Introducing Supply and Demand

Surpluses

Surpluses, or excess supply, indicate that the quantity of a good or service exceeds the demand for that particular good at the price in which the producers would wish to sell (equilibrium level). This inefficiency is heavily correlated in circumstances where the price of a good is set too high, resulting in a diminished demand while the quantity available gains excess. There are substantial business risks inherently built into the concept of surpluses, as the general outcome will be either selling off inventory at sub-par prices or leftover unsold inventory. In both scenarios businesses will be forced to minimize margins or incorporate losses on that particular good. Governmental intervention can often create surplus as well, particularly through the utilization of a price floor if it is set at a price above the market equilibrium.

In a perfectly competitive market, particularly pertaining to goods that are not perishable, excess supply is equivalent to the quantity available in the market beyond the equilibrium point of intersection between supply and demand. In this theoretical scenario the equilibrium point will transition towards a lower price point due to the increased supply, which will in turn motivate consumers to purchase a higher quantity as a result. This allows the economic model of the market to correct itself.