Bargain seeking in retrospect.

Since I travel around reasonably often, I get to indulge in one of my hobbies; comparison shopping. Inevitably, there’s some time available either evenings or in between, and there’s always the inevitable question when I’m back home : “So what have you got for me this time, Dad?”

Sometimes, there are great prices to be found; significantly lower than what I find back home. Over the last few years, at least half a dozen. But in hindsight, was it really a bargain? Let’s see.

The non-branded mp3 player from Taiwan - well, it’s lasted me for over a year and a half now and still going strong. Count one plus.

The portable sewing machine picked up at Sydney (fair dinkum, mate, I did make one trip down under) : The wife reports that it doesn’t stitch too well. She rates it a minus.

Ditto for the electronic crossword puzzle from Radio Shack in Portland. Now I know why they had it on offer.

On the other hand - the wireless router and card combo from Compusa San Francisco’s been worth it.

The China music box? It isn’t really a gadget in that sense - a miniature wind up mechanical toy, but for the dollar I paid, it’s been a real hit.

The real value of all this? Learning to look beyond the price tag, especially if it’s something where you need to look for guarantees. Buying while on travel does leave you open to situations where you just can’t go back to report a problem or trade in.

So these days, it’s cheaper fun. Window shop. Don’t buy.

Written by 2cworth on March 23rd, 2006 with 3 comments.
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3 comments

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Inchoate Random Abstractions
#1. March 28th, 2006, at 4:28 PM.

I wrote a similar post last week about buyer’s remorse. And then followed it up with a post about stuff that I was happy that I purchased. Hindsight is always 50-50. And no matter how much research I do, sometimes it just comes down to personal preferences.

mom2fur
#2. March 29th, 2006, at 1:01 PM.

I love the Kitchenaid brand. Generally, the stuff is built like brick outhouses. So when I saw a hand can opener on the clearance rack at Target for a great price, I bought it. I have one already that I use all the time, but you know how things get misplaced. So I figured I’d have a backup. But now I know why it was clearance–the damned thing doesn’t work! It punctures the can okay, but it’s crooked or something because I can’t get it to turn around the edge.
Of course it figures I lost the receipt. But I intend to mail it to Kitchenaid to see if they’ll replace it. So the cost of postage plus the clearance price means I’ll be paying about as much as I paid for my original one.
Phooey.

Champion Cheapskate
#3. April 2nd, 2006, at 12:01 AM.

Pennywise and pound foolish. That’s the trap. Is it cheap or CHEAP? I’ve found many a real gem buying seemingly off-brands that are manufactured by the outsourcing company, usually offshore, that has been contracted to make items by the name brands.