Sometimes consumers are misled by prices that obscure a products true cost, for example, with three-for-two offers or when airlines omit the taxes and other fees that make apparently cheap tickets much more expensive or that advertise one-way fares that are available only with the purchase of a round-trip ticket. Other times, hidden charges and surcharges, such as online booking charges and other stealth fees, can boost the consumers actual cost significantly above the announced price: for example, charges for mounting and balancing when you buy tires; multiple taxes and services fees on cell-phone plans; visitor taxes and collision insurance on rental cars; convenience charges, processing fees, and shipping charges on concert tickets; and activation fees, monthly fees, inactivity fees, ATM withdrawal fees, and inquiry balance fees on prepaid debit cards. In addition, manufacturers often disguise price increases by reducing the quality or the quantity of the productdownsizing a pound of coffee to 13 ounces, for example, or shrinking a candy bar but not its price.

Many practical consumers think of these pricing practices and gimmicks as a nuisance or irritant that they must live with, not as something morally objectionable. Taking into consideration the above examples and the actions of companies such as Ticketmaster, do you think tricky or manipulative pricing is morally problematic or is it just a byproduct of capitalism that consumers need to live with? Explain why.