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30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases
The Universe can reward you in mysterious ways. Many of us have one or two items at home or at work that continue to impress us with their quality and longevity every single day. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call them the best purchases we’ve made. And price… actually doesn’t have all that much to do with the quality of the thing in these fringe cases. Sometimes, Fortune smiles on us, and a sketchy cheap buy turns into a lifelong companion.
Whether it’s a pair of cutesy pink Hello Kitty nail clippers from Japan or a flannel jacket for $2 that’s still going strong after a quarter of a century, these are the accidental heirlooms that we pick up throughout life. If this were an RPG, these would be [Legendary] quality and crafted by elves (and/or possibly dwarves). Scroll down for the very best stories about suspicious products and services that turned out to be awesome, as shared on this viral r/AskReddit thread. Oh, and remember to upvote the posts you enjoyed the most, dear Pandas.
Now that’s not to say that price doesn’t matter at all when it comes to quality (master crafted products cost a lot to make, and the labor’s expensive, too), but it’s weird how high quality can lurk in the unlikeliest of places. Do you have any cheap things you bought that have lasted for years, Pandas? We can’t wait to see what you have to say, so drop by the comment section.
Bored Panda reached out to Sam Dogen, the author of 'Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom' (out July 19) and the founder of the Financial Samurai blog, for his opinion about saving on non-essential purchases and how to avoid impulse buying. He also shared some vital information about bear markets and how long they last. Read on to see what he had to tell us.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I was traveling in Japan and needed nail clippers. All I could find is this cheap pink Hello Kitty grooming kit.
These clippers are the best I ever owned. They have stayed sharp and functional for 20 years. I'm very protective of them. Everyone in the house knows, you don't touch Dad's pink Hello Kitty nail clippers.
Sam, the mastermind behind the Financial Samurai project, told us how we can recognize whether or not a purchase is absolutely necessary or if we only think that it is.
"We really only need shelter, food, water, and clothing—your core expenses. Literally, everything else is unnecessary if we really think about it," he explained to Bored Panda.
"Hence, if you're really worried about your finances, the first step is to calculate your core expenses. Once your core expenses are calculated, you can then list out every other item on your spreadsheet and decide where to cut," he advised.
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#2
Seed packets from the dollar store. While in college my boyfriend and I were broke. Really broke. But I still wanted to do something to celebrate spring. We were getting a few cheap things at the dollar store when I noticed they were selling these seeds packets from a big old bin that you had to dig thru. 4 for $1. No tax. I immediately begged to buy one despite our strict budget.
Boyfriend was incredulous I'd want to buy sketchy seeds but dutifully handed me a quarter. I ended up picking out tomatoes.
Well we got home and I carefully placed about 3 seeds in washed out cans. I watered them and watched them sprout. I loved tending to my little garden. I ended up with 3 beautiful HUGE tomato plants. It was a bumper crop. More than we could eat.
I sold the extra produce to my classmates. Made like $25. Good seeds!
Bill Evs 2 years ago
I grow a lot of veg and when I initially started I used to buy seeds on the more expensive side thinking they'd be better quality. Don't get me wrong, they did grow well but then I bought a cheap multi pack and they all grew just as well too. Since then I've just bought cheap seeds and never had any real problems. In fact lots of websites will send you free seeds. I think it's more to do with how they're looked after rather than how much they cost.
#3
I bought a $6,300 tiny house trailer from a MAGA guy out of state who said he’d take guns or cash and had a bunch of barking dogs. A little fixing up, and it has been a home for a homeless transgender youth for 4 months now!
"During bear markets, your key is to survive long enough until the bear market is over. Historically, bear markets have lasted about 12 months and experienced a 37% drawdown in stocks. Hence, if you can hunker down for 12 months by cutting as much of your non-core expenses as possible, that is your best move. For eventually, the good times will return again," Sam said.
According to financial expert and author Sam, the best way to tackle impulse spending is to wait a week before buying anything. That way, you'll have fewer regrets. "Whether you're suffering from real estate FOMO or wanting that expensive watch, by waiting a week, your emotions will calm down. Once your emotions calm down, you'll be able to think more rationally before spending money," he explained that you can make better decisions with a cooler head.
#4
No label old beat to s**t vinyl acetate record with hand written “That’ll be the day” on it. Paid $1.
Ended up being a live Buddy Holly recording.
Sold it for $970.
#5
I randomly found a wedding videographer online and booked him for a very affordable rate for my wedding assuming it wouldn’t be very good quality. Two weeks after the wedding, he emails me a high quality, well-edited video. He had a drone I hadn’t noticed because he was outside of the venue getting b-roll with it before I even started getting ready for the big day. I was floored and now I recommend him to everyone who ever plans to get married ever.
