Does Price Matter OR Does A High Price Make It Better?

Price is often a reflection of Where an item is purchased. Traditional Retail, and expensive opulent stores/shopping centers are Doomed, as more and more people discover the advantages and convenience of shopping Online. It costs untold millions to build a big shopping center, and staff it....and those costs are passed along to the shoppers. In many cases, 50% of the price of a product is related to where it is purchased. Virtually All clothing and textile products are now made in Asia....no matter what "brand" is reflected on the packaging...and the retail price is usually several times the actual cost of manufacturing.

I have shopped online for at least the past 15 years...for everything from lawnmower parts to vitamin pills. I can usually count on saving anywhere from 30 to 50% on everything I buy. I have paid for this computer several times over, in the process. About the only things I don't buy online might be clothes and groceries. I include clothes in that category because the "size" on the label is usually "approximate". Since all this stuff is made in Asia, one almost has to try it on to make sure it really fits. I wear shoes in a size 10.5, for example, but find stuff in the store anywhere from size 9.5 to 11 that fits.

Unless it's something I need "right now", I spend some time browsing Amazon, EBAY, or some specialty business online...auto parts, etc.,...and invariably, I save a bundle if I can wait a couple of days to get the item delivered.

Case in point....a few weeks ago, the wife mentioned that our bedding was getting past its prime. She looked at stuff at Kohl's and JCPenneys, and said a good set of fitted sheets and pillowcases would be in the $150 and up price range. I did some browsing on EBAY, and bought a fitted set of 800 thread count Egyptian Cotton for $42. They are great, and I have since ordered 2 more sets....3 for the price of 1.
 
Ameriscot said:
I don't care about status names either in clothes, handbags, cars. I like to get a bargain and shop sales. I won't buy the cheap clothes that fall apart in the wash, and I never, ever buy cheap shoes. I need good quality shoes as I hate foot problems.

It just depends on the product for me. Electronics I go for quality. We kept buying toasters that would break, even the expensive ones broke. Finally bought one for something like £6 at Tesco and we've had it for about 5 years.
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I find that toasters and kettles don't last, so you may as well pay the cheapest possible price and then buy every few years.
 

oakapple said:
I find that toasters and kettles don't last, so you may as well pay the cheapest possible price and then buy every few years.
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We've been through loads of kettles as well, and the one we have is a rather cheap one and I think we've had as long as the toaster!
 
My toaster oven has been around for at least 15 years. The batteries burned out, but we found some replacements and my son installs them himself, so far have burned out twice. Most of these gadgets can be fixed if someone wants to take them apart and understands what's wrong.
 
I have no interest in brands or labels and usually try and bag a bargain when possible,as Don says, online is probably the best and easiest, I hate trailing about the shops anyway.
To answer the OP, price does matter in matters of quality but only up to a certain point.
 
oakapple said:
I have no interest in brands or labels and usually try and bag a bargain when possible,as Don says, online is probably the best and easiest, I hate trailing about the shops anyway.
To answer the OP, price does matter in matters of quality but only up to a certain point.
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We order appliances, etc online but I'd never order trousers or shoes as I really need to try them on.
 
QuickSilver said:
Ahhh.... but smart shopping can get you the highest quality at lower prices... I buy at end of season.. Sweaters and coats in the spring.. Summer clothes in the fall... I get expensive labels at a fraction of the cost... which is probably what they are really worth to begin with.
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I agree with this. For example I have a pair of cashmere lined Isotoner gloves that I’ve had for years. Same with a couple pairs of Rockport shoes I paid good money for but caught a sale (the shoes are 10 yrs old and I swear they still look and feel new...only wear in fall/winter though). But I can’t afford to shop like that on a regular basis.

OTOH, sweatpants from Walmart. Some beauty products I get from CVS or the dollar store.

I’ve gotten some clothing items from thrift shops and I always get compliments.
 
Walmart carries a brand of woman's Tee shirts.. White Stag.. $5.97 each. I like them better than any I have gotten from more expensive stores.. I like them.. so I buy them rather than the more expensive brand names.. BUT if liked the brand name better, than that's what I would get. I get what I like.. I don't feel like I have to prove anything to anyone by buying the cheapest of something to show that I'm frugal. I also don't feel like I have to have a brand name. Like I said.. If I like it.. I buy it.
 
Price is not a factor in my slections as much as quality. My grandmother taught me how to look how things are made...to judge how good the quality is. As a child I hated how she would turn garment inside out...telling me what to look for. Especially when I liked the style of something...vs the quality. Her lessons were well taught...for I look for good quality. But, love to bargain shop. It is like a chess game to me. I have a grand-daughter's wedding in July. Will try to get something extra nice at a Consignment shop. Would rather have something lightly pre-worn, of good quality than something cheesy,...though fashionable. I have to shop online for things other than clothes. Hate that I cannot see and touch them.
 
ndynt said:
Price is not a factor in my slections as much as quality. My grandmother taught me how to look how things are made...to judge how good the quality is. As a child I hated how she would turn garment inside out...telling me what to look for. Especially when I liked the style of something...vs the quality. Her lessons were well taught...for I look for good quality. But, love to bargain shop. It is like a chess game to me. I have a grand-daughter's wedding in July. Will try to get something extra nice at a Consignment shop. Would rather have something lightly pre-worn, of good quality than something cheesy,...though fashionable. I have to shop online for things other than clothes. Hate that I cannot see and touch them.
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That's what my grandmother taught me.. she would show me how the cheap stuff had very narrow seams and would likely fall apart. AND I'm with you.. no online buying for me.. I like to feel and touch.. even with appliances. Photos can be deceiving.
 
You can go to high end stores and buy brand name items at inflated prices, but if you look, they're still made in China.
Now if I knew which were the best factories in China, it might made a difference. :)
 
Depends on the item. Many if not most factories manufacture for anyone that will pay the price regardless of the name on the building. In another time I used to haul peas and corn to a Libbeys canning plant. After the veggies were canned they would run them through the labeler, maybe two shifts of Libbeys labels, shut down change the label roll to some store brand,run the required amount change again. All the same product just sold for different prices..
John Deere and New Holland get a premium for their equipment, yes they are good, but are they that much better that a Yanmar, Mahindra,or TYM? Consider that many of them are the same machine under the sheetmetal,(or plastic) having rolled of the same assembly line. GMC is considered premium over a Chevrolet. Difference? Cosmetics and marketing!
 

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