you, using an expensive press.  Now anyone can publish a book with a small investment in Adobe and/or Quark products.How are they different?  They are both consumer products that are in demand.  I didn't ignore the concept of scarcity - rather - I insinuated the concept of false scarcity.  For an example - why do most Oriental Adventures Boxed Sets go for a higher price than other FR boxed sets?  The reason is because sellers had grossly overstated the rarity of the product.  Fact of the matter is that neither cars nor books are scarce.  In the case of rpg books, I think it is a matter of trying to compete with a smaller creative and editorial staff and less capital than in the past - each product is as risky as the last one.  In the case of cars, the prices are so high because the marketing industry has done an outstanding job of convincing people that $1000 worth of material and labor is worth $20,000+, as well as the fact that labor costs have skyrocketed (at least in the US) due to the labor unions forcing manufacturers to pay unskilled assembly-line workers $30+/hr.  This is why Kia, Hyundai and Daewoo are less expensive - labor is much cheaper.  Japanese cars *used* to be extremely affordable - their prices have risen as a result of an increased standard of living back in Japan - mostly due to the post-war US support of their industries and the fact that Japanese automakers products are of such good quality that people are willing to pay premium prices (anyone old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" meant junk?)</blockquote>

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