> Surely there must be a way to run a viable business which is 10-20% more expensive than its competition
I think the bottom feeders have driven the cost of garbage down so far that it's no longer a 10-20% price premium to get trustworthy things.
eg grinders. You could (I have a 15+ year old one that has been repaired multiple times as gears have worn out, that withstands 3-6x daily uses) sell a very long-lived coffee grinder (Baratza) for $200. You can buy a piece of crap for $40. Unsurprisingly, that piece of crap is completely unrepairable and doesn't even do a good job of grinding... but it's cheap.
I think the bottom feeders have driven the cost of garbage down so far that it's no longer a 10-20% price premium to get trustworthy things.
eg grinders. You could (I have a 15+ year old one that has been repaired multiple times as gears have worn out, that withstands 3-6x daily uses) sell a very long-lived coffee grinder (Baratza) for $200. You can buy a piece of crap for $40. Unsurprisingly, that piece of crap is completely unrepairable and doesn't even do a good job of grinding... but it's cheap.