The selling price for your goods or services is based on your supply and customer demand. If your price is too high, the demand drops off and your profits fall. If your price is too low, you risk not making enough money to cover your costs. You must also keep tabs on your competitors. It is no accident that when you advertise a sale, competitors may hold their own sale at the same time. To keep your customers happy and avoid supply imbalances, you should strive to balance your customer’s demand with your supply. Show Supply and Price
Supply and the Marketplace
Demand and Substitution
Demand and the Marketplace
supply and demand, in economics, relationship between the quantity of a commodity that producers wish to sell at various prices and the quantity that consumers wish to buy. It is the main model of price determination used in economic theory. The price of a commodity is determined by the interaction of supply and demand in a market. The resulting price is referred to as the equilibrium price and represents an agreement between producers and consumers of the good. In equilibrium the quantity of a good supplied by producers equals the quantity demanded by consumers. increase in demandEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The quantity of a commodity demanded depends on the price of that commodity and potentially on many other factors, such as the prices of other commodities, the incomes and preferences of consumers, and seasonal effects. In basic economic analysis, all factors except the price of the commodity are often held constant; the analysis then involves examining the relationship between various price levels and the maximum quantity that would potentially be purchased by consumers at each of those prices. The price-quantity combinations may be plotted on a curve, known as a demand curve, with price represented on the vertical axis and quantity represented on the horizontal axis. A demand curve is almost always downward-sloping, reflecting the willingness of consumers to purchase more of the commodity at lower price levels. Any change in non-price factors would cause a shift in the demand curve, whereas changes in the price of the commodity can be traced along a fixed demand curve.
New from Britannica
Like human fingerprints, gorilla noses have unique formations and wrinkles that scientists use to keep track of the different gorillas. See All Good Factsdecrease in supplyEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The quantity of a commodity that is supplied in the market depends not only on the price obtainable for the commodity but also on potentially many other factors, such as the prices of substitute products, the production technology, and the availability and cost of labour and other factors of production. In basic economic analysis, analyzing supply involves looking at the relationship between various prices and the quantity potentially offered by producers at each price, again holding constant all other factors that could influence the price. Those price-quantity combinations may be plotted on a curve, known as a supply curve, with price represented on the vertical axis and quantity represented on the horizontal axis. A supply curve is usually upward-sloping, reflecting the willingness of producers to sell more of the commodity they produce in a market with higher prices. Any change in non-price factors would cause a shift in the supply curve, whereas changes in the price of the commodity can be traced along a fixed supply curve. {"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T15:04:09+00:00","modifiedTime":"2016-03-26T15:04:09+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:23:14+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Economics","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34238"},"slug":"economics","categoryId":34238}],"title":"The Economic Relationship between Quantity Supplied and Prices","strippedTitle":"the economic relationship between quantity supplied and prices","slug":"the-economic-relationship-between-quantity-supplied-and-prices","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Supply describes the economic relationship between the good’s price and how much businesses are willing to provide. Supply is a schedule that shows the relation","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<p><i>Supply</i> describes the economic relationship between the good’s price and how much businesses are willing to provide. Supply is a schedule that shows the relationship between the good’s price and quantity supplied, holding everything else constant.</p>\n<p>Holding everything else constant seems a little ambitious, even for economists, but there is a reason for that qualification. By holding everything else constant, supply enables you to focus on the relationship between price and the quantity provided. And that is the critical relationship.</p>\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >The difference between quantity supplied and supply</h2>\n<p class=\"Warning\">You must be able to distinguish between two terms that sound the same, quantity supplied and supply, but mean very different things. It is common for others not to make the distinction and as a result their analysis is confused.</p>\n<p><i>Quantity supplied</i> refers to the amount of the good businesses provide at a specific price. So, quantity supplied is an actual number. Economists use the term <i>supply </i>to refer to the entire curve. The supply curve is an equation or line on a graph showing the different quantities provided at every possible price.</p>\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >How to graph supply</h2>\n<p>The supply curve’s graph shows the relationship between price and quantity supplied. When the price is very high, businesses provide a lot more treats. There’s money to be made. But if the price is very low, there’s not much money to be made, and businesses provide fewer of the item.