From: Robert H Guttman <guttman@media.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 07:54:18 +0800
To: "Robert Hettinga" <unicorn@schloss.li>
Subject: Re: The Continued Attack on Cash (Was: "The Right of  Anonymity"...)
Message-ID: <199802042348.SAA17496@ml.media.mit.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> > "Americans do not buy for quality, they buy for price"
> 
> Which must explain our gross national product, then. Cheaper,
> as always, *is* better.
> 
> > as John Ruskin said:
> >  1.  those who buy for price alone are this man's lawful prey.
> 
> Those who *don't* buy for price alone are usually somebody's
> lunch sooner or later.

I somehow missed the full thread on this topic, but I disagree
that "cheaper, as always, *is* better."  There are many markets
and situations where people (Americans included) shop by "value"
(perceived or otherwise), not just price.  This is what VARs and
"branding" are about and what enables market power.

For example, Gerry Heller, CEO of FastParts - an online auction
for semiconductors, was quoted in a recent Forrester Research
report as admitting that even in this commodity-like market
"availability is more important than price" when it comes to
auctioning semiconductors.

- Rob



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Robert H Guttman                               voice:617-253-9603
mailto:guttman@media.mit.edu                 MIT Media Laboratory
http://www.media.mit.edu/~guttman           Software Agents Group
http://ecommerce.media.mit.edu/         Agent-mediated E-Commerce
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