Architecting durable things

Used goods markets are currently important transaction channels for durable products. For some durable products, such markets first appeared when retailers started buying back used products from “old” customers and selling them to new ones for a profit (...

Many durable products cannot be used without a contingent consumable product, e.g., printers require ink, iPods require songs, razors require blades, etc. For such products, manufacturers may be able to lock in consumers by making their products ...

Problem definition: In the U.S. automobile industry, manufacturers distribute products through dealers and rental agencies. To mediate direct competition between the two intermediaries, manufacturers adopted buyback programs to repurchase used rental cars ...