</p>\n<p>For example, if the price of dog treats is $5.00, businesses provide 650 boxes of treats a week. On the other hand, if the price of treats decreases to $1.00 a box, the quantity of treats provided decreases to 50 boxes a week.</p>\n<h3>Price changes</h3>\n<p>Price and quantity supplied are directly related. As price goes down, the quantity supplied decreases; as the price goes up, quantity supplied increases.</p>\n<img src=\"https://sg.cdnki.com/what-is-the-relationship-between-price-and-supply---aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZHVtbWllcy5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzM3MzE2MS5pbWFnZTAuanBn.webp\" width=\"516\" height=\"400\" alt=\"image0.jpg\"/>\n<p class=\"Tip\">Price changes cause changes in quantity supplied represented by movements along the supply curve. When the price of dog treats decreases from $5.00 to $1.00, the quantity supplied decreases from 650 to 50 boxes per week — a movement from point C to point D on the supply curve. This movement indicates that a direct relationship exists between price and quantity supplied: Price and quantity supplied move in the same direction.</p>\n<h3>Supply curve shifts</h3>\n<p>When economists focus on the relationship between price and quantity supplied, a lot of other things are held constant, such as production costs, technology, and the prices of goods producers consider related. When any one of these things changes, the entire supply curve shifts.</p>\n<p>If an increase in supply occurs, the curve shifts to the right. In this case, an increase in supply shifted the curve from S<sub>0</sub> to S<sub>1</sub>. As a result, more dog treats are provided at every possible price. For example, at a price of $5.00, 750 boxes of dog treats are provided each week instead of 650.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">A rightward shift in the supply curve always indicates an increase in supply, while a leftward shift in the curve indicates a decrease in supply.</p>\n<img src=\"https://sg.cdnki.com/what-is-the-relationship-between-price-and-supply---aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZHVtbWllcy5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzM3MzE2Mi5pbWFnZTEuanBn.webp\" width=\"516\" height=\"400\" alt=\"image1.jpg\"/>\n<p>The factors that shift the supply curve include</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n <li><p class=\"first-para\"><b>Production costs: </b>Input prices and resulting production costs are inversely related to supply. In other words, changes in input prices and production costs cause an opposite change in supply. If input prices and production costs increase, supply decreases; if input prices and production costs decrease, supply increases. For example, if wages or labor costs increase, the supply of the good decreases.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\"><b>Technology:</b> Technological improvements in production shift the supply curve. Specifically, improvements in technology increase supply — a rightward shift in the supply curve.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\"><b>Prices of other goods: </b>Price changes for other goods are a little complicated. First, in order to affect supply, producers must think the goods are related. What consumers think is irrelevant. For example, ranchers think beef and leather are related; they both come from a steer. However, customers don’t want to eat leather for dinner.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Beef and leather are an example of <i>joint products</i>, products produced together. For joint products, a direct relationship exists between a good’s price and the supply of its joint product. If the price of beef increases, ranchers raise more cattle, and the supply of beef’s joint product (leather) increases.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><i>Producer substitutes</i> also exist; using the same resources, a business can produce one good or the other. Corn and soybeans are examples of producer substitutes. If the price of corn increases, farmers grow more corn, and less land is available to grow soybeans. Soybeans’ supply decreases. An inverse relationship exists between a good’s price (corn) and the supply of its producer substitute (soybeans).</p>\n </li>\n</ul>","description":"<p><i>Supply</i> describes the economic relationship between the good’s price and how much businesses are willing to provide. Supply is a schedule that shows the relationship between the good’s price and quantity supplied, holding everything else constant.</p>\n<p>Holding everything else constant seems a little ambitious, even for economists, but there is a reason for that qualification. By holding everything else constant, supply enables you to focus on the relationship between price and the quantity provided. And that is the critical relationship.</p>\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >The difference between quantity supplied and supply</h2>\n<p class=\"Warning\">You must be able to distinguish between two terms that sound the same, quantity supplied and supply, but mean very different things. It is common for others not to make the distinction and as a result their analysis is confused.</p>\n<p><i>Quantity supplied</i> refers to the amount of the good businesses provide at a specific price. So, quantity supplied is an actual number. Economists use the term <i>supply </i>to refer to the entire curve. The supply curve is an equation or line on a graph showing the different quantities provided at every possible price.