Tying (Commerce)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. In a tying sale, a customer is required to buy something they do not want as a condition of buying something they do want. Tying is the practice of making the sale of one good or service to the de facto customer conditional on the purchase of a second distinctive good or service. It is often illegal when the products are not naturally related, for example requiring a bookstore to stock an unpopular title before allowing them to purchase a bestseller. Tying is related to Freebie marketing, which was pioneered by King C. Gillette and is a common method of giving away one item to ensure a continual flow of sales of another related item.