I forget where I first heard that rather cynical sentiment, but looking at the vast array of Officially Sanctioned Star Trek™ merchandise available in even fairly mainstream stores (e.g. Target), it’s sometimes difficult to dispute the claim, and even more maddening to find myself falling into that stereotype. (On the other hand, I’ve thus far avoided any temptation to remodel my house to look like the Enterprise™. The existing renovation project was daunting enough on its own.)
Tonight though, I ran across a particularly egregious example of that apparent belief: Think Geek is selling a light switchplate for $17.99 that you can make yourself for less than $5.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Think Geek and do shop there on occasion. (After all, who doesn’t need an Annoyatron or two from time to time?) I’m also well aware that when you buy from a boutique like that which caters to a particular audience (in this case, geeks like me), you’re going to pay a little more than if you bought the same product elsewhere. The two-to-three hundred percent mark up just seems a bit outrageous is all.
I’ll admit to being curious how many people will buy this product, but I won’t be one of them. (I bought mine 15 years ago and paid considerably less.)
(More on this at the Blah, Blah, Blog.)