Amazon sellers marking products as collectible to get around price gouging rules

Re:Amazon sellers marking products as collectible to get aro... by WalterBright on Friday May 29, 2020 @05:33PM (#23355805)

That isn't how the word is defined. Google the definition of rationing :-)

People misuse language all the time, such as using "literally" for emphasis rather than description, but when talking economics one should stick with what the economic terms actually mean.

For a more relevant example, "free markets" do not mean you can pickup things at the market at no cost.

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Re:Amazon sellers marking products as collectible to get aro... by vageli on Friday May 29, 2020 @05:55PM (#23356008)

> That isn't how the word is defined. Google the definition of rationing :-)

I did as you suggested and got this:

> allow someone to have only (a fixed amount of a certain commodity).

So the definition does not specify the function by which resources are distributed. The "fixed amount" can be a schedule based on income and not violate the definition.

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Re:Amazon sellers marking products as collectible to get aro... by WalterBright on Friday May 29, 2020 @06:49PM (#23356513)

Um, a free market does not "allow" someone to have only a "fixed" amount. Trying to torture the definitions of words to make this work to save a rhetorical point is not going to work with me.

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Re:Amazon sellers marking products as collectible to get aro... by sokoloff on Friday May 29, 2020 @08:26PM (#23357248)

Wait? Did you really just say that a “fixed amount” is equivalent to what amounts to linear function of your income?

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Re:Amazon sellers marking products as collectible to get aro... by vageli on Friday May 29, 2020 @10:20PM (#23357908)

I guess I took the fixed value to be the function, and not the... value. I see my misunderstanding now.

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