Why is a low price or a strong track record not enough for a machine buyer?
From MCC-001, an essay: a hypothesis, not a measurement.
The short answer
Because each can hide what the buyer is actually getting. The essay argues that a lower price may buy a narrower scope, a strong performance record may describe easier work, and a refund may return the fee without repairing the damage.
As published in the issue
A lower price may buy a narrower scope; an impressive performance record may describe easier work. A refund may return the fee without repairing the damage.
The sentence above is quoted from the essay as published and is not re-written here. The essay, its date and the address it was published at are below.
Why it matters
Price, reputation and refunds are the signals a human buyer leans on. A machine that reads them at face value inherits their blind spots at the speed it buys.
Source
- Issue
- Machine Commerce Conditions: MCC-001 — September 2026
- Published
The terms
The terms this question uses are defined in the glossary.
Where our own record speaks to this
These are measured answers, each counted over its own population on its own date. This page links them and quotes nothing from them.
Corrections and disputes
Corrections to this issue are on the corrections register, and this answer reads from the record rather than from a copy.