Originally Posted by
BigAura
It doesn't alarm me because I'm not interested in a McLaren frame or a Prada bag.
Bicycles shouldn't be $18,000, and handbags shouldn't be $2000.
People who buy real ones or people who buy fakes are both getting ripped-off IMO.
Originally Posted by
skye
Your underlying argument is that these items do not cost nearly that much to produce, so why should the consumer pay so much for them? The problem with that argument is that the cost of production is not, and never has been, the sole determiner of price. Marketing sizzle accounts for much of it, but certainly not all. [/b]Extremely high-quality goods also perform better, if perhaps only marginally, than their lesser-cost competitors, and that difference may be sufficient for someone sensitive to minor differences in quality[/b].
For example, I have been known to pay upwards of $400 for a new fountain pe … but because in this digital age, I write quite a bit with my pens, and am extremely sensitive to their nuances. That pen wrote like nothing I've ever held in my hands, and I bought it immediately.
Did it cost anywhere near $400 to produce or market? Hell no. But its quality, and my dependence on its function, made it worth that much to me.
Same with an $18k bike. You or I may not notice a difference; to others, it may be like lightning.
Originally Posted by
BigAura
Nope. I was merely stating my opinion (ref: IMO) that $18,000 is an absurd amount for a bicycle and $2,000 is absurd amount for a handbag. And now I'll add that $400 is an absurd amount for a pen.
If you're looking for an underlying argument it's---> consumer greed (ego) is being exploited by both the original marketeers and the copycats.
BTW: I'll grant you that there might be some that can discern & appreciate minute differences in these ultra-luxury items but for most it's what they've been told by the people selling them ego-fulfillment.
Originally Posted by
gregf83
Your just quibbling. Relative to the automotive or computer world the differences are negligible to anyone.
If you spend 3x the amount of an average car you get a substantial performance boost. Hard to make that same claim for a McClaren bike.
Originally Posted by
skye
I hate to tell you this, but (a) nobody elected you to decide what is important, and (b) you are assuming others suffer from your perceptual limitations. Maybe you ought to put your massive ego down for a little bit, it must be tiring to carry around with you everywhere.
Originally Posted by
BluesDawg
:
I have a MSRP $8000 carbon fiber bike (got it for $4000) and I have previously engaged in some vociferous discussions.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-19-15 at 06:45 AM.