In a broad sense, CD-ROM access can be considered expensive. They may either be owned for a one-time flat fee or leased on a subscription basis. Some specialized marketing databases even keep track of the amount of data users download to their PCs and assess a transaction fee. At the high end of the scale, the larger and more sophisticated vendors like Equifax and Claritas rent their information at a price starting in the tens of thousands of dollars. These types of annual subscriptions generally cover use of the hardware and access to some of the software.
Prices also vary with the number of databases and the geographic coverage the user needs.
Infomark is structured for the company that has regular inquiries. By 'regular,' I mean researchers must make at least two or three inquiries a week to get a fair return on their investment. If you are going to only use it once or twice a month, you're better off using our service bureau or going to a value-added consultant. The reduced learning curve for CD-ROM also helps lower the cost of gathering data. It puts them in control.