Re:Ask HN: I have three good ideas. Help me choose idea 1, 2...
by mdasen on Sunday January 18, 2009 @11:12AM
(#439416)
I'd definitely go for #3. It's such a pain and companies will generally pay in a way that users hate paying. I know I get driven nuts!
#1 would be neat, but one problem would be that you'd have to price it cheaper than better hardware. For example, if your product costs $500/year and I can just double my RAM from 1GB to 2GB for $20/mo, well, I'm just going to double the RAM and save $250. Or likewise any other attribute of the system. It just seems like it would be a lot harder to sell this since most people could probably put the money into hardware and get a better result.
#2 seems interesting, but with postage, is it still a good deal? Personally, I don't see anything wrong with parallel importing - in fact, I'd argue it's a good thing since it stops manufacturers from exploiting market segregation. You're talking about doing it on things like clothing which means problems will be lower. Things like autos or electronics often have regulatory issues. If you're going this route, you might want to consult an attorney.
#1 would be neat, but one problem would be that you'd have to price it cheaper than better hardware. For example, if your product costs $500/year and I can just double my RAM from 1GB to 2GB for $20/mo, well, I'm just going to double the RAM and save $250. Or likewise any other attribute of the system. It just seems like it would be a lot harder to sell this since most people could probably put the money into hardware and get a better result.
#2 seems interesting, but with postage, is it still a good deal? Personally, I don't see anything wrong with parallel importing - in fact, I'd argue it's a good thing since it stops manufacturers from exploiting market segregation. You're talking about doing it on things like clothing which means problems will be lower. Things like autos or electronics often have regulatory issues. If you're going this route, you might want to consult an attorney.