</p>\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >How to graph supply</h2>\n<p>The supply curve’s graph shows the relationship between price and quantity supplied. When the price is very high, businesses provide a lot more treats. There’s money to be made. But if the price is very low, there’s not much money to be made, and businesses provide fewer of the item.</p>\n<p>For example, if the price of dog treats is $5.00, businesses provide 650 boxes of treats a week. On the other hand, if the price of treats decreases to $1.00 a box, the quantity of treats provided decreases to 50 boxes a week.</p>\n<h3>Price changes</h3>\n<p>Price and quantity supplied are directly related. As price goes down, the quantity supplied decreases; as the price goes up, quantity supplied increases.</p>\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/373161.image0.jpg\" width=\"516\" height=\"400\" alt=\"image0.jpg\"/>\n<p class=\"Tip\">Price changes cause changes in quantity supplied represented by movements along the supply curve. When the price of dog treats decreases from $5.00 to $1.00, the quantity supplied decreases from 650 to 50 boxes per week — a movement from point C to point D on the supply curve. This movement indicates that a direct relationship exists between price and quantity supplied: Price and quantity supplied move in the same direction.</p>\n<h3>Supply curve shifts</h3>\n<p>When economists focus on the relationship between price and quantity supplied, a lot of other things are held constant, such as production costs, technology, and the prices of goods producers consider related. When any one of these things changes, the entire supply curve shifts.</p>\n<p>If an increase in supply occurs, the curve shifts to the right. In this case, an increase in supply shifted the curve from S<sub>0</sub> to S<sub>1</sub>. As a result, more dog treats are provided at every possible price. For example, at a price of $5.00, 750 boxes of dog treats are provided each week instead of 650.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">A rightward shift in the supply curve always indicates an increase in supply, while a leftward shift in the curve indicates a decrease in supply.</p>\n<img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/373162.image1.jpg\" width=\"516\" height=\"400\" alt=\"image1.jpg\"/>\n<p>The factors that shift the supply curve include</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n <li><p class=\"first-para\"><b>Production costs: </b>Input prices and resulting production costs are inversely related to supply. In other words, changes in input prices and production costs cause an opposite change in supply. If input prices and production costs increase, supply decreases; if input prices and production costs decrease, supply increases. For example, if wages or labor costs increase, the supply of the good decreases.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\"><b>Technology:</b> Technological improvements in production shift the supply curve. Specifically, improvements in technology increase supply — a rightward shift in the supply curve.</p>\n </li>\n <li><p class=\"first-para\"><b>Prices of other goods: </b>Price changes for other goods are a little complicated. First, in order to affect supply, producers must think the goods are related. What consumers think is irrelevant. For example, ranchers think beef and leather are related; they both come from a steer. However, customers don’t want to eat leather for dinner.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Beef and leather are an example of <i>joint products</i>, products produced together. For joint products, a direct relationship exists between a good’s price and the supply of its joint product. If the price of beef increases, ranchers raise more cattle, and the supply of beef’s joint product (leather) increases.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><i>Producer substitutes</i> also exist; using the same resources, a business can produce one good or the other. Corn and soybeans are examples of producer substitutes. If the price of corn increases, farmers grow more corn, and less land is available to grow soybeans. Soybeans’ supply decreases. An inverse relationship exists between a good’s price (corn) and the supply of its producer substitute (soybeans).</p>\n </li>\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9722,"name":"Robert J. Graham","slug":"robert-j-graham","description":"","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9722"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34238,"title":"Economics","slug":"economics","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34238"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"The difference between quantity supplied and supply","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"How to graph supply","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":284118,"title":"Circular Economy For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"circular-economy-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","economics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/284118"}},{"articleId":255069,"title":"Violations and Limitations of the Economist’s Choice Model","slug":"violations-and-limitations-of-the-economists-choice-model","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","economics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255069"}},{"articleId":255066,"title":"The Economic Secret to Good Low-Cost Healthcare in Singapore","slug":"the-economic-secret-to-good-low-cost-healthcare-in-singapore","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","economics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255066"}},{"articleId":255063,"title":"Why Prices Get Sticky When the Economy Is Headed for a Recession","slug":"why-prices-get-sticky-when-the-economy-is-headed-for-a-recession","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","economics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255063"}},{"articleId":255059,"title":"The