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November 13, 2023

Surplus Value

Matt Quinn

I set up a business selling toes. I buy them wholesale from the goblin. I get them very cheap because recent anti-goblin legislation prevents the goblin from trading above ground. Where the goblin gets the toes from, I’m not sure. He promises me they are ethically produced by goblin children working 26-hour days in subterranean sweat-shops, but I suspect otherwise. I could swear there are more people than normal hobbling around town favouring their heels. But who am I to judge? So what if the goblin is stealing toes? Stimulating demand while increasing supply is an excellent business model. And besides, imagine losing a toe in mysterious circumstances and resigning yourself to an ill-fitting replacement with skin tone that doesn’t quite match and too much or too little hair. Now think about the joy you’d experience if you were offered a toe that perfectly matched the one you’d lost.  Meditating thus on value added, I hike up my prices.