Author Topic: buymeonce.com  (Read 2590 times)

ejh

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buymeonce.com
« on: November 15, 2016, 01:31:23 PM »
Hey All,

I found this website while searching for an umbrella that won't break after one week of use: http://www.buymeonce.com/.

The site brings together different products with one thing in common - they last a lifetime (or come with a lifetime guarantee).

I felt like this is my dream come true.
Out with the endless need to replace, upgrade or renew stuff.
Get one thing that will last and you never have to worry about it again.

I'm 32 now and I feel like I've come to this realization so late in life.
It's like I always knew that this could be true, but actually:
a. was not willing to pay so much for a product when I could find a cheaper one
b. could not know which product would really deliver quality and would not just charge for the brand name

Looking for some advice. How should I go about and become a person who only buys once?
I never feel like I have enough money to spend on such expensive items.
If I need to save up a whole year to get a pair of shoes, in the event that I need one before I have the cash I'll probably get a cheaper pair.
Do you find that it always makes sense to get the best quality? Aren't there things worth buying cheap?

onlykelsey

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Re: buymeonce.com
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2016, 01:37:26 PM »
Neat idea.  I definitely have been trying to invest in lifetime (or 10+ year pieces) when possible.  One problem I have is that I am not always sure up front whether what I'm buying is something that I will need for ten years. For example, I've been the same size for ~12 years, but now that I'm pregnant, I'm all about fast fashion for maternity clothes, and I don't know what will fit me afterwards.


englishteacheralex

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Re: buymeonce.com
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2016, 02:00:03 PM »
Thanks for posting! I'm enjoying the website you introduced.

To me, this website is part of a larger trend of mindfulness in purchasing (or not! purchasing). Le Creuset is freakin' amazing; my husband and I love to cook and use the hell out of our dutch oven, are we gonna buy a Le Creuset for $300+ when you can get a really nice dutch oven from Costco for $50 (on clearance three years ago) that was well-reviewed by Consumer Reports? Nope. The $50 dutch oven will do us fine and will last a long time.

The problem with an obsession with quality is that it can still lead to a consumer mindset that still produces overspending and wastefulness. What about the person who buys all the shiny, gorgeous, well made stuff on that website but they don't even cook? For example, I can't tell you how many times I've read a cost-per-use analysis of a Vitamix, and been theoretically convinced that we NEED A VITAMIX!!! But we have a Ninja that works fine, plus a stick (emersion) blender, and we don't use either one more than twice/week. Yeah, the Ninja is going to wear out eventually. We've had it four years. It was $90. Let's say it wears out in two years--we got six years of use for $90. A Vitamix at Costco is $350. At that rate, it will take ~20 years for the Vitamix to pay for itself for what we would have paid for 4 Ninjas. Yes, 4 blenders is a waste to the environment, so there's definitely that to consider. But...I dunno, seems like a lot of money to have tied up in a blender.

A lot of the time I've found that the best policy is instead of buying once, to "buy never" and just be content to do without.

When that's not an option, the big win is to find high quality items for a bargain by looking to buy used, refurbished, or some kind of fire sale situation. You educate yourself on brands that are built to last and then wait to see if A. you really need the item, thus leading to a low cost per use and B. you can find it for a discount in some way.

We do so much cooking that All Clad is a huge score for us; we look for it at garage sales and TJ Maxx and buy pieces at a discount whenever we find them.

Random observation: LL Bean is pretty badass when it comes to their return policy. They just replaced my ten year old suitcase for free. The wheels had broken, and they exchanged it for a brand new one no questions asked. Ok, loyal customer for life, here.

Cannot Wait!

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Re: buymeonce.com
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2016, 04:51:08 PM »
Another thing to think about is if you will tire of the object before it wears out.  I bought a wonderful couch - it lasted 18 years before we gave it away.  I loved it for a lot of those years but also felt obligated to move it across the country with us because I couldn't get my money back in resale.  I also had to decorate around it.  I was ready for a change! Since giving it up, I've had 5 couches in the last two years, all free off kijiji.  I don't think I'll ever buy anything new again.