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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.

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#1

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

miraculous_spackle Report

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Auntriarch
Auntriarch
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ilovemydogshilo, you have just painted such a picture in my head 🤣

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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.
#2

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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!

viceroywaffles , Conall Report

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Bill Evs
Bill Evs
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#3

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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!

Emilzabub , Blake Wisz Report

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"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.

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#4

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

ThredHead , Julio Rionaldo Report

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#5

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

Ticonderoga10-11 , Djaouhar Zine Elabidine Ouali Report

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Dan Padgett
Dan Padgett
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#6

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

maddymj , Brittney Weng Report

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IlovemydogShilo
IlovemydogShilo
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm sure she is. Such a little cutie. Good luck with your degree.👍🍀😃

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"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!)

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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

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

mus_maximus , Cliff Booth Report

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IcyPenguinToes
IcyPenguinToes
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"underwire tit shanking" 😂 😂. The phrase I didn't know I needed in my life.

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#8

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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).

EffeminateSquirrel , upload.wikimedia.org Report

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Pittsburgh rare
Pittsburgh rare
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I also need something to gesticulate while l pontificate. Totally get you

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#9

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

IfTheHouseBurnsDown , Bernie Almanza Report

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Kirsten Kerkhof
Kirsten Kerkhof
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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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.

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#10

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

other_virginia_guy , The Sleep Judge Report

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Beck
Beck
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You are a "fan" of airflow😆😆😆me too! My fan literally never gets turned off.

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#11

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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

PrussianBleu , Cynthia Smith Report

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Katy McMouse
Katy McMouse
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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 20220608_202332-62b4547957ada.jpg

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#12

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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

KevinMScott , Lacey Raper Report

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Mohsie Supposie
Mohsie Supposie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So the camo is so good, it makes you both invisible? I'd say that's a double Pro!

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"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.

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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

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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!

Whylizlovesyou , Matt W Newman Report

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IlovemydogShilo
IlovemydogShilo
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#14

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases I broke a filling in Mumbai in 1999 and had to use a local dentist. $7 and still going strong.

anon , Images Alight Report

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lkthorlyn23
lkthorlyn23
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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!

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#15

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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!!!

meresymptom , bradleypjohnson Report

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Péter Rózsahegyi
Péter Rózsahegyi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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'.

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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.

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"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

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

OctoberThirteenth , Alex Jumper Report

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Jenny Michelle
Jenny Michelle
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't get the end..does that mean they bought a broken recliner?

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#17

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

21_K , The Sleep Judge Report

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Furmama0501
Furmama0501
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am in awe of this one. I never would have thought of something like that. Kudos to you!

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#18

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

sprcpr , Susan Wilkinson Report

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#19

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

PnutButterOnMyBurger , Luke Nadeau Report

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#20

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

tarakerin , Alanna Risse Report

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DDmaybeandor
DDmaybeandor
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#21

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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

notornnotes , Sweef Report

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#22

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases A two dollar game in a steam sale. It was skyrim.

Emergency_Paperclip , Sean Do Report

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Dan Padgett
Dan Padgett
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#23

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

alyssaaarenee , leah hetteberg Report

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Jayne Kyra
Jayne Kyra
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My cats´ favourite toy is an old hoodie string on a stick...

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#24

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

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The Deez
The Deez
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if it "gave in" via an underwire tit-shanking? LOL!

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#25

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

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MagicalUnicorn
MagicalUnicorn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have some thrifted shirts from my teens and 20 years later they are still great quality, definitely better than new nowadays

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#26

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

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Judes
Judes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Years ago I had a friend with a similar story about sunglasses. Only difference is, one day he dropped them in a urinal and couldn't bring himself to retrieve them.

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#27

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

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Potty pagan panda
Potty pagan panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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!

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#28

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

HumanXeroxMachine , www.amazon.com Report

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Beck
Beck
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely! Got one with my first pregnancy. In will never sleep without one now snd that first pregnancy turns 25 this year.

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#29

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

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#30

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases 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.

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Furmama0501
Furmama0501
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mine aren't as long but I got a pair of long ones from Amazon too. Braided so they are more durable. I love them!

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#31

Fugly/sad/misshapen potted plants from the grocery store. They just need some love and its so fun to see them grow!

