The Hobo Camp Fire Is going well #VI.. Stop In!!!

[Running Bear]

...Way back when I was a copier technician(production not field service)we made the most on customer consumables like tonner and ink and some times paper. It is pretty much industry wide that the consumables is where the profit comes from.

You are right. If you take an ink cartridge cost and figure it's cost per gallon, we're talking well over $1,000 a gallon and astronomical profits. We've all heard the story about when Gillette introduced the safety razor, they gave away the razor and made their money selling the blades. That's still true today, sell a printer for $80 and charge $100 for the cartridge. I just bought a laser cartridge refill kit in hopes of saving a good $70 on a rebuilt cartridge. Ink cartridges are another thing though, way too messy and usually doesn't work when you finish.

Gillette knew what they were doing. The razor was worthless without the blades so if costumers wanted to use it they had to buy the blades for it. Good business practice. On the ink cartridges, I used to take my empties to Walgreen's to be refilled but with the price of gas what it is now and my health problems it's no longer worth the little bit I saved on getting refills. I can get new cartridges online for less than new at Wal-Mart and Walgreen's.