There are actually laws against gouging. IIRC people got in trouble for it (at least some of the people) when it came to TP and hand sanitizer when the pandemic started.
Who makes the determination of what is 'reasonable' profit and who you are allowed to sell to?
Let's say someone wants to buy your house, but you don't want to move... they offer you $100k over 'market value' because it is next door to their best friend, or their momma or something. The .gov says, no you can't sell for that. That is exorbitant. Is that right?
What about your collectible car? You spent 10k building it up, now it's a rare item, .gov says, nope, can't profiteer off that.
You develop a new product EVERYBODY wants. Look at Bezos or Jobs... they've developed a product that has improved the lives of HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of people. If not BILLIONS. Probably billions, to be honest. How much are they allowed to own or be worth? Where do you 'draw the line' as to what is 'fair'?
There's always a line...
Without going into politics I will say this post scares the hell out of me. Even more when I know there a lots of younger people out there that think like this. Not saying you are young because I don't know your age but much of the younger generation does think like this. At no time do I want the gov telling me what I can and can't sell and for how much.
The free market will always work itself out. Price something too high and competitors will come out with a cheaper version. It has and always will happen this way unless the gov starts telling us what seems "reasonable".
This thread is leaning towards being rather political and drifting off topic ... I think comparing graphics cards to vaccines is a little absurd.
The OP has been posting bizarrely from the get go. Just lock the thread as there's nothing good going to come from leaving it open.
No leave it open, capitalism isn't perfect but generally it works Ok. The craziness begins when one cannot distinguish between wants and needs.
Vaccines, electric, water , food, clothing, even hi speed internet at this point are needs. High priced GPU's are not...and 99% of us know that.
Rainless grows on you
And thus a LEGEND is born! hahahahahaha
Video cards are not the same as vaccines... no... but I'm talking about EVERYTHING. From epi-pens to PEN-pens. QTips... You name it.
What's with all this "recoiling in horror" from the government dictating prices? Where have YOU been since 1776? They've ALWAYS done that.
Particularly in times of war (Revolution, 1812, Spanish-American, Civil, WW1, WW2), pandemic (Spanish flu, small pox, Covid-19), and famine (dust bowl, Great Depression).
My point is simply that these are NOT normal times and that this level of price gouging could not exist in the absence of a global pandemic and a lockdown.
Like I said in my last post... today it's video cards... tomorrow it could be ANYTHING. Someone said "eventually the free market rights itself"... SURE... but after how many people have died?
No one's going to die from not having a video card... but remember this latest bot craze began with HOT TUBS. We're only sitting on 3000, 2000, and even 1000 series video cards now. It could be FLOUR next... sugar... SALT.
Bottled water...
I'm not saying the government should tell anyone how much things cost... the manufacturer's can determine that... but it would help... across the board... if there was a limit to how far above MSRP
anyone could charge for
anything.
That way there wouldn't be the kind of lag that we experienced at the beginning of the pandemic where doctors or nurses were unable to get ahold of disinfectant... then masks... then sanitizer... then practically anything... and the time it took the government to crack down.
If there were an established law in place that said no more than 10-15% (or whatever is agreed upon by industry as a fair number) above MSRP for ANY product... then this rabid insanity would never happen again for ANYTHING.
And there would still be room for your "free market" in the USED sector.
What... exactly... is your problem with THAT?