Edit: He has definitely upped his prices since then (he did the videography for my wedding last summer) and rightfully so, because he does great work.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
In regards to the edit. Artists deserve to be paid. Whether it's design, photography or even traditional art work. Yes, your nephew can hold a camera/use Photoshop. With no experience or training, it's gonna be c**p. Well done to this person for validating this person's expertise and price increase.
#6
I bought a turtle for 5 dollars in china town and she’s turning three this year
Edit to add a few things: Chinatown in Chicago which is why her name is Al Capone (we call her Al) I am hoping she will outlive me because I can’t imagine losing her. Don’t worry I study biology and environmental science (going in a PhD program) she is treated like a queen.
IlovemydogShilo 2 years ago (edited)
I'm sure she is. Such a little cutie. Good luck with your degree.👍🍀😃
"It's important to remember that every purchase you make is with after-tax money. Hence, you should calculate how much the item costs in pre-tax money. This greater number will help curtail your impulse spending as well."
Sam stressed that every single dollar that you spend on something you don't need is one less dollar that you get to invest in building passive income for financial freedom. "Given time is our most valuable asset, impulse spending is essentially making us poorer for losing time."
Some of us have a weakness for buying things on impulse. Others are strongly affected by advertisements (or think that they’re immune to them but actually aren’t). Some love to bargain-hunt and stumble upon hidden treasures completely by chance. Others take buying very seriously and do massive comparisons on price, quality, and functionality before committing to any single purchase. And some are a combination of all of these, in varying quantities (we’re looking at you, handsome mirror Pandas!)
Bored Panda recently had a chat with Matt Johnson, Ph.D., a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and the author of 'Branding that Means Business: How to Build Enduring Bonds between Brands, Consumers and Markets,' about ads, contrast, fonts, what consumers notice first, and why context is so important.
#7
The Bra of Mystery.
First strike: I bought it from a grocery store.
Second strike: It was marked down to $2, and plastered with stickers reading, "Final sale!", "No returns!", "We're not liable if this [takes your life]!", "I'm sure there are people who love you!" and the like.
Third strike: Upon ringing it through, the cashier did a double-take at the screen, looked at me with great concern, and asked if I was sure I wanted to buy it.
After failing to self-combust and send me straight to hell, it wound up being one of the nicest bras I ever had. Wore it for two years before the inevitable underwire tit-shanking.
I still wonder what they thought was wrong with it.
IcyPenguinToes 2 years ago
"underwire tit shanking" 😂 😂. The phrase I didn't know I needed in my life.
#8
This bamboo back scratcher my wife got me for 3 bucks like 15 years ago. It is right here next to me. I use it to scratch my back, gesticulate while I pontificate, fend off my cats, harass my cats, and use as a tuning fork to make strange noises to annoy my wife.
I joke that in the event of a house fire, this back scratcher is the only thing besides my wife and cats that I'd take with me. (Its not a joke though, I really would go for it first).
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
I also need something to gesticulate while l pontificate. Totally get you
#9
A tour guide approached us outside the Vatican offering the best discounted Vatican tours. This guy was the definition of sketch. But we were like “oh what the hell, when in Rome.” (Pun intended). It was indeed a discounted tour and turned out to be a highlight of our trip to Rome. Tour guide was awesome and we skipped all the lines to get right in.
Kirsten Kerkhof 2 years ago
I paid a single Euro for a church tour that took me all through the 13th century church and up into the roof space (between the ceiling and the actual tiled roof). The tour was over 3 hours long and really interesting. It wasn't advertised or anything, I just walked into the church, saw the tour guide, and jjoined.
Professor Johnson explained to us that it’s contrast that grabs our attention the most because our brains are hardwired to notice differences in our environments. If your goal is to stand out from the crowd, you can’t copy what others are doing in order to sell your product. You’ve got to create contrast.
"What this means is that the context of the ad is huge. The context is the background; and if the ad wants to be in the foreground, it must stand out against it," the professor of consumer psychology said.
"The context is two things. First, it’s the features of the channel itself. If you’re running a paid ad campaign on IG for example, there are going to be lots of highly curated images of faces, landscapes, and brunches. So the last thing you’d want to do is feature a visual ad with any of these qualities. Instead, maybe imagery that is text-based or otherwise against the grain would be the way to go," Professor Johnson told Bored Panda.