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JJ
JJ
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got a tray of six strawberry plants for 1 Euro in a hardware store about 6 years ago. Turns out they are self-seeding. It's not that we get to enjoy strawberries, though. The birds are faster ...

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#32

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases I bought a $17 toaster about 20 years ago and it’s still going strong!

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M O'Connell
M O'Connell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I regularly use the waffle iron my parents received as a gift from the bank in 1984 when they opened their joint checking account!

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#33

Zenni is a glasses frame online shop and at first I was skeptical by how cheap it was but my god are the frames durable. 100/10 would recommend

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OnlyDori
OnlyDori
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have at least 10 pair from Zenni, they are so well priced you can buy multiples and have style changes!

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#34

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases Audible. Thought I was making a mistake actually starting to pay for a subscription. Now I’ve been using it almost every day for over a year.

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Michele Viney
Michele Viney
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love Audible! I have insomnia and this is the one thing that gets me back to sleep. Ironically I also listen in the car and it actually keeps me awake, useful when my parents live 4 hours away and I make sure I have enough book time to get me there and back.

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#35

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases Just a couple weeks ago I saw a flat screen TV for $40 at a thrift shop. Or it might've been a computer monitor, I'm not sure. From corner to corner, it's about as long as my elbow to my fingertips. It had a PC input, all the video inputs, two HDMI inputs, some USB inputs, cable input, the whole works. So immediately, I wasn't sure if it was too good to be true. It turned on and all the buttons worked, but there was no remote. Also, I was told there was no returns, only exchanges.

Well, I went ahead and bought it anyway, and it works like a dream! I finally have something I can bring with me when I make my next move. I can change the volume and input with the side buttons, so that's basically all I need. One day I might get a universal remote so I can change the brightness, but I'm basically set.

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Francesa Miller
Francesa Miller
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was the remote for my dad. "You, get up and change the channel."

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#36

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases $12 rain boots at ValueVillage. I've thrashed these things living in rural Alaska and they're still totally watertight 2 years later.

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#37

$70 ring from JC Penny’s.. Wife for 22 years and counting. That’s $3.18/year. Really good investment. Of course she throws it at me from time to time, but a $70 ring doesn’t do too much damage. Plus, she throws like a girl, so there’s that.

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#38

I am late to the party, but in 2006ish I purchased a home that was never gutted after Hurricane Katrina. Had lots of water in it for way too long and about 2 feet of muck. But the house only cost me 16k. I put 50k in parts into it, and did 90% of the work myself. After 12 months I rented it for $1800 a month. After a few years, sold it for a bit over $300,000. Was a lot of fun for 22 year old me.

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#39

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases I bought plane tickets from Pittsburgh to Dublin, Ireland from a sketchy sight. It involved 3 layovers and 2 airlines. The company had a 1-2 star review on every website I went to and didn't find a single positive review, but I bought the ticket anyway. After 20 hours, 4 flights, and a really sketchy layover in Portugal I flew across the Atlantic with no problem for $200.

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Kenny Kulbiski
Kenny Kulbiski
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To me 20 hours, 4 flights and a layover wouldn't be described as " no problem ".

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#40

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases I bought a fake wood (plastic) mantle clock from ValueCity for like $10 because I needed something for my first apartment. I received a surprising number of compliments on it and was asked more than once if it was a family heirloom because it looked so old. It also lasted for like 10 years until some movers broke it. I was kind of proud of displaying that stupid cheap clock.

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Jenny Michelle
Jenny Michelle
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We've had a swing chair for years now ..I used to lay my Daughter on it when she was a baby and rock her to sleep ..movers broke the bars to the canopy by forcing it to close to get it in the van ..I was heavily pregnant with my son so wasn't there to supervise ..it's hot out now and I'd love to swing on that using the canopy as shade ..but I can't as its impossible to get replacement parts for it 😒..sorry the bit about the movers touched a nerve :(

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#41

This will never see the light of day, but... 25 years ago, I bought this cool long-sleeved tie-dyed T-shirt at a thrift store for $0.25. I still have it, and finally just downgraded it to an around-the-house shirt because of the holes around its collar.

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#42

$17 Target brand boat shoes.

I bought them about 6 years ago, and just wore them randomly for things like going to the grocery store, or running down to my car. Then I found they were great practice shoes for disc golf.

They lasted 1.5 years of planting and twisting on concrete before they finally folded. Went back, they've been discontinued for YEARS.

