You can Steal Market, but to What Advantage?

Is this a business opportunity or a lesson in economics?

Those line-forming, line-directing ropes you find at banks, and movie theaters -- the ones that keep the line in a single line . . . well, do you know how much they cost? I'm still shaking my head, but if I have it correct . . .

About $208 for seven feet.

Learning that, I looked for a cheaper one, and instead found a more-expensive version . . .

$370.

With a price like that, one quickly sums up that there is a business opportunity in this, for surely we could make them for $20-$30.

I spent a portion of my thought today trying to figure out why they were so expensive. After all, wouldn't market economics dictate that someone come along and sell them for much less?

However is it possible, then, that seven feet -- that's three posts and the retractable belt that runs between them -- could cost $208?

Now, we can't blame it on government regulation. At least, I cannot not at all imagine the government regulating this. I would be surprised to learn a soul cannot just go out an make and market these.

So, what is it? Why are they so expensive?

May I introduce you to the axiom that man will usually follow the path of least resistance? And, may I suggest this should be a principle of economics?

Actually, it pretty much is. But, instead of calling it the law of least resistance, they call it the law of supply and demand. The two might have some differences, but they largely just overlap.

Supply and demand? I would guess there just are not enough buyers for this crowd-control roping. With a shortage of buyers, the price soars up.

The law of least resistance? It takes a little effort to make these crowd-control barriers, then you need a marketing arm, one that gets the product all across the country. Then, when all is said and done, there isn't much money to be made, because -- as we already said -- there are not very many buyers.

Too much effort for too little product.

A person, taking the path of least resistance, is going to find an easier product to market. With this item, he might steal the market, but to what advantage? The market will adjust, the price come down, and the competition win back much of the market.

Still, he will have done something. He will have reduced the price of an item. Some do-good free enterprise-ist could, should they want, do some good by marketing a  $30 version of the line-forming ropes/belts.