I disagree. There's plenty of cheaply made stuff that doesn't last very long, and other brands that focus on lasting quality, where stuff lasts a very long time. This is mostly evident in items that get a lot of use.
Yes, and it doesn't just apply to durable goods. Try doing comparison shopping between Costco and a dollar store. I guarantee you pretty much everything at Costco will be cheaper on a per-unit basis than the dollar store. So why do people shop at dollar stores? Because they can't afford the bigger up-front prices of buying at Costco!
Oh, and pretty much all of the durable goods sold at Costco will be much better quality and longer-lasting than the crap they sell at a dollar store, so that stuff follows the Vimes law as well.
