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Companies, vendors, and manufacturers know exactly what they're doing when it comes to pricing products and services, and it's always been about strategy at the expense of willing customers.
The value of various items, merchandise, and services sold commercially is typically determined by supply and demand instead of manufacturing costs.
And while customers often complain about an overpriced product, is their argument valid if they buy that coveted item?
Curious to hear about fair commerce, Redditor Rice_farmer8 asked:
"What seems to be overpriced, but in reality is 100% worth it?"
These are for the customer who's always going places.
Safe Ride Home
"An Uber home instead of a DUI. Whether it’s court costs, the (more than monetary) costs of an accident, and the issue of having a suspended license. It’s not worth it, don’t drink and drive."
– YoloSwaggins991
Worthy Comfort
"Good shoes and socks."
– THGilmore
"Smartwool socks are freaking awesome!"
– billy_bob68
"Darn tough socks take it all though. Smart wool #2"
– duckduckghost1
Worthy Cycle
"Quality bicycles. That is if you care about riding bicycles at all."
– DrYaklagg
"Just don't let the bike shop people talk you into a $1000 bike for tooling around your neighborhood and paved trails. You don't need a Trek Roscoe for that."
– zekeweasel
"If you want to buy an inexpensive bicycle, a 40 year old high-end bike is 1000x better than a bike-shaped-object from Target/Walmart."
– llort_tsoper
It's hard to narrow the list.
Learning About Value
"I'm usually a cheapskate but experience has taught me that some things are worth spending money on. For example:"
"Car wash vacuum cleaners. So worth it to spend $1.50 or whatever to use one rather than trying to use your own vacuum cleaner. And, they get your car cleaner much faster than dragging out your home vacuum to try to clean your car with."
"Electronics. Buy them new from brand-name shops. It isn't worth hassling to save $10 somewhere and getting something that doesn't work or doesn't have a reasonable return policy."
"Household help. If you can afford it get someone to come in and clean your house on a regular basis. So it stays...always clean, without you having to do anything."
"Education. Now this is a big one and far more could be written about it. Obviously not all education expense is worthwhile, so I'm not necessarily referring to a college degree or whatnot. But educating yourself - or especially, educating kids if you have them, can return dividends throughout their life."
– TTTT27
"One interesting secret about #3. Having a housekeeper come in regularly also motivates you to keep things tidy so that they can get in and clean things."
"Like - if your housekeeper comes in every other Wednesday, by Tuesday you're making sure of things like making sure that the floors are clear to vacuum, you don't have stuff piled on your tables/counters, and stuff like that."
"If you have the tendency to let things get cluttered, it definitely motivates you to keep things tidy."
– fauxzempic
You can't just pick one.
"Mattress, Shoes, Dental Care, Jacket."
"In that order."
– Kwinza
"Dental care... not necessarily overpriced, but it's a disgrace that it isn't covered by health insurance, not even in most western EU countries."
"Studies are showing time and time again that there is a very significant correlation between dental and physical health, with much more to come - recent studies have shown significant association between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease and cancer outcomes, aside of the highly elevated risks of stroke, heart attacks and disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases and so much more."
"Yet it is being treated as if the mouth is completely separate from the rest of the body."
– Mo3
Don't forget about the everyday things we all take for granted.
Sit On This
"A quality sofa. One from What A Room custom sofas, Room & Board, Arhaus or Flexsteel. Don't go for the junk from Joybird, Ashley, Burrow, West Elm, etc."
– juanisimok
"My IKEA sofa is offended that he wasn't even mentioned."
– Andromeda_53
"This is true, but the companies aren’t right. WE, Arhaus, R&B, C&B, etc all contract out their furniture manufacturing to the same few companies, mostly in North Carolina. Theres a huge furniture industry there, and they make the same basic stuff for everyone. What matters is knowing the specific joinery and frame of what you’re buying and the features of the fabric."
"Most of those stores have the same basic quality, but also some misses. Usually anything made in America will be good. Can’t speak for stuff like Ashley or Joybird. If they work with the same manufacturing groups, it’s probably fine. If it’s some Chinese or whatever stuff that’s imported, I’d pass."
– True_Window_9389
Cuts Clean
"Professional kitchen knives. You’re not just paying for the ability to cut; you’re investing in less prep time, safer handling, and a tool that, with proper care, will last a lifetime."
"Don’t undermine your culinary skills with subpar equipment. Remember, a dull knife is an injured chef's first sign of regret."
– Boring-Leather-1433
"Good cookware in general. My mom still cooks largely from a set of pots and pans she's had since the 70s and they still work perfectly fine. Her cast iron set is even older than that and will likely be going to me some day."
– monty_kurns
Wear It Well
"Tailored clothing. Wearing clothing that fits correctly is more comfortable, looks better, and tends to be of a quality that lasts longer."
– AlanMercer
"Adding on that you don't have to get bespoke or designer clothes then have them tailored- you can thrift high quality pieces and have them altered to fit you perfectly. I have 2 coats from the 80s that cost me $25 together that I had altered for $160 total and they are beautiful, impeccably fitted, and will last me the rest of my life."
"I recently bought a pair of early 90's men's Calvin Klein jeans ($10) then had them tailored to fit me ($18) and not only do I get compliments on them all the time, they have functional pockets and are much higher quality than most modern women's designer jeans."
"The quality of most consumer goods have tanked in the last couple decades but good pieces are still hanging out in resale shops waiting to be worn for another 30+ years."
– KleineFjord
"Especially for a special event (wedding, award ceremony, etc). If you pay a tailor to customize every aspect of your suit (pant length, waist, crotch length, leg taper, shirt sleeves, shirt width, jacket, etc), you'll look like James Bond (or the female equivalent)."
"You don't even have to be in particularly good shape or anything. It's just that you look sloppy when your pants are an inch too long, or your there's too much room in your crotch, or there's excess shirt fabric that couldn't be tucked in."
"Most people couldn't tell you why, but they would subconsciously perceive you better when all of the little details are perfect. Most people don't understand how big a difference 1 inch can make in your clothing."
– S_balmore
Some Redditors can't put a price on less tangible things like experiences.
Show Of A Lifetime
"A concert ticket to your favorite artist, you'll most likely forget about the money once they get on."
– ilovemathematics174
"I bought a ticket for my wife to see Jeff Beck not too long before his passing. She's been a big fan since the beginning. I like his stuff but couldn't really be considered a "fan"."
"Besides, two tickets were beyond our price point. Anyway, she had the time of her life and I was glad to be able to do that for her."
– rudraigh
"2017, rock in rio, red hot chili peppers."
"Never gonna forget the show. And today I have no idea how much I paid for the tickets and airplane tickets to get there."
– backwards_watch
I strongly believe spending that extra bit of cash for quality toilet paper is worth it.
Nobody should subject themselves to that 69¢ roll of TP from a discount store that only sandpapers your sensitive spots.
I learned about the preference the hard way during the pandemic when we were limited to whatever TP remained on ransacked store shelves.
Charmin Ultra Soft for me, please. My tuckus thanks me for it on the daily.