Loss leader

/lˈɒs lˈiːdə/

/lˈɔs lˈiːdɚ/

Loss leader

a product sold at a low price to attract customers and encourage sales of other profitable items.

Examples

1. There's a loss leader in every department.

2. But for 11 months, my book was basically sold as a loss leader by the biggest retailer in the world.

3. The state acts as a loss leader as it tries to develop national champions.

4. Or is basically a loss leader for a newspaper to do this?