In case anyone’s interested, here is a story from the local paper about the effect of e-filing on the courier business:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008352220_efiling05m0.html
[quote]As a downtown pedestrian I say the less bicycle couriers there are, the safer I feel[/quote] someone is happy.
There’s always an article every couple years about how the messenger business will decline.
They’ll be bike messengers around for at least another 10-20 years I’m sure. Except it will be more common to see cargo bikes and racks on bikes on top of the big ass bag.
I can’t say this is high on my list of concerns, but I would imagine that they will go the way of the fax machine. Around, but rarely used.
The end of that article has some of the worst economic reasoning I’ve ever heard.
When the demand for bike messengers decreases, so will the supply. Now according to the article, because there will be less messengers, they’ll make more money. WTF?
That must be why Asbestos production is so profitable these days: because people stopped buying it. 
fax machines are rarely used?
[quote=“JACQUES”]The end of that article has some of the worst economic reasoning I’ve ever heard.
When the demand for bike messengers decreases, so will the supply. Now according to the article, because there will be less messengers, they’ll make more money. WTF?
That must be why Asbestos production is so profitable these days: because people stopped buying it. [/quote]
Speciality Service =/= Outdated product
they ran a really similar article last year about this time…
[quote=“danger_scott”][quote=“JACQUES”]The end of that article has some of the worst economic reasoning I’ve ever heard.
When the demand for bike messengers decreases, so will the supply. Now according to the article, because there will be less messengers, they’ll make more money. WTF?
That must be why Asbestos production is so profitable these days: because people stopped buying it. [/quote]
Speciality Service =/= Outdated product[/quote]
Euhhhh… no. My analogy was accurate in that they are both goods or services who’s demand has decreased. This is what you learn on your first day of Economics 101. Here is a graph:
On a side note, my experience confirms that courier services are struggling. Messengers haven’t had a raise in about 15 years and there are only about half as many on the road.
when gas prices were rising there was an actually increase in courier services in portland.
^That’s the only bright side. When gas prices go up, bikers are sent further as those calls cease to be profitable by car.
Gas goes up? It’s $1.90 now, so I bought a new Ford Explorer or two.
tarck bike hummer group buy?
[quote=“JACQUES”][quote=“danger_scott”][quote=“JACQUES”]The end of that article has some of the worst economic reasoning I’ve ever heard.
When the demand for bike messengers decreases, so will the supply. Now according to the article, because there will be less messengers, they’ll make more money. WTF?
That must be why Asbestos production is so profitable these days: because people stopped buying it. [/quote]
Speciality Service =/= Outdated product[/quote]
Euhhhh… no. My analogy was accurate in that they are both goods or services who’s demand has decreased. This is what you learn on your first day of Economics 101. Here is a graph:
On a side note, my experience confirms that courier services are struggling. Messengers haven’t had a raise in about 15 years and there are only about half as many on the road.[/quote]
one’s demand has decreased because its a specialty service that isnt as useful, however used occasionally. the other is insulation that is outdated and carcinogenic that isnt used by anyone. so your analogy is still retarded.
Yes but they both follow the rules of supply and demand and therefore his analogy is completely and utterly sound.
On a completely unrelated note I recently wrote a paper for my economics class comparing the oil market to the market for Swarovski watches and have not received my grade yet.
Well, it was an analogy so they’re not the exact same thing, but for what it’s worth, asbestos is still used as insulation in the third world and in industrial applications worldwide. This is a textbook case of a reduction in demand.