 The concept of lost sales has been criticized, primarily due to its assumption that if illegal (pirated) copies were not available, the consumers of such a pirated copy would instead purchase the product at an average market rate.Critics of the "lost sales" concept note that some consumers, for example those in developing countries, or those with lower income such as students, may not be able to afford the market price of certain products and if there were no pirated copies available, it is likely they would simply not purchase the ones available at the market price.Others may treat pirated goods as samples that entice them to buy the product later on.