Economic Process of Perfect Competition","slug":"the-economic-process-of-perfect-competition","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","economics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255059"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":true,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281590,"slug":"microeconomics-for-dummies-uk-uk-edition","isbn":"9781119026693","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","economics"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119026695/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119026695/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119026695-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119026695/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119026695/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/jimages/9781119026693.jpg","width":250,"height":350},"title":"Microeconomics For Dummies - UK","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><p><b>Daniel Richards, PhD, </b>is a professor of economics at Tufts University. He received his PhD from Yale University. <p><b>Manzur Rashid, PhD, </b>has taught economics at University College London and Cambridge University. <p><b><b data-author-id=\"8961\">Peter Antonioni</b> </b>is a senior teaching fellow at University College London. <p><b>Daniel Richards, PhD, </b>is a professor of economics at Tufts University. He received his PhD from Yale University. <p><b><b data-author-id=\"8962\">Manzur Rashid</b>, PhD, </b>has taught economics at University College London and Cambridge University. <p><b>Peter Antonioni </b>is a senior teaching fellow at University College London.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8961,"name":"Peter Antonioni","slug":"peter-antonioni","description":" <p><b>Daniel Richards, PhD, </b>is a professor of economics at Tufts University. He received his PhD from Yale University. <p><b>Manzur Rashid, PhD, </b>has taught economics at University College London and Cambridge University. <p><b>Peter Antonioni </b>is a senior teaching fellow at University College London. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8961"}},{"authorId":8962,"name":"Manzur Rashid","slug":"manzur-rashid","description":" <p><b>Daniel Richards, PhD, </b>is a professor of economics at Tufts University. He received his PhD from Yale University. <p><b>Manzur Rashid, PhD, </b>has taught economics at University College London and Cambridge University. <p><b>Peter Antonioni </b>is a senior teaching fellow at University College London. 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Supply describes the economic relationship between the good’s price and how much businesses are willing to provide. Supply is a schedule that shows the relationship between the good’s price and quantity supplied, holding everything else constant. Holding everything else constant seems a little ambitious, even for economists, but there is a reason for that qualification. By holding everything else constant, supply enables you to focus on the relationship between price and the quantity provided. And that is the critical relationship. The difference between quantity supplied and supplyYou must be able to distinguish between two terms that sound the same, quantity supplied and supply, but mean very different things. It is common for others not to make the distinction and as a result their analysis is confused. Quantity supplied refers to the amount of the good businesses provide at a specific price. So, quantity supplied is an actual number. Economists use the term supply to refer to the entire curve. The supply curve is an equation or line on a graph showing the different quantities provided at every possible price. How to graph supplyThe supply curve’s graph shows the relationship between price and quantity supplied. When the price is very high, businesses provide a lot more treats. There’s money to be made. But if the price is very low, there’s not much money to be made, and businesses provide fewer of the item. For example, if the price of dog treats is $5.00, businesses provide 650 boxes of treats a week. On the other hand, if the price of treats decreases to $1.00 a box, the quantity of treats provided decreases to 50 boxes a week. Price changesPrice and quantity supplied are directly related. As price goes down, the quantity supplied decreases; as the price goes up, quantity supplied increases. Price changes cause changes in quantity supplied represented by movements along the supply curve. When the price of dog treats decreases from $5.00 to $1.00, the quantity supplied decreases from 650 to 50 boxes per week — a movement from point C to point D on the supply curve. This movement indicates that a direct relationship exists between price and quantity supplied: Price and quantity supplied move in the same direction. Supply curve shiftsWhen economists focus on the relationship between price and quantity supplied, a lot of other things are held constant, such as production costs, technology, and the prices of goods producers consider related. When any one of these things changes, the entire supply curve shifts. If an increase in supply occurs, the curve shifts to the right. In this case, an increase in supply shifted the curve from S0 to S1. As a result, more dog treats are provided at every possible price. For example, at a price of $5.00, 750 boxes of dog treats are provided each week instead of 650. A rightward shift in the supply curve always indicates an increase in supply, while a leftward shift in the curve indicates a decrease in supply. The factors that shift the supply curve include
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