Have you ever regretted a bargain purchase? Post your stories

Munificent on 08/06/2014 - 21:56
Last edited 09/06/2014 - 07:40

Hi all,

Here's my recent tales of a ozbargainer.

I bought these bags from staples about a week ago - see attached pictures.
http://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/26251/23236/222222.jpg
http://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/26251/23234/111.jpg

I was originally in the market for a new chair for my room - I read some reviews for some chairs online and when I found one I liked within my price range, I pulled the trigger for an online order. Just for curiosity and with my insatiable hunger for good deals, I checked out the clearance items on the staples website as well. Of course I used a voucher for $20 off my order too.

I sorted by cheapest price, and something caught my eye. 1000 bags for 30 cents. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like an oasis in a desert type stumble upon. There was no picture of the product or description but I thought what the hell, let's order 5 of these unbelievably cheap bags. 5000 bags for $1.50. I had no idea what to expect or what polywoven was but for a small cost I would soon find out. I added it to my order and got free shipping as my total qualified for free shipping. I didn't post as a deal because I wasn't sure what it was, or whether they would be able to fulfil 1000 bags at 30 cents. (sadly now not available on their website)

To say I was surprised when the delivery came is an understatement. The bags were the last to be unloaded from the truck. Initially I wasn't sure that they were mine, I don't recall ordering so many things? It then dawned on me….5 huge bags came out of the truck, each one weighing over 40kg each.
For a split second I pondered whether I should not accept delivery of these bags - where would I put them, what would I use 5000 bags for? Then of course, I cannot refuse a bargain or paid for goods - that goes against my financial morals.

These bags could easily hold 30kg of rice each for an indication of how much they can hold. They are the ones that are cross-stitched like rice carrying bags

So now here I am, all these bags. Have you ever had any bargains that you purchased and then in hindsight thought maybe it wasn't the best idea to buy?

As posted by ukmark below, these bags might still be available if you wanted to give it a shot. Ymmv. Stock levels unknown

General Discussion

Comments

  • Cheeper on 08/06/2014 - 22:33
    +1

    Got a $250 printer here I paid $5 incl delivery for, a heavy duty drill set with heaps of accessories retailed for $200+ paid $8 and heaps of other stuff… didn't need any of it but when they are such sweet bargains then why not :-)
    Exercising more self control these days though… Bought nothing that I regret yet.

    Those bags you got sound like a great deal… now to find someone who may have a use for them and make some cash??

    • bajillionaire on 09/06/2014 - 20:49

      Doesn't sound like you regretted the purchases?

  • GnarlyKnuckles on 08/06/2014 - 23:46
    +3

    In retrospect I should not have bought a few of the digital cameras I've bought over the years. I got excited every time it became affordable to buy one with a couple more mega-pixels… so now I have a 2MP, 4MP, 5MP etc. up to 24 MP. Obviously the excess ones cannot be sold as they become almost worthless within about a year, and no one wants to buy digital cameras now anyway as phones generally contain a half decent camera these days. I've given a few away to kids, but even most kids have a mobile with a camera in it these days. We strapped one to high speed off-road RC-car the other day and got video footage 'from the car's perspective', that was pretty fun, but I dunno what to do with the rest…

    Re those bags you scored kaiz, if you really have a surplus I'd be happy to 'take a bale off your hands', if you live in Victoria. Of course, I'd reimburse you the 30 cents ;-)
    How did you get free postage from Staples by the way?

    • Munificent on 09/06/2014 - 00:06

      Hehe sorry in Sydney and postage would cost a truck load considering it's about 40kg to 1000 bags. Free delivery because I was originally shopping for a chair and then added these on the side. It would have cost staples heaps to ship these as due to their size, they came on their own pallet on the truck.

  • lachlan1 on 08/06/2014 - 23:53
    +5

    Those bags seem perfect for kids sack races… maybe offer it to a local school or charity

  • bb_hunter on 08/06/2014 - 23:55
    +2

    yes, all the cree torches posted on Ozbargain.

    • cantstanzya on 09/06/2014 - 00:45
      +1

      This + Pretty much all of the sub $5 Chinese electronic gizmos that I didn't really need, took over a month to arrive, and generally turned out to be barely worth their corresponding purchase values.

  • ukmark on 09/06/2014 - 01:00

    Is it these bags?

    If so, still available - and a bargain if you need these types of bags.

