[csense]

Anytime I go onto a company's website and I either can't figure out what they do, or pricing information isn't available, I think "Right, their business model is to overcharge folks who have more money than sense" and I promptly leave.

[cagenut]

I felt that way in my 20's too. I have since grown up and made a lot of money realizing I was wrong, but I still feel that way.

[Xcelerate]

So... why is he wrong?

[mrhappyunhappy]

There are a number of reasons some websites do not list prices:

1. Pricing sets the wrong expectation for the true price you may actually pay once you get all the features you need and may not be aware of thus making the sale more difficult.

2. Pricing sets a transactional tone vs a mutually beneficial relationship

3. Pricing anchors your mind set to how much something costs vs how much value / ROI you get out of that product or service.

All of these do disservice to seeker and provider.

[Aloha]

Yes - perhaps - but If I'm a small business looking for a thing that does X - I want to know if this is in the ballpark for me - or perhaps this is targeted at someone bigger. Price is a helpful way to determine that - because god knows, you can't figure that out from the marketing gobbledygook on the website anymore. The ROI doesn't matter if you can't afford the investment in the first place.

[mrhappyunhappy]

Then those websites are not targeting you and could care less what your needs are.

[csense]

In other words, the provider's attempting to "look into your eyes," and determine how much value this is providing, thus how much you're able to pay, and base what they charge you off that.

It's called price discrimination. As Joel Spolsky says in his essay on the topic [1], "it pisses the heck off of people."

[1] https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/12/15/camels-and-rubber-...