Small things make me happy

[erudito]

Friday before the January long weekend, bought a new Canon™ bubble-jet printer for slightly more than a colour printer cartridge cost for my HP™ bubble-jet and whose own cartridges (both colour and black, low use versions) together cost more than a black cartridge but less than a colour cartridge for my old printer. While a triple back of the long

Comments

[kitling]

I think its kind of sad that it costs less to buy a new printer than a replacement print cartridge. I realise the printer makers sell the printers at a loss, because they make money on the cartridge sales.

But it still seems a very wasteful sort of consumerism to me...

We brought my kid sister a printer for her bday, I'm wondering if she'll buy replacement cartridges or the next model up...

Incentives

[erudito]

In a world of persistent (if low) inflation and unindexed capital gains and income taxes, income streams from regular sales are generally better than assets.

Add in the effects of Moore's law creating asset deflation due to expanding capacities and one ends up with ... printers which cost less than their cartridges.

It is just folk responding to clear incentives.

Re: Incentives

[catsidhe]

Well, that, and the cost of the ink is so outrageously inflated.

There is a graph of the price of various liquids per millilitre, and the result is somewhat surprising, even for the normally sufficiently cynical me.

Re: Incentives

[erudito]

But they're not selling ink, they're selling ink in their-printer-compatible-packaging. Ink is ink, a HP #45 cartridge is a much more precious item.

Or, to put it another way, they're selling the ability to keep their cheap printer functioning. You may buy the printer, but you only rent its ability to function.

[mishymoocow_2]

Glad the personal writing is going well for you.

Thank you

[erudito]

Yes, it does represent something of a breakthrough, ta. However bloody long it's taken, but these things take the time they take.

[fizzyland]

Now I'm curious about kangaroo sausage. I've had alligator sausage, which was remarkably good.

Think venison

[erudito]

Kangaroo is rather like venison -- low fat, strong flavour. It is very low in fat, so one cooks it lightly or in sauce.

[enrobso]

Kangaroo has become a staple part of my diet. It's lean, it's versatile, it's tasty and it's frequently more affordable than the traditional red meats.

Why are we not farming them and exporting to the world rather than culling them?

Marketing

[erudito]

I eat a fair bit of it too. Indeed, just had it for dinner.

In answer to your question, because marketing would be difficult. Particularly given years of greenie propaganda in the US about them being endangered. (Barry Cohen, when he was Environment Minister, found fighting that one a particularly annoying burden of office.)