Is all business exploitation?

A few days ago, I was at Crate and Barrel when I saw this:

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It cost $11.95.

In my mind however, I said THEY’RE SELLING THIS FOR TWELVE F***ING DOLLARS?!

That’s because I’m new to dropshipping and to business.

See, I can buy these for $1.50. Chances are that “chef’n” bought them for less than that, if they bought in bulk. And $1.50’s an awful lot less than 11.95.

Now, I understand that businesses need to make a profit. Everyone does. So if you change the price from $1.50 to $1.90, I would understand.

Except,

How do you justify charging 9 times more?! Specifically morally?! Is it not exploitative to charge so much to consumers when they could be getting it for less?

A response to this is that people wouldn’t buy it for 1.50 because they’d see it as cheap and low quality. But isn’t that true? Isn’t it simply cheap and low quality? It is!

Another response is that people wouldn’t value it if it weren’t so expensive. And I agree with this. But it still grinds against my moral fibres to see someone spending so much.

So I don’t have an easy answer to this question. Maybe when I am a profitable business owner I’ll understand better. After all, when I buy wildly overpriced kitchen gadgets, I don’t go all mad.

 

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