What You Pay For
The price curve flattens, and you can usually see where
Spending more improves a product steeply at first and then hardly at all. The flattening point is category-specific, knowable, and…
What You Pay For
Where extra money goes, and the point at which it stops buying anything.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
What You Pay For
The second-cheapest model is usually the one built for volume
Ranges are constructed so that the entry model exists to set a price and the top model exists to make the middle look reasonable. The volume sits just above the bottom.
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What You Pay For
What a brand name buys, beyond the badge on the front
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Own-label goods and the factory behind the badge
A large share of retail goods are made by manufacturers who also supply competitors and sell under their own names. Working out who…
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The parts are the smallest part of what you pay
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What You Pay For
A warranty's exclusions describe the product better than its length
The number of years is chosen by marketing. The list of things not covered is written by people who know exactly how the product…
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How to price an extended warranty for yourself
An extended warranty is an insurance product, and insurance can be priced. The arithmetic is straightforward and usually gives an…
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Some products are sold at a loss so the refills can be sold at a profit
When a machine is cheap and its consumables are not, the pricing is a system rather than an accident. Recognising the shape changes…
What You Pay For
Professional and contractor grade mean something, but not what you think
These labels are not regulated, yet they usually indicate a real set of design choices. Knowing which choices they signal makes the…
What You Pay For
Refurbished grades describe a process, and the process varies
Refurbished, renewed, open box and graded stock are different things sold under similar words. What matters is who did the work and…
What You Pay For
The accessory is often the upgrade you were looking for
Replacing a whole product to fix one weakness is the expensive route. In many categories a component or accessory addresses the…
What You Pay For
Buying for the fortnight you use it hardest
Most people size a purchase to the heaviest thing they will ever ask of it. That is sometimes correct and frequently expensive, and…