"Secondly, it's about standing out against the competitive landscape—everyone else who’s running ads on the same target market. This speaks to the content itself, as well as the brand’s ability to distinguish itself, personality-wise from that of its competitors." In short, high-quality content doesn’t always stand out based on its own merit alone, even if it’s very creative. Without contrast, it can get lost in the surrounding noise.
#10
One of those square, window size, box fans. Technically wasn't a purchase, I found it outside the dumpster of my Junior-year college apartment back in 2008. I'm a fan of airflow and white-noise, so that fan ran 24-hours a day for nearly 11 years outside of when I was away on vacations and for brief periods in winter (most of that on the lowest setting, but I mean, there were long stretches of literally months+ where it wasn't turned off). [Broke down] earlier this year when I can only assume some critical component burned out. I'll miss you, completely free thing that provided me a decade of a light breeze and air circulation.
#11
my dog was a stray, adopted by a couple, but returned because he was too high energy
so his adoption fees were 50%
best $45 I've ever spent
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
My puppy was a return to the shelter puppy - the family couldn't handle a "hyper" dog with small children in the house. He was not even 3 months old, what did they expect from a puppy? The shelter employees had him in the intake side but when one of them heard my 13 year old mention getting a young dog, she brought him out for us to meet. My 13 year old actually cried when he picked him up. Three years it's been and he's been the smartest, calmest dog around. He loves everyone and everyone (including neighbors) loves him. I can't imagine what life would be like without him and I'm eternally grateful the first family couldn't handle him. 20220608_2...957ada.jpg 
#12
Bought $20 army cargo pants from the military surplus store.
Pros:
- Same material and double kneed as Carharts that were twice the cost
- SUPER rugged, and don't care about stains (work pants... plus they're camo!)
- Roomy, comfortable, designed to fit you even if they're not exactly your size
- More storage space than your mom's Kia
- Made in USA, not by oppressive labor overseas, plus support locally owned shop
Cons:
- Wife won't be seen in public with me wearing them
Mohsie Supposie 2 years ago
So the camo is so good, it makes you both invisible? I'd say that's a double Pro!
"If the content can’t grab attention and stop the consumer in their tracks, they won’t have the opportunity to appreciate the ad’s quality. This is especially true in the digital environment, where the first job of any piece of content is to stop the thumb. Only after this first step can the quality of the content shine through."
Human beings also find faces and text intrinsically appealing. "These are special visual stimuli because they drive the brain’s automatic processing. You can’t look at a face without automatically processing its emotion, and you can’t look at a string of words without automatically processing their meaning. Because of this automaticity, these naturally drive attention and are often processed quickly within a visual scene," the expert said.
If the words on the ad are written in a legible enough font, our brains access their meaning first, “sometimes even before simple features like color." That’s what makes a good font so important: it gets the message across and creates the foundation for a positive reaction from the customer. That’s known as the fluency effect.
"All things being equal, we (at least in 'The West') also have a general heuristic for looking at any visual scene, which is to start at the upper left and then move across to the left, before scanning the entire scene. This is largely owed to the fact that most Western languages are read left to right,” the professor told us.
#13
Guy said there were a bunch of bricks in his back yard he wanted to get rid of. $5 for all of them if you'd come pick them up because they were "larger than regular bricks and were very heavy."
I grabbed a friend and headed out because I needed some cheap brick for the edging of my garden.
Guys house was across the river and in some really run down looking neighborhood...really glad I grabbed my friend at this point. We pull up and the guy is waiting outside, and he looks like he's 80 but I know he must have been a 35 year old guy who just smoked 10 packs a day... So the guy takes us to his back yard and shows up the pile of bricks, which turn out to be 50+ antique Louisville Fire Bricks.
So I look at the guy and tell him, "I'll take half of them...and as payment I'll give you $20 and some advice." And of course the guy is looking at me like I'm an idiot, but he accepts my money and helps me and my friend load up about 30 bricks. After I close my truck and get in the car to drive off I tell him to google the antique fire bricks and adjust his craigslist listing...
I went back to look at the listing a few days later, and he had changed the price from $5 for the whole pile, to $5 PER BRICK, which was the going rate at the time. Nowadays they go for $20/brick...
BEST BUY EVER!
IlovemydogShilo 2 years ago
It was really good and honest of you to advise the man to sell the rest of the bricks and to advise him about them. I am sure he appreciated your help too.
#14
I broke a filling in Mumbai in 1999 and had to use a local dentist. $7 and still going strong.
lkthorlyn23 2 years ago
Live in San Diego and my dentist is in Tijuana...great dentist..my last filling was $200..root canal was $350...all the newest equipment and techniques. Tons of Americans go to TJ for dentists and specialty doctors...not a little back alley town anymore..over 2 million residents. Yes it's still a poor country, but they cater to Americans...and you don't hear about Americans being hurt in TJ...there is no money in killing off your customers!
