Worse To Pay Too Little

This quote, way back from the 19th Century, I have just learned is plastered all over the internet.  It’s used by people whose selling tends to come under intense price pressure from inferior competitors:

“It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little.

When you pay too much, you lose a little money… that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the job it was bought for.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.  It cannot be done.  If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run.

And if you doubt that, you will have enough to pay for something better. There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell it a little cheaper and the people who consider price only, are this man’s prey”

It’s attributed to John Ruskin.  I wonder how helpful this has proved for vendors…. it can’t hurt to email on to an indecisive prospect and test the waters I’m sure.