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ECON 103

When should a firm keep producing?

Follow a price-taking firm from marginal cost to profit, shut-down, supply and long-run entry. Learn the ideas and solve 10 questions with worked answers.

Price taking · Step 1 of 12

A small seller takes the going price

FeatureSelected example
Independent sellers20
BuyersMany
GoodsIdentical tokens
EntryFree
Price-taking model?Yes
Buyers can switch to identical sellers
In our invented glow-token market, Glimmerleaf Workshop is a competitive firm (a price taker). Many buyers and sellers trade identical tokens, and firms can enter or leave freely. A small seller cannot make buyers pay more when they can buy the same token elsewhere.
Try it: Compare the competitive example with a single seller of a unique token.
Which market?
Sellers
20
Price taker
Yes
Seller count = 20.
Many sellers + identical goods + free entry and exit → price-taking model.
Check yourself
Why can a small competitive seller not charge more than the going price for an identical token?

Exam coming up and the shut-down rule still feels arbitrary?

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