#15
Went camping and forgot knives for food prep. Went to local grocery store and bought package of 3, cheap, no-name, plastic handle paring knives, different sizes. BEST KNIVES IN THE HISTORY OF THE PLANET!!! THEY ARE STILL MY MAIN KNIVES, YEARS LATER!!!
Péter Rózsahegyi 2 years ago
I guess the photo is not related to the post because they are Zwilling J. A. Henckels knives. They are not hand made Japanese swords, but definitely not 'noname'.
Marketing isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Pumping a lot of money into advertising a product won’t necessarily lead to more purchases. A lot depends on the industry: the brand, the product, and the ads can influence consumers in varying ways depending on what you’re selling.
"In some industries—such as the luxury industry—the brand is the primary differentiator, and the product and its advertising are much less important. But in other industries, such as expensive technology, or automobiles, the utility of the product is extremely important, as is the brand reputation. Generally speaking, the more expensive the product is, the more important the features of the products are going to be. When it’s an expensive purchase, people are generally much less willing to go out on a whim simply because they like a brand or an ad," the expert told us.
"And more still, advertisements can play a big role in driving purchases for certain types of products in certain contexts. Ads are particularly important when there is a very quick turnaround between seeing the ad and having the opportunity to make a purchase. This is very common in digital media. For example, if an ad for some new shoes hits you on social media, along with the opportunity to buy those shoes within just a few clicks, the ad itself can make a massive difference," he said.
#16
I was giving these college aged young women a Lyft ride. One asks how "that Craigslist thing went" so my ears perked up. The other says something like "he complained it went back too far, just don't put it back so far, duh."
Eventually I deduce they are talking about a recliner - which I've been looking for one for some time now. I interject and ask about it. Lady has a Laz-E-Boy electric recliner she just wants 20 bucks for. I'm like, "listen I know it's sketchy but if you've got Craigslist rando's in your house Lyft at least gave me a background check."
We pull up, I end the ride, and follow these ladies into their house. I knew I wanted it as soon as I laid eyes on it.
So, this college chick is helping me stuff a recliner into my back seat and all I can think is this is how Buffalo Bill kidnapped that girl in Silence of the Lambs.
Twenty dollars for a recliner so lazy it reclines for me.
#17
I built my own mattress. I was online shopping and stumbled upon several mattress-in-a-box companies such as Purple or Casper. I noticed that they consistently had diagrams on their websites that showcased the different layers of foam they use to construct their mattresses. I simply went to a foam wholeseller and in the dimensions of a queen mattress, I ordered different types of foam (standard, soft, memory, eggshell) in varying thicknesses. I stacked them all up on top of one another and have slept like a baby for the last 2 years. It cost me $300 as opposed to a similar mattress from an online site that woulda cost hundreds more.
Furmama0501 2 years ago
I am in awe of this one. I never would have thought of something like that. Kudos to you!
#18
I bought a blanket in Mexico in 1986 for $5. I still have it and it is super soft and comfy. It has been abused, washed, etc and it is still in great shape.
#19
Costco fluffy flannels. It feels like a chinchilla is hugging you and I’ve had mine for three years with no signs of wearing down despite almost daily use in the northeast winters.
#20
Not my purchase, but still one of the best: My brother gifted me a Snuggie one year for Christmas. I had painstaking tracked down a bootleg album he wanted and he got me a buy one, get one free, snuggie. I didn't speak to him for weeks. I have routinely used that damn snuggie for every camping trip I've been on over the last 7 years, and I will tell you it has become the most useful gift I've ever gotten.
DDmaybeandor 2 years ago
If someone didn’t speak to me for weeks because I got them a gift they didn’t want, they would no longer receive gifts from me.
#21
A 2 ft. foam cube with a soft fabric cover. It's a chair, a table, a footrest, padding when I was moving, all sorts of stuff. It was $3.
I love my foam cube
#22
A two dollar game in a steam sale. It was skyrim.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
That's not a purchase, that's a whole new lifestyle. I remember when I first got Skyrim for the 360. I was in college and didn't stop playing for days/weeks straight. Then I got it on PC and modded it, so that's another few hundred hours. Good purchase my friend, good purchase.
#23
A cat toy that is literally a feather on the end of a stick. It was only a dollar, my cat gets hours of entertainment from it.