    • lachlan1 on 09/06/2014 - 01:07

      If you click onto add to basket you get this..
      Sorry, this item is currently out of stock or you have exceeded the quantity limit. Please select an alternative product. - See more at: http://www.staples.com.au/cleaning-washroom-safety/bins-rubb…

    • Munificent on 09/06/2014 - 07:34

      Yes those are the bags lol. When I searched for them again I couldn't find it

      It now let's you add to cart? Tried at 736 am, go for it haha

  • Cheap Steve on 09/06/2014 - 05:18
    +12

    Yes got a Jawsome Man Chew Maxibon toy because it got a lot of up-votes and it was free. When it arrived I felt terrible that I had applied for this worthless piece of land-fill. This changed my whole Ozbargain approach and now I only buy stuff that I need not every bargain post with over 50 votes.

    • lovesabargain77 on 09/06/2014 - 12:46
      +2

      My dog loves the Jawsome Man Chew Maxibon toy.

    • terrys on 09/06/2014 - 14:34
      +4

      Hmmm - from a dog's POV, ` landfill' is a feature, no?

    • altomic on 09/06/2014 - 15:34
      +4

      I got mine. thought about it for 20 seconds and came to the conclusion of "what am I going to do with this worthless POS?" chucked it on ebay. got a $1 or something for it. bought a red paper clip with it.

  • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2014 - 15:34
    +4

    Haha, OP your bargain is hilarious. I guess greed got the better of you. But I've been in a similar situation. I bought a massive box of paddle pops before for only $3. I ended up gaining 3kg and spent $500 on a gym membership to burn those extra calories off.

  • altomic on 09/06/2014 - 15:36
    +5

    Those bags. fill them with dirt, sit them upright and grow trees in them (collect native seeds from a park). wait till the trees are a metre tall, take them to a market and then start selling them.

    • Geewhizz on 10/06/2014 - 06:22
      +1

      The bags won't last long enough for that to happen. They deteriorate pretty quickly when exposed to the elements.

  • Geewhizz on 10/06/2014 - 06:25
    +2

    Kaizer are you a gardener? People who sell horse/cow poo would probably kill for a supply of bags like that. You could probably do a trade.

    • altomic on 10/06/2014 - 10:22
      +5

      that would be a sh!t trade

      • Geewhizz on 10/06/2014 - 17:10

        Yeah pretty crappy.

  • tight-a55 on 10/06/2014 - 09:48
    +2

    The one that sticks out for me is the pocket LED credit card thing that was 2 cents (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/135059). Definitely don't have a need for it and its still sitting on my desk from when i opened the package.

  • BuyoTheCat on 10/06/2014 - 10:00

    I like your story. made me chuckle.
    Those bags looks like good stuff to give away.
    Or start growing potatos.

  • bluesky on 10/06/2014 - 23:09

    Years ago, Officeworks was selling 64page notebooks for 1c each. Bought 6 boxes (each had 180 books). They turned out to be 15kg each, so a total of 90kg.

    Thought they would be used up quickly. Quite the opposite. A life-time supply :-)

    1c books used to be the norm during the back-to-school season, but no longer. Gradually, 5c was the minimum, and then lately, I think it was 10c (for 64pages). So whenever I regret the space they are taking up, I console myself that I am making a 10-fold profit on them :-)

    • altomic on 11/06/2014 - 09:07
      +2

      donate them to school.

      The school my kids go to established a school in Cambodia and they would be extremely grateful for 1000+ books

      i would buy to donate.

      • bluesky on 11/06/2014 - 18:18

        I have been giving them away bit by bit - so far, it has been to friends/people I know, but yeah, thanks for suggesting some worthwhile cause.

        Hey altomic, I am kind of curious now - is it common for schools here to be associated with schools in other parts of the world - or is this a special initiative at your kids school? Also, suppose very low value items which are very heavy are donated, will they actually make their way to another country? Wouldn't the shipping be prohibitive? Thanks.

        • altomic on 12/06/2014 - 22:40
          +1

          Special initiative of the school. They occasionally send a shipping container of stuff over. So bulk shipping is quite reasonable and weight isn't an issue.

        • bluesky on 18/06/2014 - 22:26

          Thx. Great initiative too.

    • [Deactivated] on 11/06/2014 - 13:12
      +1

      Just make sure you store all those books correctly so they don't go funky before you get the chance to use them all :P

  • chipstss on 19/06/2014 - 13:59

    I thought I got a steal on Ebay for a (used)280x @ $280 months ago but then the next few weeks after that purchase they started selling close to $220, for better models too.
    And then this recent deal just punched me in the stomach https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/149387

  • Captain Kremmen on 23/06/2014 - 19:41

    Definitely regret buying this.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/62796

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