So you can see I'm not against people making a profit, it's just when the profits get out of hand that I start getting all Bolshoi.
Part of the problem is since it's easier to make huge profits if you control the market big companies get bigger and gobble up smaller companies till there is no natural self regulation in the market place known as competition...
Competition is your friend, dude!
Sadly, a lot of what passes for competition these days is somewhat bogus as a lot of the companies competing with each other tend to be owned by the same folks. This sort of faux competition does not regulate a market, it controls it with artificially high prices while giving you the warm and fuzzy feeling that you got yourself a deal.
If given a chance (when I can't make something myself) I prefer to buy stuff from a small guy who actually owns his business and produces a real product. That said, there is a downside that small concerns, more often than not, can't actually compete that well with mega-business behemoths as the economics of scale are what they are...
Bummer...
On the other hand, in some cases when the small business is smart and does not try and compete on the same playing field, not only can they compete, but win. The hard part is thinking far enough outside the box for both sellers and buyers to make sense of it all.
So here is a hint and it does not exactly concern boats and boat stuff... In fact, it is all about tractors and tools as well as being the ultimate nightmare for executives at Massey-Ferguson and International Harvester. Though if you step back far enough and open your mind it might be all about boats and boat gear...
My mantra of choice "Eight times cheaper"...