#24
I was traveling from a different city straight into work, where my uniform was a white shirt, with a conspicuously black bra. Wasn't stopping home, so I did stop on the first corner store I found and bought a five-dollar white bra that looked roughly my size as they had nowhere to try them on. Just to wear one night.
10/10, comfiest bra I ever owned, wore it every day of my life for about a year. It gave in at some point - it was still a 5 dollar bra. But damn, I dream of the day when all my bras fit that well.
#25
I bought a button down shirt from the thrift store in the mid-90s that I still wear today. The shirt if obviously even older. It doesn't have much wear on it either. I think it made of rayon and something else. The brand is K-mart. They don't make 'em like they used to.
MagicalUnicorn 2 years ago
I have some thrifted shirts from my teens and 20 years later they are still great quality, definitely better than new nowadays
#26
At the end of a long road trip with some mates, I bought a $20 pair of sunglasses in a gas station just outside Chicago. They fit me better than any pair of sunglasses ever did, or ever will, and they made me look awesome. For years I constantly received compliments about them and was asked where I got them. I lost them after 5 long years and have hated myself for it every since. They were so no-name they didn't even have a brand name on them at all, so I have no idea who made them. I have no way of finding that gas station, either. I've literally spent hundreds of dollars trying to find sunglasses that come close to that same perfect fit/style, but I can't.
#27
I bought a cheap hoodie from Costco 4 years ago and it survived a car crash, a move and 3 years in high school before I left it on the bus. I loved that thing.
Potty pagan panda 2 years ago
Good stuff at Costco. I went today to fuel up, petrol is a lot cheaper than anywhere else around my area. Went in to browse and got my granddaughter a jacket for $47 warm thick and so well made. Gave it to her and it’s 2 jackets, one inside the other, thought it was a vest. Bargain!
#28
A body pillow. When I had major abdominal surgery, finding a sleeping position was hard. This really helped as it too the pressure off my front.
#29
This summer we bought an inflatable above-ground pool off amazon, it was my MIL's choice, an impulse buy for $300. I was super pessimistic about it, as was everyone else (family of 7). We've spent nearly every day in that pool having fun as a family. I've never really gotten such family-wide value out of something like that.
#30
Spent $11 for a pair of 10ft phone charger cords on Amazon. I figured as often as I had to replace them, $11 wasn't bad for two. Three years later and I'm still using the first one.
What do you think ?
Deborah Chapman 2 years ago
I bought a Mabeline brown eyebrow pencil and a hair pick when I was 16. I am sure I paid less than a dollar for each of them. I have used them daily ever since. I am 66 now. I am still using them both! That is 50 years! I might retire the eyebrow pencil soon. It still works but out of respect, I think I will retire it. ;)
Jihana 2 years ago
A few years back I spent a week in Berlin. Weather forecast said that the whole week the temperatures won't drop under 25°C, even at night, so I thought I'd be fine not bringing a jacket. Turns out they were seriously wrong, and at night it got down to like 13°C, and I was freezing. Went to a cheap clothing store to look for a jacket. I really have problems finding something affordable in my size, so I did not expect to find something, but there it was, a faux leather biker jacket in my size, for about 20€. I LOVED that thing, and wore it till it really disintegrated. I lovingly called it "my Berlin desperation jacket"
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
We had a small DVD shop at the local mall (remember those?), and I wandered in one day and had a look through their $2 bin. I found a copy of a movie called "Osmosis Jones", and I thought what the heck and bought it. It turned out to be a *seriously* underrated little gem. I still have that DVD to this day.
Deborah Chapman 2 years ago
I bought a Mabeline brown eyebrow pencil and a hair pick when I was 16. I am sure I paid less than a dollar for each of them. I have used them daily ever since. I am 66 now. I am still using them both! That is 50 years! I might retire the eyebrow pencil soon. It still works but out of respect, I think I will retire it. ;)
Jihana 2 years ago
A few years back I spent a week in Berlin. Weather forecast said that the whole week the temperatures won't drop under 25°C, even at night, so I thought I'd be fine not bringing a jacket. Turns out they were seriously wrong, and at night it got down to like 13°C, and I was freezing. Went to a cheap clothing store to look for a jacket. I really have problems finding something affordable in my size, so I did not expect to find something, but there it was, a faux leather biker jacket in my size, for about 20€. I LOVED that thing, and wore it till it really disintegrated. I lovingly called it "my Berlin desperation jacket"
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
We had a small DVD shop at the local mall (remember those?), and I wandered in one day and had a look through their $2 bin. I found a copy of a movie called "Osmosis Jones", and I thought what the heck and bought it. It turned out to be a *seriously* underrated little gem. I still have that DVD to this day.
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