RIP

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Vanessa Richardson
Vanessa Richardson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I bought *the* comfiest pair of slip-ons at Aldi 2 years ago for $6.99. Wore them nearly everyday for 2 years before the rubber soles had worn themselves down to paper-thin in some spots. Had to resort to eBay to find another pair—paid $16 for them the second time around, but totally worth it!

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#43

Melamine sponges from China. I hated having to buy a small pack of Mr clean magic erasers often so tried to find them in bulk. I call them Mr Wei's magic eraser cause it was from a Mr Wei

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#44

Went to a garage sale, little girl was in charge, shes like 12. I dont know s**t about turn tables but she has a set on a table, i ask how much, she tells me 20 bucks. I ask her if they work, she tells me she has no idea, her dad got new ones and wants to get rid of these. I wait for dad, she tells me hes sleeping, she says "dude just take them", im like , no 20 cant be right maybe 200? She looks at me like im stupid, fine, ill take them. I drive straight to a p**n shop and see what i can get for them, or if they even work. They f*****g work, dude looks up prices and comes back with a 1200 dollar offer. Best 20 bucks I ever spent.


EDIT: to clarify, this happened in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Plano, TX, I dont remember the brand, this happened like 7 years ago

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Katie Lutesinger
Katie Lutesinger
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL at them deciding to censor the word "p-a-w-n". That's... not a naughty word, guys.

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#45

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases I got an adjustable phone mount at the dollar store when I had an iPhone 4.


Still use the same one with my iPhone X

WooIWorthWaIIaby , Palmon Id Report

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Laugh or not
Laugh or not
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not an Apple product, then, or it would never be compatible with more than one version of their iPhone.

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#46

I bought a 2001 Subaru Forester with 250,000 miles for 2k and that lil shitbox has yet to ever let me down for the past 2 years,

Edit:[Pic of my trusty ol’ Shitbox](https://imgur.com/gallery/wvBr9XL)

I just drove it back and forth from LA to Phoenix with no problems other than a small oil leak! I do all my own maintenance on it and I plan on replacing it’s engine in the next couple of months due to the fact that a new EJ251 isn’t too much money.

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SkekVi
SkekVi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wanna make a joke here about 'of course a subaru lasts forever, it's the car lesbians like' but i can't figure out how to word it. XD (sidenote I am queer I'm not punching down i'm affectionately teasing my own sisters)

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#47

30 Times People Bought Ridiculously Cheap Things That Looked Sketchy But Turned Out To Be The Best Purchases A 27 Dollar dash cam. Got it off Amazon. Its Shaper Image, included an SD Card. And was 27 bucks. I thought it was gonna be a waste. It wasnt. I have it on whenever I drive. Turns on automatically. Records automatically. You can turn auto rewrite on or off. Has a high quality camera. Infrared leds for night time driving, the mounting mechanism works great. Its stabke and has never fallen. Its not the best in the world. Its not 4k recording, but its 1080, high 120 fps, and was 27 bucks, when some other can run up into the high hundreds. 10/10 would buy again. 10/10 would gift to someone. Actually works great and was 27 bucks.

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#48

Dad bought me a flannel jacket for $2 (from the equivalent of a dollar store) in 1994. Wore it for everything you can think of. Wore it yesterday. Still going strong after 25 years

Edit: pic taken today by request.
The jacket https://imgur.com/gallery/2gFBZKc

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#49

Any harbor freight tool. If used properly, at minimum you get your money's worth. At best, your $20 torque wrench has earned you a few thousand dollars worth of work/saved repair bills by doing your own work.

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Cody
Cody
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely! A lot of tradesmen like to complain about Harbor Freight. But for your average everyday homeowner, I've found Harbor Freight tools are great for the price! One tip that I've read is, buy a cheap tool first. And if you end up using it enough that it breaks, then go buy the expensive version.

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#50

I was lured into a ghetto housing area by the prospect of a $40 surface pro 2017. People approached me with weapons and I was like “God I’m going to die.” Then, a man walked between them and said, “Are you the buyer?” I said yes and I paid for the computer and he said, “sorry, they thought you were here to harm me.” I then left and now I’m here.

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#51

Pair of $11 ankle boots from Walmart. They actually fit (which is amazing in itself, I wear around a 10.5/11 WW in women’s shoes), they were so comfy, looked cute with any and all pants, and lasted for several years. Still miss those damn boots years later.

