10/28/2004

The Right Price

I have had my eye on a pair or Wilson Gold Seal figure skating blades for months. They are really the best blades out there...a solid base, tapered blade with a huge toe pick and the rocker is in just the right place to really spring up into your jumps and they have great balance on spins. The world champion wears these of course and I want some too. The problem is they cost around $500. (Boots to mount the blades on are between $500 and $600.)

Last week a pair of these delicious blades (in my size no less) were auctioned off on e-bay for around $150 !!! That is a price I would be willing to pay. What if everything were auctioned off, would more sales/profit be made? If the price these blades fetch on e-bay is this low maybe manufacturers will have to lower their prices? These dream blades are actually made out of the same materials as cheaper blades but they are in high demand because they are worn by skating stars. Maybe they will go out of style and then I can get some.

Demand really does push the prices up on goods :(

3 comments:

Ernie said...

Bianca do you need a skating partner? J/K. Sorry you couldn't get your skates. Ebay is definately a great thing for a lot of people. I've never bought anything from it, but definately will explore it in the future.

Anonymous said...

By auctioning goods, I believe it would have nagative impact on the potential profit an seller could make. People would obviously bid low, and if the good is not in high demand then the seller loses money. It would be interesting to see if a company took that approach, besides the internet auctioning sites.

Dr. Tufte said...

Typically, an auction market like E-Bay can be expected to help sellers get the most producer surplus (by reducing the surplus that consumers get).

So why are there great bargains out there? It may mean that the costs are lower to sellers on E-Bay. It could also mean that sellers are getting some sort of benefit that is hard to see - perhaps it is really important for people to declutter.