I worked for 30+ years in the electronics industry, in both manufacturing and product design.
I have been in meetings where plans were made to assure a 10 year support life for a company’s product by making a “lifetime buy” of a vendor’s parts after a vendor announced they would no longer be making a component in the future.
As I recall, millions of dollars were tied up in inventory of these parts, some of which may never be used.
And some state taxing authorities tax inventories, discouraging companies from keeping a large stock of repair parts.
I do like to repair my own equipment.
Report: Amazon Vendors Hiked Prices on ‘Essential’ Items During Pandemic
One seller charged $109.99 for a thirty-six-roll package of toilet paper, which represented a price hike of nearly $80 from a year ago. And patio heaters, often used by restaurants for outdoor dining, had the ten largest price hikes by percentage.
Last year amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Amazon sellers doubled prices on 136 products that are considered “essential” for consumers, health-care providers, and small businesses, according to a new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund.
The organization analyzed retail sales on the site from December 1, 2019, through December 1, 2020, focusing on essential products like face masks, pulse oximeters, surgical gloves, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.
Indiana General Assembly
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Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana State Senate. The state legislature meets in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of April 7, 2021, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 12 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made clear when it opened for business in 2011 that it would be “a cop on the beat” to protect people from unethical, abusive and illegal behavior on the part of financial institutions.
That cop spent much of the last four years waving at passing bankers and lenders from the doughnut shop.
Things are about to change.
It’s a virtual certainty that President-elect Joe Biden will replace President Trump’s appointee as CFPB director, Kathy Kraninger, with someone more focused on defending consumers than business interests.
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“The CFPB’s once-stellar enforcement record and overall effort to stop illegal activity and hold financial entities accountable became instantly mediocre under the Trump administration,” Christine Hines, legislative director of the National Assn. of Consumer Advocates, told me.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group estimates the average American family could save about $330 a year repairing instead of replacing electronics and appliances.