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#52

I risked a huge box of magic cards. I spent around 200, it easily came out around 2k to 3k. This box was just a random pickup on the internet from craigslist.

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Brenda
Brenda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A lot of cards for different games are worth big bucks. I have several holographic Pokémon cards, worth quite a bit. Wonder if my son remembers I have them

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#53

Stain removers from the dollar store are surprisingly effective.

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Daune Tullina
Daune Tullina
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Premium 2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Soilove is my favorite dollar store laundry stain remover. It cuts grease on stove tops really well too

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#54

$1300 for a salvage title, 22 year old Honda motorcycle. Owned it for 10 years and all I ever had to do to it was tires, brakes, oil changes/scheduled maintenance. Never had an issue with that wonderful bike.

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#55

Knock off north face hiking shoes in Vietnam. Cost me $20. Used and abused and still going strong.

Edit: this blew up and my inbox is a mess, for everyone asking about getting cheap shoes ect. There's a whole subreddit dedicated to that r/fashionreps

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#56

A little $40 speaker set for my bedroom tv I got in 2006 and still works great.

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SkekVi
SkekVi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a similar cheapy set I use for my PC! And they're easy to clean too (I used to live in the desert so this was a selling point--everything was covered in dust all the time!)

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#57

Kerbal Space Program.

Looked like throwaway game that would get me a few hours of entertainment for like £5 back in 2012.

Over 3000 hours later I can say that's the best £5 I've ever spent!

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#58

Flight cargo escort for discounted tickets. I flew to Shanghai fro New York for about $200 total, on JAL business class. In return, I had to sign to take responsibility for cargo on the flight. I saw the cargo on the loading dock, it was a pallet covered in a camouflage tarp. I received my tickets in person upon arrival at JFK. I'm pretty sure I helped traffic drugs or weapons across borders.

I can't remember the name of the company. Also, I don't think it exists anymore, because it was sketchy as f**k.

Edit, they were called Air Courrier. I found an article about it, in case you think I was bullshitting. I did this before 9-11. High times.

https://www.gonomad.com/1558-flying-cheap-air-courier-travel-gonomad-mini-guide#targetText=An%20air%20courier%20is%20basically,to%20escort%20cargo%20by%20plane.&targetText=As%20payment%20for%20your%20temporary,trip%20ticket%20to%20a%20destination.

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Michelle Carlson
Michelle Carlson
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband used to have a job where he'd pick up bank paperwork couriered by a plane at night. He'd drive out on the tarmack, pick it up and the deliver it to various banks. Can you even imagine being able to do that now?! We used our own vehicle, never had to show ID, sheesh.

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#59

My dad bought a cheap car and 300k miles later it's still kicking.

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#60

I bought official PlayStation wireless headphones for 20€ a few years ago(they usually cost about 70€ brand new). I thought it was a sketchy sale but nope, they are fine and I still use them to this day

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#61

A picture frame I got from the dollar store, think people thought it was worth a lot more

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#62

This fall I bought a 2014 Honda Accord with under 80k miles for $9,000 from a guy on Craigslist. His English wasn't the best and we barely looked over the car before buying it since it was starting to snow and we wanted to get home. The guy bought it from an insurance company because it had been totaled. I did have to get an alignment ($100) but other than that it's been perfect.

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#63

I bought a jailbroken Firestick last year for $100. 12ish months later I’ve cutout my Directv and strictly use the firestick. That thing has saved me close $1000 so far.

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Bex
Bex
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that a bargain, though? I just got a Firestick a few months ago for $25. Not trying to be rude, I'm actually curious.

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#64

Really cheap truck stop pocket knife. I'd left mine at home on a road trip and I really just am used to having one in my pocket because they are useful. Expected it to toss it away when I got back from the trip but 3 years and several dead hookers later it still works like a charm.

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#65

5$ pack of 2 pairs of earbuds from amazon!! they were the best ive ever used. one lasted me the whole school year, the others I gave to a friend.

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#66

I'd buy a sketchy repeated comments filter about now.

Edit: Deleted a dup. Day later this post still shows up as phantom weirdness in my post history. It has no date.

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#67

What’s with this thread? It’s got silver, 300 comments and like 80 points. Plus many of the comments are duplicated. This is weird

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Jihana
Jihana
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stellar choice to include this posting in the list, Jonas and Ieva.

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