Price discrimination

Price discrimination is the practice of charging different customers or groups of customer’s different prices for the same product.

Why does price discrimination occur?
Describe the conditions that must be present for price discrimination to occur.
Justify your answer.

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Sample Answer

Why does price discrimination occur?

Price discrimination occurs because sellers can charge different prices to different customers and groups of customers and still make a profit. This is because the demand for a product is not always the same for all customers. Some customers are willing to pay more for a product than others. By charging different prices, sellers can capture more of the consumer surplus, which is the difference between what a customer is willing to pay for a product and the price they actually pay.

Conditions that must be present for price discrimination to occur:

There are three conditions that must be present for price discrimination to occur:

  1. The seller must be able to identify different customer groups. The seller must be able to distinguish between customers who are willing to pay different prices for a product. This can be done by using different pricing strategies, such as charging different prices based on age, location, or time of purchase.

Full Answer Section

  1. The seller must be able to prevent resale. The seller must prevent customers from reselling the product to other customers at a higher price. This can be done by using physical barriers, such as time-limited access to a product, or by using legal restrictions, such as copyright or patent protection.
  2. The seller must have market power. The seller must have enough market power to charge different prices without losing too many customers. This means that the seller must have a significant share of the market and that there must be few substitutes for the product.

Justification:

The conditions that must be present for price discrimination to occur are all necessary to ensure that the seller can profit from price discrimination. If the seller cannot identify different customer groups, they will not be able to charge different prices. If the seller cannot prevent resale, they will not be able to capture the full consumer surplus. And if the seller does not have market power, they will not be able to charge different prices without losing too many customers.

Price discrimination can be a controversial practice, as it can lead to some customers paying more for a product than others. However, it can also be a beneficial practice, as it can help to increase efficiency in the market. For example, price discrimination can be used to target discounts to customers who are more price-sensitive, which can help to reduce waste.

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